Abhanga 533
English: Kamōdinī — does it know parimaḷa?
The verse
कमोदिनी काय जाणे तो परिमळ । भ्रमर सकळ भोगीतसे ॥१॥ तैसें तुज ठावें नाहीं तुझें नाम । आम्ही च तें प्रेमसुख जाणों ॥ध्रु.॥ माते तृण बाळा दुधाची ते गोडी । ज्याची नये जोडी त्यासी कामा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मुक्ताफळ शिंपीपोटीं । नाहीं त्याची भेटी भोग तिये ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Kamōdinī — does it know parimaḷa? — bhramara enjoys all. Thus — You don't know — Your nāma — we alone — know — prema-sukha. Mother — grass; child — milk's gōḍī. Joḍī not — not kāmā. Tuka says: muktāphaḷa in śimpī's belly — no bhēṭa — no bhōga.
मराठी: कमोदिनी काय जाणे तो परिमळ — भ्रमर सकळ भोगीतसे. तैसें तुज ठावें नाहीं तुझें नाम — आम्ही च तें प्रेमसुख जाणों. माते तृण बाळा दुधाची ते गोडी — ज्याची नये जोडी त्यासी कामा. तुकाराम म्हणतां — मुक्ताफळ शिंपीपोटीं — नाहीं त्याची भेटी भोग तिये.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कमोदिनी काय जाणे तो परिमळ | "kamōdinī — knows parimaḷa?" |
| भ्रमर सकळ भोगीतसे | "bhramara — enjoys all" |
| तैसें तुज ठावें नाहीं तुझें नाम | "thus — You — don't know — Your nāma" |
| आम्ही च तें प्रेमसुख जाणों | "we alone — know — prema-sukha" |
| माते तृण बाळा दुधाची ते गोडी | "mother — grass; child — milk's gōḍī" |
| ज्याची नये जोडी त्यासी कामा | "joḍī not — not kāmā" |
| मुक्ताफळ शिंपीपोटीं | "muktāphaḷa — śimpī's belly" |
| नाहीं त्याची भेटी भोग तिये | "no bhēṭa — no bhōga" |
What it means
A famous lotus-doesn't-know-its-fragrance-only-bhakta-knows-the-deva's-nāma abhang. One of the most-celebrated Tukaram-images. Three claims with four matching analogies:
-
कमोदिनी काय जाणे तो परिमळ — भ्रमर सकळ भोगीतसे — kamōdinī — knows parimaḷa? — bhramara enjoys all. The opening-image: the kamōdinī (lotus) — does it know its own parimaḷa (fragrance)? (No.) The bhramara (bee) enjoys all (the fragrance). Source-doesn't-know-its-own-quality; receiver-enjoys.
-
तैसें तुज ठावें नाहीं तुझें नाम — आम्ही च तें प्रेमसुख जाणों — thus — You don't know Your nāma — we alone know prema-sukha. The theological-claim: thus — You don't ṭhāvē (know, are-aware-of) Your own nāma; we alone (āmhī-cī) know that prema-sukha (love-joy of the nāma). The deva-doesn't-experience-the-prema-sukha-of-His-own-nāma; the bhakta does. Bhakta-knows-better-than-deva-about-the-nāma's-effect. (This is one of the boldest claims in bhakti-theology: the source-of-the-name doesn't-know what the name-does to the bhakta.)
-
माते तृण बाळा दुधाची ते गोडी — ज्याची नये जोडी त्यासी कामा — तुका म्हणे मुक्ताफळ शिंपीपोटीं — नाहीं त्याची भेटी भोग तिये — mother grass — child milk-gōḍī — joḍī not — not kāmā — pearl in oyster's belly — no bhēṭa no bhōga. The triple-analogy-closing: to the mother (cow) — grass; to the child (calf or human-child) — the milk's gōḍī (sweetness); to the one who can't get the joḍī (pairing, encounter, joining), it is not kāmā (of-use); Tuka says: the muktāphaḷa (pearl) in the śimpī's (oyster's) belly — has no bhēṭa (meeting) with it — no bhōga (enjoyment). Three-fold pattern: source-doesn't-enjoy-what-receiver-enjoys (mother-cow doesn't taste milk; oyster doesn't enjoy pearl; deva doesn't know His own nāma's prema-sukha). Asymmetric-relationship-of-source-and-receiver.
[T]
For someone today
This abhang names the lotus-fragrance-source-doesn't-know register:
-
The lotus doesn't know its own fragrance; the bee enjoys. Kamōdinī parimaḷa — bhramara bhōgītasē. The source doesn't know its own quality; the receiver does. Don't-be-the-source-without-knowing.
-
You don't know Your own nāma; we alone know the prema-sukha*. Tuja ṭhāvē nāhīm tujhē nāma — āmhī jāṇōm prema-sukha. Bold claim: the deva doesn't-know what His own nāma does; the bhakta-experiences-it. Bhakta-knows-better-than-deva*.
-
Mother grass; child milk-gōḍī; pearl-in-oyster — no bhēṭa*. Māte tṛṇa — bāḷā gōḍī — muktāphaḷa śimpī-pōṭīm — bhēṭa nāhīm. Three analogies: cow-eats-grass-but-doesn't-taste-milk; child-tastes-the-milk-gōḍī; oyster-makes-pearl-but-has-no-meeting-with-it. The asymmetric-relationship*.
For today: the source doesn't always know-its-own-quality; the receiver-does; the bhakta-experiences the nāma's prema-sukha in a way the deva-Himself doesn't; don't-be-the-pearl-in-the-oyster — be-the-bhramara-on-the-lotus.
This abhang is one of Tukaram's most-celebrated compositions — the kamōdinī-bhramara image is iconic in Marathi poetry; it has entered the language as a proverb. Compare 0507 Pāṇḍurangā tujhyā na kaḷatī māvā; same Your-māvā-not-known register but here-from-the-bhakta's-angle: we-know-better-than-You. The asymmetric-relationship-of-source-and-receiver is a deep theological-claim.
मराठी: ही ओवी lotus-fragrance-source-doesn't-know register नाव सांगते:
-
कमोदिनी आपलीच fragrance जाणत नाही; भ्रमर enjoy करतो. कमोदिनी परिमळ — भ्रमर भोगीतसे. Source आपली-quality-जाणत नाही; receiver जाणतो. Knowing-शिवाय-source नका.
-
You आपलं nāma जाणत नाही; आम्ही एकच prema-sukha* जाणतो. तुज ठावें नाहीं तुझें नाम — आम्ही जाणों प्रेमसुख. Bold claim: देव आपल्याच-nāma चं-experience जाणत नाही; bhakta जाणतो. Bhakta-देवापेक्षा-better-knows*.
-
माता गवत; बाळा दूध-gōḍī; मोती-शिंपी मध्ये — bhēṭa* नाही. माते तृण — बाळा गोडी — मुक्ताफळ शिंपी-पोटी — भेटी नाही. तीन analogies: गाय-गवत-खाते-पण-दुधाची-गोडी-नाही; बाळ-दुधाची-गोडी-घेतं; शिंपी-मोती-बनवते-पण-त्याच्या-सोबत-meeting-नाही. Asymmetric-relationship*.
आज: Source नेहमी आपल्याच-quality जाणत नाही; receiver जाणतो; Bhakta nāma चं prema-sukha देवापेक्षा वेगळ्या-way ने experience करतो; Pearl-in-oyster होऊ नका — bhramara-on-lotus व्हा.
Tukaram च्या most-celebrated compositions पैकी एक — Kamōdinī-bhramara image Marathi poetry मध्ये iconic; proverb म्हणून भाषेत प्रवेशलं. 0507 Pāṇḍurangā tujhyā na kaḷatī māvā compare; तीच Your-māvā-not-known register पण इथे-bhakta-च्या-angle ने: आम्ही-You-पेक्षा-better-knows. Asymmetric-relationship-of-source-and-receiver deep theological-claim.
Where this applies
- Lotus doesn't know fragrance. Source-blind.
- You don't know Your nāma. Bhakta-better-knows.
- Cow-grass; child-milk. Source-receiver-asymmetric.
- Pearl-in-oyster — no bhēṭa. Three-fold-pattern.