Abhanga 551
A person's true quality shows only under real pressure, not in their own claims or in how impressive they look from a distance.
The verse
म्हणविती ऐसे आइकतों संत । न देखीजे होत डोळां कोणीं ॥१॥ ऐसियांचा कोण मानितें विश्वास । निवडे तो रस घाईडाई ॥ध्रु.॥ पर्जन्याचे काळीं वाहाळाचे नद । ओसरतां बुंद न थारे चि ॥२॥ हिर्या ऐशा गारा दिसती दूरोन । तुका म्हणे घन न भेटे तों ॥३॥
Literal translation
They call themselves samta — heard — no-one dēkhīje — ḍōḷā. Who viśvāsa — such? — rasa — ghāī-dāī. Monsoon — vāhāḷa nada — ebbing — no bumda holds. Hīrā-like gārā from afar — Tuka says: until ghana meets.
मराठी: म्हणविती ऐसे आइकतों संत — न देखीजे होत डोळां कोणीं. ऐसियांचा कोण मानितें विश्वास — निवडे तो रस घाईडाई. पर्जन्याचे काळीं वाहाळाचे नद — ओसरतां बुंद न थारे चि. हिर्या ऐशा गारा दिसती दूरोन. तुकाराम म्हणतां — घन न भेटे तों.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| म्हणविती ऐसे आइकतों संत | "they call themselves — samta — heard" |
| न देखीजे होत डोळां कोणीं | "no-one — seen — ḍōḷā" |
| ऐसियांचा कोण मानितें विश्वास | "such — who viśvāsa?" |
| निवडे तो रस घाईडाई | "rasa — ghāī-dāī" |
| पर्जन्याचे काळीं वाहाळाचे नद | "monsoon — vāhāḷa — nada" |
| ओसरतां बुंद न थारे चि | "ebbing — bumda — no holding" |
| हिर्या ऐशा गारा दिसती दूरोन | "hīrā-like — gārā — from afar" |
| घन न भेटे तों | "ghana — until meets" |
What it means
A saint-claimants-not-seen-rocks-look-like-diamonds abhang. Three test-images for distinguishing-true-from-false. Three claims:
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म्हणविती ऐसे आइकतों संत — न देखीजे होत डोळां कोणीं — ऐसियांचा कोण मानितें विश्वास — निवडे तो रस घाईडाई — they call themselves samta — heard — no-one seen — ḍōḷā — who viśvāsa? — rasa — ghāī-dāī. The opening-test-claim: I hear (āikatōm) they call themselves (mhaṇavitī)samta; but no-one isdēkhīje(seen-as-saint) by myḍōḷā(eye); who can haveviśvāsa(trust) in such?; therasa(essential-juice, true-quality)nivaḍē(separates, becomes-clear) only inghāī-dāī(extremity, harshness, the harsh-test). Self-claim-isn't-the-mark; testing-in-extremity-shows-the-rasa.
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पर्जन्याचे काळीं वाहाळाचे नद — ओसरतां बुंद न थारे चि — monsoon — vāhāḷa nada — ebbing — no bumda holds. The first-test-image: inparjanya-cē kāḷīm(monsoon-time) — the vāhāḷa (drain, gully) becomes a nada (river);when ōsaratām (the rain ebbs)— nobumda(drop) holds. Monsoon-drain-isn't-a-real-river; only the seasonal-flow. True-saint-isn't-the-monsoon-drain.
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हिर्या ऐशा गारा दिसती दूरोन — तुका म्हणे घन न भेटे तों — hīrā-like gārā from afar — Tuka says: until ghana meets. The second-test-image: likehīrā(diamond) — gārā (hailstones) — seem (disatī) from afar (dūrōna); Tuka says: until theghana(= a touchstone or a hard-substance for testing; or the cloud-of-hailstones-itself; or the testing-instrument) meets — (you can't tell).Hailstones-look-like-diamonds-from-afar; only-close-testing-reveals-truth. (Two readings ofghana: 1. cloud of hailstones; 2. close-up testing-stone. Both work.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram warns that calling yourself holy does not make it true, and that real character only shows itself under real pressure. He offers two simple pictures from village life to make the point. During the monsoon a small ditch swells up and looks like a mighty river, but once the rains stop it dries to nothing, unlike a true river that keeps flowing. From a distance, hailstones can look exactly like diamonds, and only close examination tells you which is which. In the same way, you cannot judge someone's sincerity by their claims or by how they appear from afar, you have to watch how they hold up when times get hard.
मराठी: तुकाराम इशारा देतात की स्वतःला पवित्र म्हणवून घेतल्याने ते खरे ठरत नाही, आणि खरा स्वभाव फक्त खऱ्या दबावातच उघड होतो. हा मुद्दा स्पष्ट करण्यासाठी ते गावातील जीवनातील दोन साधी उदाहरणे देतात. पावसाळ्यात एक लहान ओढा फुगून मोठ्या नदीसारखा दिसतो, पण पाऊस थांबताच तो पूर्ण कोरडा पडतो, खऱ्या नदीसारखा नाही जी नेहमी वाहत राहते. दुरून गारा हिऱ्यांसारख्या दिसतात, आणि फक्त जवळून पाहिल्यावरच खरे काय ते कळते. त्याचप्रमाणे, कोणाची प्रामाणिकता त्याच्या दाव्यांवरून किंवा दुरून दिसण्यावरून ठरवता येत नाही, कठीण काळात ती व्यक्ती कशी टिकते हे पाहावे लागते.
Where this applies
- Self-claim — not seen. Reject-self-claim.
- Rasainghāī-dāī. Test-in-extremity.
- Monsoon-drain ebbs. Seasonal-not-true.
- Hailstones from afar. Up-close-test.