Abhanga 809
Washing, sweet talk, or good treatment cannot change a nature that is rotten at its core; real transformation has to come from within.
The verse
रासभ धुतला महा तीर्थांमाजी । नव्हे जैसा तेजी शामकर्ण ॥१॥ तेवीं खळा काय केला उपदेश । नव्हे चि मानस शुद्ध त्याचें ॥ध्रु.॥ सर्पासी पाजिलें शर्करापीयूष । अंतरींचें विष जाऊं नेणे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे श्वाना क्षिरीचें भोजन । सवें चि वमन जेवी तया ॥३॥
Literal translation
Rāsabha — washed — mahā-tīrtha — tējī — śyāma-karṇa — not. Khaḷa — upadeśa — mānasa — śuddha — not. Sarpa — śarkarā-pīyūṣa — antarīm-viṣa — go — doesn't. Tuka says: śvāna — kṣīra-bhōjana — savē-ci vamana — eats.
मराठी: रासभ धुतला महा-तीर्थांमाजी — नव्हे जैसा तेजी शाम-कर्ण. तेवीं खळाचा काय केला उपदेश — नव्हे-चि मानस शुद्ध त्याचें. सर्पासी पाजिलें शर्करा-पीयूष — अंतरींचें विष जाऊं नेणे. Tuka म्हणे: श्वाना क्षिरीचें भोजन — सवें-च वमन जेवी तया.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| रासभ धुतला महा तीर्थांमाजी | "rāsabha — washed — mahā-tīrtha" |
| नव्हे जैसा तेजी शामकर्ण | "doesn't — tējī — śyāma-karṇa" |
| खळा काय केला उपदेश | "khaḷa — what — upadeśa" |
| नव्हे चि मानस शुद्ध त्याचें | "mānasa — śuddha — not" |
| सर्पासी पाजिलें शर्करापीयूष | "sarpa — śarkarā-pīyūṣa" |
| अंतरींचें विष जाऊं नेणे | "antarīm-viṣa — go — doesn't" |
| श्वाना क्षिरीचें भोजन | "śvāna — kṣīra-bhōjana" |
| सवें चि वमन जेवी तया | "savē-ci vamana — eats" |
What it means
A donkey-tīrtha-not-race-horse-khaḷa-no-upadeśa-snake-sweet-poison-inside-dog-vomits-milk abhang. Animal-image-cluster-2-against-khaḷa register. Three claims (with parallels-to-0808):
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रासभ-तीर्थ-धुतला — नव्हे-तेजी-शाम-कर्ण — खळ-उपदेश-मानस-न-शुद्ध. Donkey-tīrtha-not-race-horse-claim. The donkey washed inmahā-tīrtha; doesn't become atējī(race-horse) ofśyāma-karṇa(dark-ear-breed — a fine-breed); likewise, what for thekhaḷaisupadeśa? — hismānasadoesn't becomeśuddha. Donkey-tīrtha-doesn't-make-race-horse; khaḷa-upadeśa-doesn't-make-pure.
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Sarpa-pīyūṣa-pāzilē — antarīm-viṣa-न-जाई. Snake-sweet-poison-inside-stays-claim. To a snake, fedśarkarā-pīyūṣa(sugared-nectar); theantarīm-viṣa(inside-poison) doesn't go. Snake-sweet-feeding-doesn't-remove-inside-poison.
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Tuka: श्वाना-क्षीर-भोजन — सवें-च-वमन-जेवी. Dog-vomits-milk-as-eating-claim. Tuka says: aśvānagivenkṣīrīcē bhōjana(milk-meal); vomits-while-eating-it (savē-ci vamana jēvī). Dog-vomits-as-it-eats-the-milk.
This continues the animal-image-cluster of 0808 with donkey, snake, dog — all illustrating that the constitutionally-bad cannot-be-improved by good-feeding/upadeśa.
[T]
For someone today
A donkey bathed in the holiest river does not turn into a fine racehorse; a wicked person given wise counsel does not suddenly become pure-hearted. A snake fed sugared nectar still carries its poison inside, untouched. A dog given a bowl of milk vomits even as it eats. Tukaram is naming something hard but honest: you cannot scrub away a corrupted character from the outside, no matter how good the treatment or how wise the words. If someone's inner nature has not changed, external polish, kindness, or teaching will not reach the poison inside.
मराठी: गाढवाला अगदी पवित्र तीर्थात धुतलं तरी ते उमद्या शर्यतीच्या घोड्यात बदलत नाही; दुष्ट माणसाला कितीही चांगला उपदेश दिला तरी त्याचं मन शुद्ध होत नाही. सापाला साखर घातलेलं अमृत पाजलं तरी त्याच्या आतलं विष तसंच राहतं. कुत्र्याला दुधाचं जेवण दिलं तरी तो खाता-खाताच वांती करतो. तुकाराम इथे एक कठोर पण खरं सत्य सांगतात, बाहेरून कितीही धुतलं, शिकवलं किंवा गोड वागवलं तरी आतून बिघडलेला स्वभाव बदलत नाही. जोपर्यंत आतलं मन बदललेलं नाही, तोपर्यंत बाहेरचं पॉलिश, दयाळूपणा किंवा शिकवण आतल्या विषापर्यंत पोचत नाही.
Where this applies
- Donkey-tīrtha. No-change.
- Snake-poison-inside. No-change.
- Dog-vomits-milk. Inverse.