Abhanga 904
A gift, a jewel, or grace only does good where the receiver is ready for it; given to the unready, it brings waste or disgrace instead of benefit.
The verse
रडे अळंकार दैन्याचिये कांती । उतमा विपित्तसंग घडे ॥१॥ एकाविण एक अशोभ दातारा । कृपेच्या सागरा पांडुरंगा ॥ध्रु.॥ रांधूं नेणे तया पुढील आइतें । केलें तें सोइतें वांयां जाय ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे चिंतामणि शेळी गळा । पावे अवकळा म्हणउनी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Aḷankāra — dainya — kāntī — weeps. Uttama — vipitta-sanga. Without-each — aśōbha — dātāra — sāgara. Rāndhūm — none — āitēm — sōitē — vāyām. Tuka says: cintāmaṇi — śēḷī-gaḷā — avakaḷā.
मराठी: अळंकार दैन्याच्या कांती-वर रडे — उत्तमा-ला विपित्त-संग घडे. एका-विण एक अशोभ, दातारा — कृपेच्या सागरा, Pāṇḍurangā. जो रांधूं जाणत नाहीं त्या-पुढें आइतें — केलें तें सोइतें वांयां जाय. Tuka म्हणे: चिंतामणि शेळी-च्या गळ्यांत — अवकळा-च पावे म्हणउनी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| रडे अळंकार दैन्याचिये कांती | "aḷankāra — dainya — kāntī" |
| उतमा विपित्तसंग घडे | "uttama — vipitta-sanga" |
| एकाविण एक अशोभ दातारा | "without-each — aśōbha — dātāra" |
| कृपेच्या सागरा पांडुरंगा | "kṛpā — sāgara — Pāṇḍuranga" |
| रांधूं नेणे तया पुढील आइतें | "rāndhūm — āitēm" |
| केलें तें सोइतें वांयां जाय | "sōitē — vāyām" |
| चिंतामणि शेळी गळा | "cintāmaṇi — śēḷī — gaḷā" |
| पावे अवकळा म्हणउनी | "avakaḷā" |
What it means
A jewel-weeps-on-poverty's-body-uttama-gets-companion-of-misery-without-each-other-unsightly-O-dātāra-Pāṇḍurangā-one-who-can't-cook-loses-the-good-food-cintāmaṇi-on-goat's-neck-disgrace abhang. Cintāmaṇi-on-goat's-neck-disgrace register. Three claims:
-
रडे-अळंकार-दैन्य — उत्तमा-विपित्त-संग — एका-विण-अशोभ. Mismatched-pair-claim. Theaḷankāraweeps on thedainya'skāntī; theuttamagetsvipitta-sanga; without each-other, each isaśōbha (unsightly).Mismatched-pair-spoils-both. (The image:jewel-on-poor-bodyandpoor-body-with-jewelare bothunsightly— eachneeds its proper-pair.)
-
रांधूं-नेणे-पुढील-आइतें — सोइतें-वांयां. Cook-can't-cook-loses-good-food-claim. Before one who doesn't know torāndhūm; theāitēm(offered-meal) and thesōitē (well-suited preparation) go vāyām. Good-food-wasted-on-the-uncook.
-
Tuka: चिंतामणि-शेळी-गळा — अवकळा. Cintāmaṇi-on-goat's-neck-disgrace-claim. Tuka says: acintāmaṇitied-around-aśēḷī's neck; only-disgrace by-that. Wish-jewel-on-goat's-neck-only-disgrace. (Powerful-closing-image: the cintāmaṇi (the wish-fulfilling-jewel) tied to a goat's neck doesn't fulfill-anyone's-wishes — it just gets disgrace. The mismatch destroys-the-jewel's-honor.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram says that a jewel on a poor, wretched body looks pitiful, just as fine and worthy people are ill-suited to keep bad company — each thing needs its proper match to look right. Good food set before someone who doesn't know how to cook goes entirely to waste. Even a wish-fulfilling jewel, tied around a goat's neck, brings only disgrace rather than blessing. In the same way, any gift, grace, or precious thing does good only when given to someone ready and able to receive it; given to the unready, it is simply wasted or brings shame.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की गरीब, दुःखी शरीरावरचा दागिना केविलवाणा दिसतो, त्याचप्रमाणे चांगले, योग्य लोक वाईट सोबतीला शोभत नाहीत - प्रत्येक गोष्टीला तिच्या योग्य जोडीचीच शोभा असते. स्वयंपाक न जाणणाऱ्यासमोर ठेवलेले चांगले अन्न पूर्णपणे वाया जाते. अगदी इच्छापूर्ती करणारा चिंतामणीसुद्धा शेळीच्या गळ्यात बांधला तर आशीर्वादाऐवजी फक्त अपमानच होतो. त्याचप्रमाणे कोणतीही देणगी, कृपा किंवा मौल्यवान वस्तू तेव्हाच फायदेशीर ठरते जेव्हा ती स्वीकारण्यास तयार असलेल्या व्यक्तीला दिली जाते; अपात्राला दिल्यास ती केवळ वाया जाते किंवा लाजिरवाणी ठरते.
Where this applies
- Mismatched. Spoils-both.
- Wasted-on-uncook. Receiver.
- Wish-jewel-mismatched. Disgrace.