Abhanga 1476
For today: the philosopher's-stone turns metal to gold by its own greatness; so, Paṇḍharī-nātha, don't count my merits and faults; Gangā doesn't consider village-drainage unclean; musk makes even clay valuable.
The verse
आपुल्या महिमानें । धातु परिसें केलें सोनें ॥१॥ तैसें न मनीं माझे आतां । गुणदोष पंढरिनाथा ॥ध्रु.॥ गांवाखालील वाहाळ । गंगा न मनी अमंगळ ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे माती । केली कस्तुरीनें सरती ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: By his own mahimā — the paris has made dhātu into gold. So, Paṇḍharī-nāthā, don't count my guṇa-dōṣa now. The drainage below the village — Gangā does not consider it amangaḷa. Tuka says: mātī — kastūrī has made saratī.
मराठी: आपुल्या — महिमानें; — धातु — परिसें — केलें — सोनें. तैसें — न — मनीं — माझे — आतां; — गुण-दोष — पंढरि-नाथा. गांवा-खालील — वाहाळ; — गंगा — न — मनी — अमंगळ. Tukā म्हणे — माती; — केली — कस्तुरीनें — सरती.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आपुल्या महिमानें | "by his own (āpulyā) — mahimā" |
| धातु परिसें केलें सोनें | "dhātu (metal) — paris (= philosopher's-stone) — has made — sōnē (gold)" |
| तैसें न मनीं माझे आतां | "so (taisēm) — don't take to mind (na manī) — my (mājhē) — now (ātām)" |
| गुणदोष पंढरिनाथा | "guṇa-dōṣa — O Paṇḍharī-nāthā" |
| गांवाखालील वाहाळ | "below-the-village — vāhāḷa (= drainage / waste-stream)" |
| गंगा न मनी अमंगळ | "Gangā — does not consider (na manī) — (it) amangaḷa (= inauspicious / unclean)" |
| तुका म्हणे माती | "Tuka says — mātī (= clay / earth)" |
| केली कस्तुरीनें सरती | "kastūrī (musk) — has made (kēlī) — (it) saratī (= acceptable / current / passable)" |
What it means
Don't-count-my-faults-paris-turns-metal-to-gold abhang. A bouquet of transmutation-images. The opening paris-image: āpulyā mahimānē — dhātu parisēm kēlē sōnē — by his own mahimā — the paris (= philosopher's-stone) — has made — dhātu (metal) — gold. The classical-Indian paris image: a touchstone-like-object that transmutes base-metal to gold. Paris doesn't ask 'is this metal noble enough?' — it just transmutes by its own mahimā. (Compare 1300's Gangā-na-dēkhē-viṭāḷa — Gangā doesn't see pollution; same theme.)
The application: taisēm na manī mājhē ātām — guṇa-dōṣa Paṇḍharī-nāthā — so — don't count my guṇa-dōṣa (= merits-and-faults) now, Paṇḍharī-nāthā. (= the Paṇḍharī-king is the paris; let his mahimā transmute me without counting my faults.)
The Gangā-image: gāmvā-khālīla vāhāḷa — Gangā na manī amangaḷa — the vāhāḷa (drainage-stream) — below the village; — Gangā — does not consider it amangaḷa (= inauspicious / unclean). The village-drainage flowing into Gangā doesn't contaminate the Gangā; Gangā doesn't see it as amangaḷa. (= the Gangā purifies; — Gangā = Hari = Paṇḍharī-nātha.)
The musk-image: Tukā mhaṇē mātī — kēlī kastūrīnēm saratī — Tuka says — mātī (= clay / dirt); — kastūrī (musk) — has made (it) — saratī (= acceptable / valued / passing-as-currency). Musk — when added even to plain clay — makes it valuable. (= one drop of musk makes mud valuable; one drop of Hari-grace makes the bhakta valuable.)
These are all transmutation-images: paris (metal → gold), Gangā (drainage → pure), musk (mud → valuable). All three say: Hari, your touch transmutes the unworthy.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the philosopher's-stone turns metal to gold by its own greatness; so, Paṇḍharī-nātha, don't count my merits and faults; Gangā doesn't consider village-drainage unclean; musk makes even clay valuable.
Where this applies
- Paris-makes-metal-gold-by-own-power.* Paris-dhātu-sōnē-mahimā.
- Don't-count-my-faults.* Guṇa-dōṣa-na-manī.
- Gangā-doesn't-see-drainage-unclean.* Gāmvā-khālīla-vāhāḷa-Gangā-amangaḷa-na.
- Musk-makes-clay-valuable.* Mātī-kastūrīnēm-saratī.