Abhanga 1528
For today: don't reduce the paramārthī to familiar-status; don't despise the small or young; a tiny spark becomes a forest-fire when fed; even the father should reverence the son in whom Deva dwells; carry the broken-pot on your head — the fresh butter is inside.
The verse
परमार्थी तो न म्हणावा आपुला । सलगी धाकुला हेळूं नये ॥१॥ थोडा चि स्फुलिंग बहुत दावाग्नी । वाढतां इंधनीं वाढविला ॥ध्रु.॥ पितियानें तैसा वंदावा कुमर । जयाचें अंतर देवें वसे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे शिरीं वाहावें खापर । माजी असे सार नवनीत ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: The paramārthī shouldn't be called āpulā — by salagī, the dhākulā shouldn't be despised. A small sphulinga is much dāvāgni — grew when fed in indhana. The father should reverence the kumara that way — in whose antara, Deva dwells. Tuka says: carry the khāpara on the head — inside is sāra of nava-nīta.
मराठी: परमार्थी — तो — न — म्हणावा — आपुला; — सलगी — धाकुला — हेळूं — नये. थोडा — चि — स्फुलिंग — बहुत — दावाग्नी; — वाढतां — इंधनीं — वाढविला. पितियानें — तैसा — वंदावा — कुमर; — जयाचें — अंतर — देवें — वसे. Tukā म्हणे — शिरीं — वाहावें — खापर; — माजी — असे — सार — नवनीत.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| परमार्थी तो न म्हणावा आपुला | "paramārthī — that one — should not — be called — āpulā (= one's own / familiar)" |
| सलगी धाकुला हेळूं नये | "by salagī (= familiarity) — dhākulā (small / younger) — should not be despised (hēḷūm nayē)" |
| थोडा चि स्फुलिंग बहुत दावाग्नी | "small (thōḍā) only — sphulinga (spark); — bahuta (much) — dāvāgni (forest-fire)" |
| वाढतां इंधनीं वाढविला | "growing — in the indhana (fuel) — vāḍhavilā (= grew)" |
| पितियानें तैसा वंदावा कुमर | "by the pitā (father) — like that — should be reverenced (vandāvā) — the kumara (son)" |
| जयाचें अंतर देवें वसे | "in whose — antara — Deva — dwells (vasē)" |
| तुका म्हणे शिरीं वाहावें खापर | "Tuka says — on the head — should be carried — khāpara (= shard / broken-pot)" |
| माजी असे सार नवनीत | "inside — is — sāra — nava-nīta (fresh butter)" |
What it means
Don't-despise-the-paramārthī-by-familiarity abhang. The opening: paramārthī tō na mhaṇāvā āpulā — salagī dhākulā hēḷūm nayē — the paramārthī — should not be called āpulā (= familiar / one's own); — by salagī (familiarity) — the dhākulā (= small / younger) — should not be despised*. Don't reduce the bhakta to familiar-status; even a young/small bhakta deserves respect.
The spark-fire: thōḍā chi sphulinga bahuta dāvāgnī — vāḍhatām indhanīm vāḍhavilā — a small spark — much — forest-fire (dāvāgni); — grew — when fed in fuel. The small-becomes-large image: a tiny spark, given fuel, becomes a forest-fire. (= the young paramārthī, given encouragement, becomes a great-bhakta*.)
The father-son inversion: pitiyānēm taisā vandāvā kumara — jayācēm antara Devēm vasē — by the father — like that — should be reverenced — the kumara (son); — in whose antara — Deva dwells. Striking: even the father should reverence his son if Deva dwells in him. (= bhakti-status overrides natural-hierarchies. Compare 1495's Hari-as-bhakta's-debtor — same theme of bhakti-inversion of hierarchy.)
The closing-image: śirīm vāhāvēm khāpara — mājhī asē sāra nava-nīta — carry on the head — the khāpara (= broken pot / shard); — inside — is sāra — nava-nīta (fresh butter). The broken-pot-with-butter-inside image: what looks like a broken-pot may carry fresh-butter inside; carry it respectfully on the head. (= external-form may be humble or small, but the inner-essence might be precious. Compare 1490's paris-spoils-the-pure; here the inverse-image: broken-pot-protects-the-essence.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: don't reduce the paramārthī to familiar-status; don't despise the small or young; a tiny spark becomes a forest-fire when fed; even the father should reverence the son in whom Deva dwells; carry the broken-pot on your head — the fresh butter is inside.
Where this applies
- Paramārthī-not-familiar-don't-despise-small.* Paramārthī-na-āpulā-dhākulā-hēḷūm-na.
- Small-spark-becomes-forest-fire.* Sphulinga-dāvāgni.
- Father-reverences-son-with-Deva-inside.* Pitā-vandāvā-kumara-antara-Deva.
- Broken-pot-carries-fresh-butter-inside.* Khāpara-śirīm-nava-nīta-sāra.