Abhanga 1561
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.
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
English: 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); — the bēḍuka (frog) — scorns — the sāgara (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 — not seen — not known; — 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 — the puffed-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 the gaja (elephant) — the khara (donkey); — says — I am much better*. Donkey claims better than elephant. (Same anti-bragging pattern.)
The closing: mulām'yācēm nāṇēm — navhē sōnēm — the mulāmā (= gilt-coat) — coin; — does not become — 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
- Frog-in-puddle-scorns-ocean.* Vasanēm-thillarīm-bēḍuka-sāgarā.
- Without-knowing-bragging-display.* Dēkhilā-na-ṭhāvā-na-tōṇḍa-piṭī.
- Puffed-crow-claims-better-than-swan.* Kā'uḷē-rāja-hamsa-āgaḷē.
- Donkey-claims-better-than-elephant.* Gaja-khara-cāngalā.
- Gilt-coin-doesn't-become-gold.* Mulāmā-nāṇē-sōnēm-na.