Abhanga 1561
Loud boasting about what you've never truly seen or earned reveals ignorance, not superiority; no amount of posturing turns a gilded coin into real gold.
The verse
वसनें थिल्लरीं । बेडुक सागरा धिक्कारी ॥१॥ नाहीं देखिला ना ठावा । तोंड पिटी करी हांवा ॥ध्रु.॥ फुगातें काउळें । म्हणे मी राजहंसा आगळें ॥२॥ गजाहूनि खर । म्हणे चांगला मी फार ॥३॥ मुलाम्याचें नाणें । तुका म्हणे नव्हे सोनें ॥४॥
Literal translation
Dwelling in thillara — bēḍuka scorns sāgara. Not seen, not known — strikes mouth, makes hāmvā. Puffed-up crow — says: I'm āgaḷa than rāja-hamsa. More than gaja — donkey says: I'm much better. Gilt-coin — Tuka says — doesn't become gold.
मराठी: वसनें — थिल्लरीं; — बेडुक — सागरा — धिक्कारी. नाहीं — देखिला — ना — ठावा; — तोंड — पिटी — करी — हांवा. फुगातें — काउळें; — म्हणे — मी — राज-हंसा — आगळें. गजाहूनि — खर; — म्हणे — चांगला — मी — फार. मुलाम्याचें — नाणें; — Tukā म्हणे — नव्हे — सोनें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| वसनें थिल्लरीं | "dwelling (vasanēm) — in (the) thillara (puddle)" |
| बेडुक सागरा धिक्कारी | "the bēḍuka (frog) — scorns (dhikkārī) — the sāgara" |
| नाहीं देखिला ना ठावा | "not seen, not known" |
| तोंड पिटी करी हांवा | "strikes (piṭī) — (his) tōṇḍa (mouth); — makes — hāmvā (= craving / display)" |
| फुगातें काउळें | "the swelled (= puffed-up) — kāuḷē (crow)" |
| म्हणे मी राजहंसा आगळें | "says — I — more / superior — than the rāja-hamsa" |
| गजाहूनि खर | "more than the gaja (elephant) — the khara (donkey)" |
| म्हणे चांगला मी फार | "says — I am much better" |
| मुलाम्याचें नाणें | "the mulāmā (= gilt-coat) — coin" |
| तुका म्हणे नव्हे सोनें | "Tuka says — does not become — gold" |
What it means
Frog-in-puddle-scorns-ocean abhang. A cluster of ignorance-bragging-images. The opening: vasanēm thillarīm — bēḍuka sāgarā dhikkārī — dwelling — in (the)thillara(= puddle / shallow-pool); — thebēḍuka(frog) —scorns— thesāgara(ocean). Famous-image: the puddle-frog scorns the ocean, having never-seen-it. (Compare Pañcatantra-tradition; same image.)
The diagnosis: nāhīm dēkhilā nā ṭhāvā — tōṇḍa piṭī karī hāmvā — notseen— notknown; —strikes— (his)tōṇḍa(mouth); —makes—hāmvā(= display). Without seeing or knowing, he beats his own mouth in display. (= the ignorant boasting most loudly.)
The crow-vs-swan: phugātē kā'uḷē — mhaṇē mī rāja-hamsā āgaḷē — thepuffed-up—crow; —says—I—am-more / superior—than the rāja-hamsa(= royal-swan). Puffed-up crow claims better than royal-swan. (Crow-vs-swan = the kāka-hamsa-paryāya; classical comparison: swan separates milk-from-water, crow doesn't.)
The donkey-vs-elephant: gajāhūnī khara — mhaṇē cāngalā mī phāra — more than thegaja(elephant) — thekhara(donkey); —says—I am much better. Donkey claims better than elephant. (Same anti-bragging pattern.)
The closing: mulām'yācēm nāṇēm — navhē sōnēm — themulāmā(= gilt-coat) —coin; — does notbecome—gold. A gilt-coated coin doesn't become real gold. (= external-coating doesn't change inner-substance; cf. 1560's eunuch-doesn't-become-woman — same theme.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: the puddle-frog scorns the ocean it has never seen; not knowing, he beats his own mouth in display; the puffed-up crow claims better than the royal-swan; the donkey claims better than the elephant; the gilt-coated coin doesn't become real gold.
Where this applies
- When someone dismisses an experience, place, or teaching they've never actually encountered
- When you notice the loudest voice in the room is also the least informed one
- When you're tempted to claim superiority over someone clearly more accomplished than you
- When you catch yourself faking confidence or worth instead of actually earning it