Abhanga 1141
A cup of gold can be filled with poison, and a plain clay pot can hold nectar. What matters is never the vessel's surface but what actually fills it inside. Tukaram turns to the saints and asks directly: since appearances lie, what is the true measure? Tell me quickly what is genuinely good for me, he says, because the question is urgent - don't judge people or things by their shine.
The verse
सोनियांचा कळस । माजी भरिला सुरारस ॥१॥ काय करावें प्रमाण । तुम्ही सांगा संतजन ॥ध्रु.॥ मृत्तिकेचा घट । माजी अमृताचा सांट ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे हित । तें मज सांगावें त्वरित ॥३॥
Literal translation
Sōniyāñcā kaḷasa — surā-rasa. Pramāṇa — samta-jana. Mrttikā ghaṭa — amrta sāṭa. Tuka says: hita — tvarita.
मराठी: सोनियांचा कळस — माजी भरिला सुरा-रस. काय करावें प्रमाण? — तुम्ही, संत-जन, सांगा. मृत्तिकेचा घट — माजी अमृताचा सांट. Tuka म्हणे: हित तें मज त्वरित सांगावें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सोनियांचा कळस | "sōniyāñcā kaḷasa" |
| माजी भरिला सुरारस | "surā-rasa" |
| काय करावें प्रमाण | "pramāṇa" |
| तुम्ही सांगा संतजन | "samta-jana" |
| मृत्तिकेचा घट | "mrttikā ghaṭa" |
| माजी अमृताचा सांट | "amrta sāṭa" |
| तुका म्हणे हित | "hita" |
| तें मज सांगावें त्वरित | "tvarita" |
What it means
A striking outer-vs-inner inversion abhang. A gold-vessel can hold liquor; a clay-pot can hold nectar. Outer appearance is no measure of inner content. Four claims:
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सोन-कळस — सुरा-रस. Gold-with-poison-claim.
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प्रमाण-संत. What-measure-claim. (Saints, you must tell — what's the standard then?)
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मृत्तिका-घट — अमृत-सांट. Clay-with-nectar-claim.
-
Tuka: हित-त्वरित. Quickly-claim.
[T]
For someone today
A cup of gold can be filled with poison, and a plain clay pot can hold nectar. What matters is never the vessel's surface but what actually fills it inside. Tukaram turns to the saints and asks directly: since appearances lie, what is the true measure? Tell me quickly what is genuinely good for me, he says, because the question is urgent - don't judge people or things by their shine.
मराठी: सोन्याचा गडू विषानेही भरलेला असू शकतो आणि साध्या मातीच्या मडक्यातही अमृत असू शकतं. महत्त्वाचं ते भांड्याचं बाह्यरूप नसून आतलं द्रव्य असतं. तुकाराम संतांना थेट विचारतात - देखावा खोटा ठरतो, तर खरं मोजमाप काय? मला लवकर सांगा, माझं खरं हित कशात आहे, कारण ही गोष्ट तातडीची आहे - चकाकीवरून माणसं किंवा वस्तू जोखू नका.
Where this applies
- Gold-poison. Surā-rasa.
- Saints-tell. Pramāṇa.
- Clay-nectar. Mrttikā.
- Quickly. Tvarita.