Abhanga 277
Tukaram compares the friendship of a low character to a moth's wing — brilliant and colorful at first glance, but the color rubs off the instant you actually touch it. This kind of friendship can't survive even a moment's pressure; the very first small strain and its worth vanishes into nothing. It's like a covered pot that looks harmless from the outside but is actually filled with a coiled, venomous serpent — the danger is hidden until you open it at the wrong moment and get struck. So Tukaram prays to God quite plainly: please, spare me from ever having a friendship like that — one that dazzles quickly but has no real substance to back it up.
The verse
अधमाची यारी । रंग पतंगाचे परी ॥१॥ विटे न लगतां क्षण । मोल जाय वांयां विण ॥ध्रु.॥ सर्पाचिया परी । विषें भरला कल्हारीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देवा । मज झणी ऐसे दावा ॥३॥
Literal translation
The adhama's friendship — color of the moth; fades in a moment. Without time-spent, the value falls in vain. Like the serpent — filled with venom in the pot. Tuka says: deva — zaṇī — show me such.
मराठी: अधमाची यारी — रंग पतंगाचे परी. विटे न लगतां क्षण — मोल जाय वांयां विण. सर्पाचिया परी — विषें भरला कल्हारीं. तुकाराम म्हणतात — देवा — मज झणी ऐसे दावा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अधमाची यारी | "the adhama's yārī (friendship)" |
| रंग पतंगाचे परी | "color of thepatanga(moth) (= fades quickly)" |
| विटे न लगतां क्षण | "viṭē (fades) — without a kṣaṇa (moment) (passing)" |
| मोल जाय वांयां विण | "the value falls —vāyām-vīṇa(in vain)" |
| सर्पाचिया परी | "like the sarpa (serpent)" |
| विषें भरला कल्हारीं | "filled withviṣain thekalhārī(pot)" |
| देवा मज झणी ऐसे दावा | "deva —zaṇī(lest) — show me such" |
What it means
A unstable-adhama-friendship abhang. Three claims:
-
अधमाची यारी — रंग पतंगाचे परी — the adhama's friendship — color of the moth. Patanga — moth / butterfly — has bright-but-fading colors (the wing-color rubs off when you touch). The adhama's friendship is bright at first, fades on contact. Don't trust the initial-brightness.
-
विटे न लगतां क्षण — मोल जाय वांयां विण — fades without a moment passing — value falls in vain. The fragility-test: not even a moment of pressure and the friendship-value falls vāyām (in-vain, useless). The adhama-friendship cannot withstand any test.
-
सर्पाचिया परी — विषें भरला कल्हारीं — like the serpent — filled with venom in the pot. The hidden-poison image. The kalhārī (pot) contains the serpent filled with viṣa. From outside, the pot appears safe; open it, the venom strikes. The adhama-friend appears safe but contains hidden-venom.
-
तुका म्हणे देवा — मज झणी ऐसे दावा — Tuka says: deva — lest — show me such. The closing-prayer. Zaṇī — lest, may-it-not-be — don't ever show me such (an adhama-friend). The honest-prayer: protect me from this kind of relation.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram compares the friendship of a low character to a moth's wing — brilliant and colorful at first glance, but the color rubs off the instant you actually touch it. This kind of friendship can't survive even a moment's pressure; the very first small strain and its worth vanishes into nothing. It's like a covered pot that looks harmless from the outside but is actually filled with a coiled, venomous serpent — the danger is hidden until you open it at the wrong moment and get struck. So Tukaram prays to God quite plainly: please, spare me from ever having a friendship like that — one that dazzles quickly but has no real substance to back it up.
मराठी: तुकाराम हलक्या माणसाच्या मैत्रीची तुलना फुलपाखराच्या पंखाशी करतात — पहिल्या दृष्टीक्षेपात चकचकीत आणि रंगीबेरंगी, पण प्रत्यक्ष स्पर्श होताच तो रंग उडून जातो. अशी मैत्री एका क्षणाचाही ताण सहन करू शकत नाही; थोडासा दबाव आला की तिचे मोल क्षणात नाहीसे होते. हे जणू झाकलेल्या भांड्यासारखे आहे — बाहेरून निरुपद्रवी वाटते, पण आत विषारी साप वेटोळे घालून बसलेला असतो — धोका लपलेला असतो, जोपर्यंत चुकीच्या क्षणी भांडे उघडून तुम्हाला दंश होत नाही. म्हणून तुकाराम देवाला अगदी स्पष्टपणे विनवतात — देवा, मला अशी मैत्री कधीही दाखवू नकोस — जी पटकन चमकते पण जिच्यामागे खरे सत्त्वच नसते.
Where this applies
- Moth-color: bright then fades. New-friendship test.
- Fails the moment-of-pressure. Resilience-test.
- Hidden venom in the pot. Beware too-warm-too-fast.
- Honest prayer: protection. Don't-show-me-such.