Abhanga 997
Nothing good comes without effort, hard truths should not be met with anger, and real discipline, not flattery, is what makes a person wise.
The verse
कुटल्याविण नव्हे मांडा । अळसें धोंडा पडतसे ॥१॥ राग नको धरूं मनीं । गांडमणी सांगतों ॥ध्रु.॥ तरटापुढें बरें नाचे । सुतकाचें मुसळ ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे काठी सार । करी फार शाहाणें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Kuṭalē-without — māṇḍā — aḷasa — dhōṇḍā — falls. Rāga — don't — mana — gāṇḍa-maṇī — telling. Taraṭa — well dances — sūtaka-musaḷa. Tuka says: kāṭhī — sāra — much śāhāṇē.
मराठी: कुटल्याविण मांडा नव्हे — अळसें धोंडा पडतसे. रागा मनीं नको धरूं — गांडमणी, सांगतों. तरटापुढें बरें नाचे — सुतकाचें मुसळ. Tuka म्हणे: काठी सार — करी फार शाहाणें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कुटल्याविण नव्हे मांडा | "kuṭalē-without — māṇḍā" |
| अळसें धोंडा पडतसे | "aḷasa — dhōṇḍā — falls" |
| राग नको धरूं मनीं | "rāga — don't hold — mana" |
| गांडमणी सांगतों | "gāṇḍa-maṇī — telling" |
| तरटापुढें बरें नाचे | "taraṭa — well dances" |
| सुतकाचें मुसळ | "sūtaka-musaḷa" |
| तुका म्हणे काठी सार | "kāṭhī — sāra" |
| करी फार शाहाणें | "makes — much śāhāṇē" |
What it means
A no-pancake-without-grinding-laziness-drops-stone-don't-be-angry-rascal-I'm-telling-you-pestle-of-impurity-dances-before-sackcloth-stick-discipline-essential-makes-very-wise abhang. Stick-discipline-essential register. Rough-pithy proverb-string. Three claims:
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कुटलें-विण-मांडा-नव्हे — अळस-धोंडा-पडे. No-pancake-without-grinding-laziness-drops-stone-claim. Withoutkuṭalē (grinding, pounding the grain), there is no māṇḍā (pancake);by aḷasa (laziness), the dhōṇḍā (stone — i.e. the dead-weight, the lazy person himself) falls. (Without effort, no result; with sloth, you become an immovable stone.)
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राग-नको — गांडमणी-सांगतों. Don't-be-angry-rascal-I'm-telling-you-claim. Don't holdrāga(anger) in (your)mana; I'm telling (you),gāṇḍa-maṇī (rough Marathi address: rascal-jewel, idiot-fellow — a coarse familiar form). (The brusque pastoral voice: "don't get mad at me, you fool — I'm just telling you the truth.")
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तरट-पुढें-मुसळ-नाचे — Tuka: काठी-सार-शहाणें. Pestle-dances-before-sackcloth-stick-makes-wise-claim. In front oftaraṭa(sackcloth, coarse cloth) themusaḷaofsūtaka(impurity) dances well — the worthless dances only before its own kind. Tuka says: thekāṭhī (stick, the rod-of-discipline) is the sāra (essence);it makes (one) very śāhāṇē (wise). (Pastoral wisdom: discipline beats speech; the stick teaches when words don't.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram uses a blunt, earthy proverb: there's no pancake without first grinding the grain, and laziness just turns a person into dead weight, like a stone that won't move. He tells his listener plainly not to get angry at hearing this hard truth — he's speaking bluntly because it's true. A pestle only dances well in front of its own kind of coarse cloth, meaning flattery and soft company teach nothing. What truly makes a person wise, Tuka says, is real discipline — the firm stick, not sweet words.
मराठी: तुकाराम एक रोखठोक, मातीतला दाखला देतात: दळल्याशिवाय भाकरी बनत नाही, आणि आळस माणसाला दगडासारखे जड, हलू न शकणारे बनवतो. ते स्पष्टपणे सांगतात की हे कठोर सत्य ऐकून रागावू नये - ते हे स्पष्टपणे बोलत आहेत कारण ते खरे आहे. मुसळ फक्त आपल्यासारख्याच खरखरीत कापडासमोरच चांगले नाचते, म्हणजे खुशामत आणि मऊ सोबत काहीच शिकवत नाही. खरे शहाणपण देणारी गोष्ट म्हणजे खरी शिस्त - घट्ट काठी, गोड शब्द नव्हे, असे तुका सांगतात.
Where this applies
- When you want results without putting in the grinding, unglamorous effort first
- When someone gives you blunt, unwelcome feedback and your first reaction is anger
- When you're tempted to surround yourself only with people who flatter you
- When you're deciding whether comfort or firm discipline will actually help you grow