Abhanga 3029
Ekāñciye sōīm kavitvāñce bāmdhe — for one's-own-purpose binding kavitva; bāmdhiliyā sādhya kāya tethe — what sādhya is achieved by such binding.
The verse
एकाचिये सोईं कवित्वाचे बांधे । बांधिलिया साध्य काय तेथें ॥१॥
काय हातीं लागे भुसाचे कांडणीं । सत्यासी दाटणी करुनि काय ॥ध्रु.॥
कवित्वाचे रूढी पायां पाडी जग । सुखावोनि मग नरका जाय ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे देव केल्याविण साहे । फजिती आहे लटिक्या अंगीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Ekāñciye sōīm kavitvāñce bāmdhe — for one's-own-purpose binding kavitva; bāmdhiliyā sādhya kāya tethe — what sādhya is achieved by such binding. Kāya hātīm lāge bhusāñce kāṇḍaṇīm — what comes-in-hand from bhusa-kāṇḍaṇī (beating-the-husk); satyāsī dāṭaṇī karunī kāya — doing dāṭaṇī (crushing) on the truth — what (is achieved). Kavitvāñce rūḍhī pāyām pāḍī jaga — kavitva's rūḍhi makes the world fall at (its) feet; sukhāvōnī maga narakā jāya — (the poet) becomes happy with that — then goes to naraka. Tukā mhaṇe Deva kelyāviṇa sāhe — Tukā says: without making Deva a sāha (companion); phajitī āhe laṭikyā angīm — phajitī (shame) is in the body of the laṭikā**.
What it means
A striking 3-verse self-reflexive anti-poetic-rhetoric verse by Tukārām.
The master-poet himself critiques kavitva-rūḍhi (poetic-fashion). The argument: 1. Kavitva bound-for-one's-own-purpose achieves no sādhya 2. It's like beating-the-husk (where the grain has-already-left) — no result 3. It's crushing-the-truth under poetic-convention 4. The poetic-fashion makes-the-world-fall-at-the-poet's-feet 5. The poet becomes-happy-with-that and then-goes-to-naraka 6. Without-making-Deva-a-companion, shame-is-in-the-false-one's-body
This is a self-reflexive-warning from-the-master-poet about-the-corruptions-of-his-own-craft. Compare-the-2962-anti-fake-guru polemic and-the-2865-laṭika-laṭika-māyā recognition. Tukārām is-acutely-aware that-poetic-skill can-be-used-for-self-aggrandizement and-that-this-leads-to-naraka.
The closing-line is the test: Deva-must-be-the-companion (sāha); otherwise the-poet's body-itself is-shamed. This is the bhakti-criterion for-authentic-poetry — not technique, not fame, but Deva-saha (with-Deva).
For someone today
Tukārām's striking anti-poetic-rhetoric. Binding kavitva for one's-own-purpose — what goal is achieved? What comes-in-hand from beating-the-husk? Crushing the truth — what (is achieved)? Poetic-fashion makes the world fall at (its) feet — (the poet) becomes happy with that — and then goes to naraka. Without making Deva a companion — shame is in the body of the false-one. The verse permits the master-poet's-self-reflexive-warning about-the-corruptions-of-poetic-craft.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's striking anti-poetic-rhetoric self-reflexive verse
- ★ The master-poet himself critiques kavitva-rūḍhi (poetic-fashion)
- Without-Deva-as-companion, shame-is-in-the-false-one's-body criterion
- Companion-text to 2962 (anti-fake-guru) and 2865 (laṭika-laṭika-māyā)