Abhanga 3053
The gap between what people claim to honor and how they actually act is often just their nature, which anger alone cannot force to change.
The verse
उरा लावी उर आळंगितां कांता । संतासी भेटतां अंग चोरी ॥१॥
अतीत देखोनि होय पाठमोरा । व्याह्यासी सामोरा जाय वेगीं ॥ध्रु.॥
द्विजा नमस्कारा मनीं भाव कैचा । तुकाऩचे दासीचा लेंक होय ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे तुम्ही क्रोधासी न यावें । स्वभावा करावें काय कोणीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Urā lāvī ura āḷangitā kāntā — (he) places chest-to-chest in embracing the wife; samtāṣī bheṭatām anga chōri — but on meeting a sant — (he) hides (his) body. Atīta dekhōnī hōya pāṭhamōrā — seeing an atīta, (he) becomes back-turned; vyāhyāṣī sāmōrā jāya vegīm — (he) runs quickly to meet the vyāhī. Dvijā namaskārā manīm bhāva kaichā — in namaskāra to a dvija — what bhāva (is) in mind; tukāñce dāsīñcā lenka hōya — (he would be rather) the son of Tukā's dāsī. Tukā mhaṇe tumhī krōdhāṣī na yāve — Tukā says: don't take krōdha; svabhāvā karāve kāya kōṇīm — what (can one) do with (one's) svabhāva.
What it means
A continuation-of-the-anti-distorted-priorities cluster by Tukārām.
The 3 specific bhāva-distortions: 1. Embraces-wife chest-to-chest / hides-body-when-meeting-sant — opposite-bhāvas 2. Sees-atīta (renunciate)-becomes-back-turned / runs-eagerly-to-vyāhī — turning-from-spiritual-to-mundane 3. No-bhāva-in-dvija-namaskāra / would-be-son-of-Tukā's-dāsī — empty-formality vs willing-low-service
The closing-line is striking: don't-take-anger; what-can-one-do-with-svabhāva (nature). Tukārām presents-himself-as resigned-and-observing — not-trying-to-reform-by-force; recognizing-that-svabhāva-is-resistant-to-instruction.
The phrase Tukā's-dāsī's-son (tukāñce dāsīñcā lenka) is unusual — it appears-to-mean (this hypocrite) would-rather-be-low-status-as-Tukā's-dāsī's-son (= bhakta-community-low-place) than-honor-the-dvija sincerely. The exact reading is uncertain but-the-thrust is empty-formality vs willing-low-bhakti-station.
For someone today
Tukārām's anti-distorted-priorities continuation. (He) embraces (his) wife chest-to-chest — but on meeting a sant, (he) hides (his) body. Seeing a renunciate, (he) becomes back-turned; (but he) runs quickly to meet (his) father-in-law. In namaskāra to a dvija — what bhāva is in (his) mind? — (he would rather be) the son of Tukā's dāsī. Do not take anger — what (can one) do with svabhāva? The verse permits the diagnostic of bhāva-distortions and the recognition that svabhāva resists-instruction.
Where this applies
- Anti-distorted-priorities cluster (with 3052/3056/3057)
- Specific bhāva-distortion-observations
- Svabhāvā-karāve-kāya-kōṇīm — observer-resignation