संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 3072 of 4582

Abhanga 3072

Tāruṇyāñcyā made na manī kōṇāsī — with tāruṇya-mada, (he) does not respect anyone; sadā musamusī khūḷa jaisā — always musamusī like one mad.

Vivid 17th-c portrait of youthful-decadence

The verse

तारुण्याच्या मदें न मनी कोणासी । सदा मुसमुसी खूळ जैसा ॥१॥ अंठोनी वेंठोनीं बांधला मुंडासा । फिरतसे म्हैसा जनामधीं ॥ध्रु.॥ हातीं दीडपान वरती च मान । नाहीं तो सन्मान भलियांसी ॥२॥ श्वानाचिया परी हिंडे दारोदारीं । पाहे परनारी पापदृष्टी ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे ऐसा थोर हा गयाळी । करितां टवाळी जन्म गेला ॥४॥

Literal translation

Tāruṇyāñcyā made na manī kōṇāsīwith tāruṇya-mada, (he) does not respect anyone; sadā musamusī khūḷa jaisāalways musamusī like one mad. Amṭhōnī vemṭhōnīm bāmdhalā mumḍāsāwrapped-up tightly the muṇḍāsā; phiratsē mhaisā janāmadhīmroams public like a mhaisā (buffalo). Hātīm dīḍapāna varatī cha māna(1.5)-pāna in hand, neck up; nāhī tō sanmāna bhaliyāmsīno sanmāna for good-ones. Śvānāñciyā parī himḍe dārōdārīmlike a dog, roams door-to-door; pāhe paranārī pāpa-drṣṭīsees paranārī with pāpa-drṣṭi. Tukā mhaṇe aisā thōra hā gayāḷīTukā says: such a great gayāḷī; karitām ṭavāḷī janma gelādoing ṭavāḷī, janma passed.

What it means

★★ The 2nd-of-3-stage-of-life biographical cluster (3071-3072-3073) by Tukārām.

The 4 portraits of tāruṇya-mada (youth-intoxication): 1. No-respect for-anyone; always-hot-blooded like-mad 2. Tight-turban; roams-like-buffalo in-public 3. Betel-in-hand, neck-up; no-honor-to-good-ones; like-dog-door-to-door 4. Sees-women-with-sinful-gaze

Closing: thōra-gayāḷī (great-idler); doing-mockery, janma-passed.

★ The portrait is vivid-and-specific, showing 17th-c Deccan-youthful-decadence: turban-wrapping-style, betel-leaf-display, buffalo-strutting, door-to-door-loafing, lecherous-staring. The image of mhaisā (buffalo) walking-in-public is striking — strutting-pride compared-to-the-dumb-animal.

For someone today

Tukārām's tāruṇya-portrait. With youth-intoxication, (he) does not respect anyone. (He is) always hot-blooded — like one mad. (He has) wrapped-up tightly the turban; roams the public like a buffalo. With betel-leaf in hand — neck held up — no honor for good-ones. Like a dog, (he) roams door-to-door; he sees other-women with sinful-gaze. Such a great idler — doing mockery, the janma passed. The verse permits the bhakta-recollection of-youth-wasted-on-decadence.

Where this applies