Abhanga 1051
A dog that cannot tell a thief from a guest or a beggar just barks at whoever it sees, and no amount of teaching changes that; words spoken to it are wasted. Give it good milk and it vomits it up, then goes back to eating filth, refusing to give up its own nature. It is the same with a small and wicked mind: praise or blame makes no difference to such a person, Tuka says — that is simply how a wretched mind works.
The verse
नेणे सुनें चोर पाहुणा मागता । देखून भलता भुंकतसे ॥१॥ शिकविलें कांहीं न चले तया । बोलियेले वांयां बोल जाती ॥ध्रु.॥ क्षीर ओकुनियां खाय अमंगळ । आपुली ते ढाळ जाऊं नेदी ॥२॥ वंदूं निंदूं काय दुराचार । खळाचा विचार तुका म्हणे ॥३॥
Literal translation
Sunē — cōra-pāhuṇā-māgatā — bhalatā — barks. Taught — doesn't work — bōla — vāyām. Kṣīra — amangaḷa — ḍhāḷa. Tuka says: vandū-nimdū — durācāra — khaḷa-vicāra.
मराठी: सुनें चोर-पाहुणा-मागता नेणे — भलता देखून भुंकतसे. शिकविलें कांहीं तया न चले — बोलियेले बोल वांयां जाती. क्षीर ओकुनियां अमंगळ खाय — आपुली ढाळ जाऊं नेदी. Tuka म्हणे: वंदूं-निंदूं काय दुराचार — खळाचा विचार.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नेणे सुनें चोर पाहुणा मागता | "sunē — cōra-pāhuṇā-māgatā" |
| देखून भलता भुंकतसे | "bhalatā — barks" |
| शिकविलें कांहीं न चले तया | "taught — doesn't work" |
| बोलियेले वांयां बोल जाती | "bōla — vāyām" |
| क्षीर ओकुनियां खाय अमंगळ | "kṣīra — amangaḷa" |
| आपुली ते ढाळ जाऊं नेदी | "ḍhāḷa" |
| वंदूं निंदूं काय दुराचार | "vandū-nimdū — durācāra" |
| खळाचा विचार तुका म्हणे | "khaḷa-vicāra" |
What it means
A the-dog-doesn't-recognize-thief-guest-or-beggar-barks-at-anyone-seen-whatever-taught-doesn't-work-for-him-words-spoken-go-in-vain-vomits-the-milk-eats-the-filthy-doesn't-let-his-own-nature-go-praising-or-blaming-what-use-the-evil-doer's-thinking-says-Tuka abhang. Khaḷācā-vicāra register. Four claims (dog-parable):
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सुनें-चोर-पाहुणा-नेणे — भलता-भुंकें. Dog-doesn't-discriminate-claim. Thesunē (dog) doesn't recognize cōra-pāhuṇā-māgatā (thief-guest-beggar); barks atbhalatā (any-and-everyone) seen.
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शिकवण-न-चले — बोल-वांयां. Teaching-doesn't-work-claim. Whatever taught, doesn't work for him; words spoken govāyām.
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क्षीर-ओकून — अमंगळ — ढाळ-न-सोडी. Vomits-milk-eats-filthy-claim. Vomits thekṣīra (milk), eatsamangaḷa (filthy); doesn't let his ownḍhāḷa (nature, way) go.
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Tuka: वंदू-निंदू — दुराचार — खळ-विचार. Praise-or-blame-no-use-claim. Vandū-nimdū (praise or blame) — what use durācāra?;the khaḷa's vicāra, Tuka says. (Praise or blame makes no difference to a wretch — that's just the nature of his vicāra.)
[T]
For someone today
A dog that cannot tell a thief from a guest or a beggar just barks at whoever it sees, and no amount of teaching changes that; words spoken to it are wasted. Give it good milk and it vomits it up, then goes back to eating filth, refusing to give up its own nature. It is the same with a small and wicked mind: praise or blame makes no difference to such a person, Tuka says — that is simply how a wretched mind works.
मराठी: जो कुत्रा चोर, पाहुणा आणि भिकारी यांच्यात फरक करू शकत नाही, तो दिसेल त्याच्यावर भुंकतो — त्याला कितीही शिकवले तरी उपयोग होत नाही, बोललेले शब्द वाया जातात. त्याला चांगले दूध दिले तरी तो ते ओकून टाकतो आणि पुन्हा घाण खाण्याकडे वळतो, आपला मूळ स्वभाव सोडत नाही. दुर्जन माणसाचेही असेच असते — त्याची स्तुती करा किंवा निंदा करा, त्याला काही फरक पडत नाही; तुका म्हणतात, हाच दुष्ट मनाचा स्वभाव आहे.
Where this applies
- No-discrimination. Sunē.
- Teaching-fails. Bōla-vāyām.
- Reverses-good. Ḍhāḷa.
- Praise-blame-no-use. Khaḷa-vicāra.