Abhanga 914
Tukaram notices that truly good things are never rejected: no one holds their nose at sandalwood's scent, no one turns down gold, and sugar tastes sweet to everyone, young or old. Then he turns the same logic on himself. If people speak ill of him, he does not blame them or call it unfair; he asks whether his own heart is actually pure. When you are hurt by criticism, this verse invites you to pause and check yourself first before assuming the world is wrong.
The verse
चंदनाच्या वासें धरितील नाक । नावडे कनक न घडे हें ॥१॥ साकरेसी गोडी सारिखी सकळां । थोरां मोट्या बाळां धाकुटियां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे माझें चित्त शुद्ध होतें । तरि का निंदितें जन मज ॥३॥
Literal translation
Candana-vāsa — nāka — none-pinches. Kanaka — nāvaḍē — none. Sākara-gōḍī — sakaḷa — same. Elders — children. Tuka says: citta śuddha — jana — nindītē — why.
मराठी: चंदनाच्या वासें नाक धरितील का? — कनक नावडे, हें घडत नाहीं. साकरेची गोडी सारखी सकळां — थोरां, मोट्या, बाळां, धाकुटियां. Tuka म्हणे: माझें चित्त शुद्ध होतें — तरि कां जन मज निंदितें?.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| चंदनाच्या वासें धरितील नाक | "candana — vāsa — nāka" |
| नावडे कनक न घडे हें | "nāvaḍē — kanaka" |
| साकरेसी गोडी सारिखी सकळां | "sākara — gōḍī — sakaḷa" |
| थोरां मोट्या बाळां धाकुटियां | "elders — children" |
| माझें चित्त शुद्ध होतें | "my — citta — śuddha" |
| तरि का निंदितें जन मज | "nindītē — jana" |
What it means
A sandalwood-not-disliked-gold-not-rejected-sugar-sweet-equally-to-all-ages-if-my-citta-were-pure-why-would-jana-blame-me abhang. Slander-as-mirror-of-my-own-impurity register. Three claims:
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चंदन-वासें-नाक-नाहीं — कनक-नावडे-नाहीं — साकर-गोडी-सारिखी-सकळां. Universal-acceptability-of-good-things-claim. People don't pinch theirnākaatcandana'svāsa; kanaka is not nāvaḍē; sākara's gōḍī is sārikhī sakaḷa — to all-ages.Truly-good-things-are-universally-accepted.
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Tuka: चित्त-शुद्ध-होतें-तर — कां-जन-निंदितें. Slander-mirror-of-my-impurity-claim. Tuka says: if mycittawereśuddha; why wouldjananindītēme? Slander-itself-proves-impurity-of-the-blamed. (Profound and characteristically-self-deprecating: rather than blaming-the-slanderers (cf. 0830 with its sharp curse), Tuka turns inward — if I were pure, the slander wouldn't come. Slander becomes a mirror of his own impurity.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram notices that truly good things are never rejected: no one holds their nose at sandalwood's scent, no one turns down gold, and sugar tastes sweet to everyone, young or old. Then he turns the same logic on himself. If people speak ill of him, he does not blame them or call it unfair; he asks whether his own heart is actually pure. When you are hurt by criticism, this verse invites you to pause and check yourself first before assuming the world is wrong.
मराठी: तुकाराम सांगतात की खरोखर चांगल्या गोष्टींना कोणीच नाकारत नाही, चंदनाच्या सुगंधाला कोणी नाक मुरडत नाही, सोने कोणालाही नावडत नाही आणि साखरेची गोडी लहानथोरांना सारखीच लागते. मग तेच तत्त्व ते स्वतःला लावतात. लोक आपली निंदा करत असतील तर तो त्यांचा दोष मानत नाहीत, तर आपले मन खरोखर शुद्ध आहे का हे स्वतःला विचारतात. कोणी तुमच्यावर टीका करते तेव्हा आधी जगाला दोष देण्याआधी स्वतःच्या मनाकडे वळून पाहावे, हाच या ओवीचा संदेश आहे.
Where this applies
- Universal-good. Naturally-accepted.
- Self-diagnostic. Slander-mirrors-impurity.