Abhanga 2239
For today: we'll quarrel with you — secret-spot known; you become lizard, frog, tiger, wanderer's vassal; fear the strong, chase the fleeing; Tuka says — far, beyond — neither man, woman, nor bhūta.
The verse
आम्ही भांडों तुजसवें । वर्मी धरूं जालें ठावें ॥१॥ होसी सरड बेडुक । बाग गांढव्या ही पाईंक ॥ध्रु.॥ बळ करी तया भ्यावें । पळों लागे तया घ्यावें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे दूर परता । नर नारी ना तूं भूता ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: We'll quarrel with you — we'll grip the secret-spot — it's been known. You become a lizard, a frog — a tiger, a wanderer's vassal too. One should fear the one who exerts force — one should chase the one who flees. Tuka says: far, beyond — you're neither man, woman, nor bhūta.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आम्ही भांडों तुजसवें | "we'll quarrel with you" |
| वर्मी धरूं जालें ठावें | "we'll grip the secret-spot — it's been known" |
| होसी सरड बेडुक | "you become a lizard, a frog" |
| बाग गांढव्या ही पाईंक | "a tiger — a wanderer's vassal too" |
| बळ करी तया भ्यावें | "one should fear the one who exerts force" |
| पळों लागे तया घ्यावें | "one should chase the one who flees" |
| तुका म्हणे दूर परता | "Tuka says — far, beyond" |
| नर नारी ना तूं भूता | "you're neither man, woman, nor bhūta" |
What it means
We-quarrel-knowing-the-secret-spot + neither-man-woman-nor-bhūta abhang. Second abhang of the 4-abhang quarrel-cluster (2238-2241).
The opening — grip the secret-spot: āmhī bhāṇḍōm tujasavē — varmī dharūm jālē ṭhāvē — we'll quarrel with you — we'll grip the secret-spot — it's been known. Varma = secret-spot, weak-point. We'll-quarrel with-you; we'll-grip-the-secret-spot (= the vulnerable-point); it-has-been-known.
The more-forms list: hōsī saraḍa bēḍuka — bāga gāṇḍhavyā hī pā'īka — you become a lizard, a frog — a tiger, a wanderer's vassal too. Saraḍa = chameleon, lizard. Bēḍuka = frog. Bāga = tiger (alt. spelling of vāgha). Gāṇḍhavyā = wanderer, vagabond. Pā'īka = vassal, foot-soldier. You become lizard, frog, tiger, even-a-wanderer's-vassal. Continues 2238's curse-litany with-more-animal-forms.
The dialectic — fear-and-chase: baḷa karī tayā bhyāvē — paḷōm lāgē tayā ghyāvē — one should fear the one who exerts force — one should chase the one who flees. Fear-the-strong; chase-the-fleeing. A folk-wisdom: with-Viṭhṭhal, since-he-flees, one-should-chase (= the dharaṇē-logic again).
The formless-conclusion: Tukā mhaṇē dūra paratā — nara nārī nā tūm bhūtā — Tuka says: far, beyond — you're neither man, woman, nor bhūta. Far, beyond — you-are-neither-man, nor-woman, nor-bhūta. A turn from the curse-litany to the formless-acknowledgment: all-the-cursing-forms were-only-forms; the true Viṭhṭhal is-beyond man-woman-bhūta-classifications.
The quarrel's-paradox: even while-cursing the-Lord-as-donkey-dog-frog, the bhakta arrives at nara nārī nā tūm bhūtā — the Lord's-formless-essence. The cursing is-the-paradoxical-way-of-praising the-One-beyond-forms.
[T]
For someone today
For today: we'll quarrel with you — secret-spot known; you become lizard, frog, tiger, wanderer's vassal; fear the strong, chase the fleeing; Tuka says — far, beyond — neither man, woman, nor bhūta.
Where this applies
- Quarrel-with-secret-spot-grip.* Bhāṇḍōm-tujasavē-varmī-dharūm-ṭhāvē.
- You-become-lizard-frog-tiger-vassal.* Saraḍa-bēḍuka-bāga-gāṇḍhavyā-pā'īka.
- Fear-the-strong-chase-the-fleeing.* Baḷa-bhyāvē-paḷōm-ghyāvē.
- Far-beyond-neither-man-woman-bhūta.* Dūra-paratā-nara-nārī-nā-bhūtā.