Abhanga 1320
For today: grade your knowing — vēṭhī, vārtā, atyantī — and notice the mahad-antara between seeing, telling, and tasting; the same diamond looks like a hailstone to the unskilled judge.
The verse
देखण्याच्या तीन जाती । वेठी वार्ता अत्यंतीं ॥१॥ जैसा भाव तैसें फळ । स्वातीतोय एक जळ ॥ध्रु.॥ पाहे सांगे आणि जेवी । अंतर महदांतर तेवी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे हिरा । पारखियां मूढां गारा ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Of dēkhaṇa, three jātis: vēṭhī, vārtā, atyantī. As the bhāva, so the phaḷa — Svāti-tōya is one water. (One) sees, (one) tells, (one) eats — antara, mahad-antara accordingly. Tuka says: diamond — to the mūḍha-pārakhī — (becomes) hailstone.
मराठी: देखण्याच्या तीन जाति — (1) वेठी (फुकट-काम) (2) वार्ता (ऐकीव) (3) अत्यन्ती (साक्षात / सर्वोच्च). जैसा भाव — तैसें फळ — स्वाती-तोय (स्वाती नक्षत्रांतलें पाणी) — एकच जळ. पाहणारा, सांगणारा, आणि जेवणारा — अंतर — महद-अंतर — तसें तसें. Tukā म्हणे — हिरा — पारखी-मूढाला — गारा-च (दिसतो).
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देखण्याच्या तीन जाती | "of dēkhaṇa (experiencing) — three jātis (kinds)" |
| वेठी वार्ता अत्यंतीं | "(1) vēṭhī (forced labor) — (2) vārtā (report / hearsay) — (3) atyantī (extreme / direct)" |
| जैसा भाव तैसें फळ | "as the bhāva — so the phaḷa" |
| स्वातीतोय एक जळ | "Svāti-tōya — one water" |
| पाहे सांगे आणि जेवी | "(one) sees — (one) tells — and (one) jēvī (eats / experiences)" |
| अंतर महदांतर तेवी | "antara (gap) — mahad-antara (great-gap) — accordingly (tēvī)" |
| हिरा पारखियां मूढां गारा | "diamond (hīrā) — to the pārakhī-mūḍha (foreign / outsider examiner) — gārā (hailstone)" |
What it means
Three-grades-of-experiencing abhang. Tuka classifies dēkhaṇa (= seeing / experiencing / knowing) into three jāti:
- Vēṭhī — forced labor — the lowest grade — knowing-because-compelled (rote, by-discipline)
- Vārtā — report / hearsay — middle grade — knowing-from-someone-else's-account
- Atyantī — extreme / utmost / direct — the highest grade — knowing-by-direct-anubhava
The Svāti-tōya image (mid-verse) is classical: Svāti-tōya is the rain that falls during the Svāti nakṣatra (a specific lunar mansion). The same drop of Svāti-tōya, falling into different vessels, yields different things: - Into an oyster — pearl (mōtī) - Into a snake's mouth — viṣa (poison) - Into a banana-tree's heart — karpūra (camphor) (in some versions; or just a drop)
Jaisā bhāva taisē phaḷa — as the bhāva, so the fruit. The teaching is the same drop; what comes of it depends on the vessel of the receiver.
The closing parallel: pāhē, sāngē, jēvī — sees, tells, eats. Antara, mahad-antara — gap, great-gap. Seeing is one level; telling is another; eating-experiencing is the third — and the gap between them is mahad-antara (vast).
The most-quoted line: hīrā — pārakhiyām mūḍhām gārā — the diamond, to the mūḍha-pārakhī (the unskilled examiner / foreigner-judge), is a hailstone (= a worthless ice-pellet). The same vastu (object) is pricelessly precious or worthless depending on the pārakhī (judge / examiner).
[T]
For someone today
For today: grade your knowing — vēṭhī, vārtā, atyantī — and notice the mahad-antara between seeing, telling, and tasting; the same diamond looks like a hailstone to the unskilled judge.
Where this applies
- Three-grades-of-knowing.* Vēṭhī-vārtā-atyantī.
- As-bhāva-so-fruit.* Jaisā-bhāva-taisē-phaḷa.
- Svāti-tōya-one-water.* Svātī-tōya-ēka-jaḷa.
- See-tell-eat-mahad-antara.* Pāhē-sāngē-jēvī.
- Diamond-or-hailstone.* Hīrā-pārakhiyām-gārā.