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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 808 of 4582

Abhanga 808

This abhang names the animal-image-cluster register:

When sow likes viṣṭhā, not miṣṭānna — and you have to recognize this register
When abhakta loves pāṣāṇḍa, not paramārtha-sweetness — and you accept this image
When snake vomits even milk as poison — and you receive this final image

The verse

शूकरासी विष्ठा माने सावकास । मिष्टान्नाची त्यास काय गोडी ॥१॥ तेवीं अभक्तांसी आवडे पाखांड । न लगे त्यां गोड परमार्थ ॥ध्रु.॥ श्वानासी भोजन दिलें पंचामृत । तरी त्याचें चित्त हाडावरि ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे सर्पा पाजिलिया क्षीर । वमितां विखार विष जालें ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Śūkarī — viṣṭhā — sāvakāsa — miṣṭānna — what gōḍī. Abhakta — pāṣāṇḍa — paramārtha — gōḍa — not. Śvāna — pañcāmṛta — citta — hāḍa. Tuka says: sarpa — kṣīra — vomits — vikhāra-viṣa.

मराठी: शूकरीसी विष्ठा माने सावकास — मिष्टान्नाची त्यास काय गोडी?. तेवीं अभक्तांसी आवडे पाषांड — न लगे त्यां गोड परमार्थ. श्वानासी भोजन दिलें पंचामृत — तरी त्याचें चित्त हाडावरि. Tuka म्हणे: सर्पा पाजिलिया क्षीर — वमितां विखार-विष झालें.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
शूकरासी विष्ठा माने सावकास "śūkarī — viṣṭhā — sāvakāsa"
मिष्टान्नाची त्यास काय गोडी "miṣṭānna — what gōḍī"
अभक्तांसी आवडे पाखांड "abhakta — pāṣāṇḍa"
न लगे त्यां गोड परमार्थ "paramārtha — gōḍa — not"
श्वानासी भोजन दिलें पंचामृत "śvāna — pañcāmṛta"
तरी त्याचें चित्त हाडावरि "citta — on hāḍa"
सर्पा पाजिलिया क्षीर "sarpa — kṣīra"
वमितां विखार विष जालें "vomits — vikhāra-viṣa"

What it means

A sow-likes-viṣṭhā-abhakta-loves-pāṣāṇḍa-dog-mind-on-bone-snake-milk-vomits-as-poison abhang. Animal-image-cluster register (anti-abhakta). Three claims (with refrain):

  1. शूकरी-विष्ठा-माने — मिष्टान्न-गोडी-नाही — तेवीं-abhakta-पाषाण्ड-आवडे — परमार्थ-गोड-न-लगे. Sow-likes-viṣṭhā-abhakta-pāṣāṇḍa-claim. The sow likes viṣṭhā at-leisure; what gōḍī in miṣṭānna for her?; likewise, abhakta loves pāṣāṇḍa; the gōḍa paramārtha doesn't appeal. Sow-viṣṭhā-abhakta-pāṣāṇḍa-parallel.

  2. श्वान-pañcāmṛta-दिलं — चित्त-हाडावर. Dog-mind-on-bone-claim. Even if a dog is given pañcāmṛta (the five-nectar offering — milk-curds-ghee-honey-sugar); yet its citta is on the hāḍa (bone). Dog-prefers-bone-to-pañcāmṛta.

  3. Tuka: सर्प-क्षीर-वमितां-विष. Snake-vomits-milk-as-poison-claim. Tuka says: a sarpa (snake) fed kṣīra (milk); when vomited, it becomes vikhāra-viṣa (snake-poison). Snake-converts-milk-to-poison.

This is a classical animal-imagery-cluster applied to-the-abhakta: just as sow-prefers-viṣṭhā, dog-prefers-bone, snake-converts-milk-to-poison, so the abhakta prefers pāṣāṇḍa over paramārtha. The animal-imagery is consistent-and-traditional in Indian polemic.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the animal-image-cluster register:

  1. Sow likes viṣṭhā, not miṣṭānna; abhakta loves pāṣāṇḍa, not paramārtha. Sow-image.

  2. Dog given pañcāmṛta — citta on bone. Dog-image.

  3. Snake fed milk vomits poison. Snake-image.

For today: the abhakta is like the sow, the dog, the snake — they have a constitutional-bias for the low-thing and can't-appreciate the high-thing; don't expect paramārtha-gōḍa to-appeal-to-them — they-prefer-pāṣāṇḍa. (The metaphor is clear and harsh; the lesson is: don't waste high-teaching on those who lack-the-bhakti-receptivity.)

This abhang is Tukaram's animal-image-cluster-abhakta-prefers-pāṣāṇḍa register — one of the classical anti-abhakta animal-imagery polemics. Compare 0810 fever-makes-milk-poison (Tuka's mudra) — same image-cluster. The sarpā pājiliyā kṣīra — vamitām vikhāra viṣa jālē (snake fed milk vomits poison) is the precise transformative-image: even-good-feeding-becomes-poison-when-the-vessel-is-corrupt.

मराठी: ही ओवी animal-image-cluster register नाव सांगते:

  1. शूकरी-विष्ठा; abhakta-pāṣāṇḍa. Sow-image.

  2. Śvāna-हाडावर. Dog-image.

  3. Sarpa-क्षीर-वमिल-विष. Snake-image.

आज: Abhakta sow-dog-snake-सारखं — constitutional-bias low-thing-कडे आणि can't-appreciate high-thing; Paramārtha-gōḍa त्यांना appeal-होणार-नाही — ते pāṣāṇḍa prefer करतात. (Metaphor clear-and-harsh; lesson: high-teaching बहक्ती-receptivity-नसलेल्यांवर waste करूं नका.)

Tukaram च-animal-image-cluster-abhakta-prefers-pāṣāṇḍa-register — Classical anti-abhakta animal-imagery polemics पैकी एक. 0810 fever-makes-milk-poison (Tuka mudra) — same image-cluster. Sarpā pājiliyā kṣīra — vamitām vikhāra viṣa jālē precise transformative-image — good-feeding-becomes-poison-when-vessel-corrupt.

Where this applies

Bhakti snake-vomits-milk-as-poison animal-image-cluster

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