Abhanga 1050

Some people simply cannot receive good things offered to them. Tukaram gives two pictures: sandal paste smeared on a donkey's body, which the donkey just rolls into ash, and a precious jewel hung around a monkey's neck, which the monkey chews and spits out. Whoever's nature is set stays set; you cannot force a change in someone by giving them something valuable. He adds that a wretched or small-minded person does not even like what is genuinely good for him, because his own ignorance keeps inflating his opinion of himself, so real advice never gets through. The lesson is to stop measuring your worth by whether such a person appreciates your gift or your good counsel.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A sandal-paste-on-the-donkey's-body-the-donkey-met-it-with-ash-whoever's-nature-is-natural-in-his-body-no-change-happens-for-him-a-valuable-jewel-placed-on-the-monkey's-neck-he-chewed-and-spat-it-out-good-doesn't-appeal-to-the-wretch-ignorance-increases-his-own-opinion abhang. Avidyā-increases-his-own-opinion register. Four claims (animal parables):

1. गाढव-चंदन-राख. Donkey-and-sandal-claim. Sandal-paste on thegāḍhava's anga;(the donkey) bhēṭī-d (met / introduced) it with rākha (ash). (The donkey rolls in ash and undoes the sandal-paste — the gift is wasted on him.)

2. सहज-गुण-देहीं — पालट-नव्हे. Natural-nature-no-change-claim. Whoseguṇaissahaja (innate) in the dēha;pālaṭadoesn't happen for him.

3. माकड-गळ-मणि — चावून-थुंकून. Monkey-and-jewel-claim. A valuablemaṇiplaced on themākaḍa'sgaḷā;chewed and thunkōnī ṭākī (spits-out and throws away).

4. Tuka: खळ-हित-नावडे — अविद्या-मत. Avidyā-increases-own-opinion-claim. Tuka says: hita doesn't appeal to thekhaḷa (wretch); avidyā vāḍhavī (increases) his own mata (opinion). (The wretch doesn'tlikewhat's good for him — and his ownavidyā keeps inflating his self-opinion.)

[T]

For someone today

Some people simply cannot receive good things offered to them. Tukaram gives two pictures: sandal paste smeared on a donkey's body, which the donkey just rolls into ash, and a precious jewel hung around a monkey's neck, which the monkey chews and spits out. Whoever's nature is set stays set; you cannot force a change in someone by giving them something valuable. He adds that a wretched or small-minded person does not even like what is genuinely good for him, because his own ignorance keeps inflating his opinion of himself, so real advice never gets through. The lesson is to stop measuring your worth by whether such a person appreciates your gift or your good counsel.

मराठी: काही माणसांना चांगली गोष्ट दिली तरी ती स्वीकारताच येत नाही. तुकाराम महाराज दोन उदाहरणं देतात: गाढवाच्या अंगाला चंदनाची उटी लावली तरी गाढव ती राखेतच घोळवून टाकतो, आणि माकडाच्या गळ्यात मोलाचा मणी घातला तरी माकड तो चावून थुंकून टाकतो. ज्याचा स्वभाव जसा आहे तसाच राहतो; कितीही मौल्यवान गोष्ट दिली तरी त्याच्यात बदल घडत नाही. पुढे ते सांगतात की खळ म्हणजे कोत्या मनाच्या माणसाला त्याच्या खऱ्या हिताची गोष्टही आवडत नाही, कारण त्याची स्वतःचीच अविद्या त्याचं स्वतःबद्दलचं मत सतत फुगवत राहते, त्यामुळे खरा चांगला सल्लाही त्याच्यापर्यंत पोहोचत नाही. यातून शिकवण अशी की अशा माणसाने तुमची भेट किंवा सल्ला कदर केला नाही म्हणून स्वतःची किंमत कमी लेखू नये.

Where this applies

• Gift-wasted. Candana-rākha.
• Innate-nature. Sahaja-guṇa.
• Gift-rejected. Mākaḍa-maṇi.
• Avidyā-self-opinion. Khaḷa-mata.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2374 — Rather than scattering devotion among many lesser deities who demand offerings, Tukaram sa
• Abhanga 2377 — This detailed meditation on Vitthal standing on a brick at Pandharpur, out of love for his
• Abhanga 2387 — Accept whatever life brings with reverence, and place the burden on God rather than carryi
• Abhanga 2402 — For today: happily take rebirths — IF among the Paṇḍharī-Vārkarīs ; Hari-dāsas' company is