Abhanga 982
An unsteady character shows itself like a donkey's changing bray, looking fine at first but decaying as it grows, and never knowing the right time for anything.
The verse
गाढवाचें तानें । पालटलें क्षणक्षणें ॥१॥ तैसे अधमाचे गुण । एकविध नाहीं मन ॥ध्रु.॥ उपजतां बरें दिसे । रूप वाढतां तें नासे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे भुंकते वेळे । वेळ अवेळ न कळे ॥३॥
Literal translation
Gāḍhavā — tāna — pālaṭalē — kṣaṇa-kṣaṇē. Adhama — guṇa — eka-vidha — none. Upajatā — barē — rūpa — nāsē. Tuka says: bhunkatē — vēḷa-avēḷa — none.
मराठी: गाढवाचें तानें — पालटलें क्षण-क्षणें. तैसे अधमाचे गुण — एक-विध नाहीं मन. उपजतां बरें दिसे — रूप वाढतां तें नासे. Tuka म्हणे: भुंकते वेळे — वेळ-अवेळ न कळे.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| गाढवाचें तानें | "gāḍhavā — tāna" |
| पालटलें क्षणक्षणें | "pālaṭalē — kṣaṇa-kṣaṇē" |
| तैसे अधमाचे गुण | "adhama — guṇa" |
| एकविध नाहीं मन | "eka-vidha — mana" |
| उपजतां बरें दिसे | "upajatā — barē" |
| रूप वाढतां तें नासे | "rūpa — nāsē" |
| भुंकते वेळे | "bhunkatē" |
| वेळ अवेळ न कळे | "vēḷa-avēḷa" |
What it means
A donkey's-bray-changes-moment-by-moment-such-are-adhama-qualities-no-single-mode-mind-fine-at-birth-decays-as-form-grows-at-barking-doesn't-know-time-from-untime abhang. Donkey-bray-no-single-mode register. Three claims:
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गाढव-तानें-पालटलें — अधम-गुण-एक-विध-नाहीं. Donkey-bray-not-steady-claim. Thegāḍhavā'stānachanges moment-by-moment; such areadhamaguṇa; noeka-vidha mana.
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उपजतां-बरें — रूप-वाढतां-नासे. Decays-as-form-grows-claim. Atupajatā,barē; asrūpagrows,nāsē.
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Tuka: भुंकते-वेळे — वेळ-अवेळ-न-कळे. Doesn't-know-time-and-untime-claim. Tuka says: atbhunkatē-time; vēḷa-avēḷa — none-known.
[T]
For someone today
Tuka compares a base, unreliable character to a donkey's bray, which changes pitch moment to moment with no consistency. Such a person's qualities shift constantly; there is no steadiness of mind behind them. Things may look fine when they are new or just starting out, but as they grow and reveal themselves, they decay. And like a donkey that brays without any sense of when it is appropriate, such a person does not know the right time from the wrong time to act or speak.
मराठी: तुका एका खालच्या दर्जाच्या, अस्थिर स्वभावाच्या माणसाची तुलना गाढवाच्या ओरडण्याशी करतो, जे क्षणाक्षणाला बदलत असते, त्यात कोणतीही स्थिरता नसते. अशा माणसाचे गुणही सतत बदलत राहतात, त्यामागे मनाची स्थिरता नसते. सुरुवातीला गोष्टी चांगल्या दिसतात, पण जसजशा त्या वाढतात, उलगडतात, तसतशा त्या बिघडत जातात. आणि गाढव जसे कोणत्याही वेळेचे भान न ठेवता ओरडते, तसाच असा माणूस योग्य वेळ आणि अयोग्य वेळ यातला फरक ओळखत नाही.
Where this applies
- Inconstant. Moment-changes.
- Decays. Promise-fades.
- Untimely. No-discernment.