Abhanga 1722
For today: water poured into an upturned-pot doesn't even hold — to such (an inverted-mind), nothing-given enters; burn-burn that one's being-alive — for what did he come to this world?; the inferior lentil doesn't ripen with cooking — examined, it stays the same as it was; therefore not making association is the best — holding silence is the entire-good.
The verse
पालथे घागरी घातलें जीवन । न धरी च जाण तें ही त्याला ॥१॥ जळो जळो हें त्याचें ज्यालेपण । कासया हे आलें संवसारा ॥ध्रु.॥ कुचर मुग नये चि पाका । पाहातां सारिखा होता तैसा ॥२॥ म्हणऊनि संग न करितां भला । धरितां अबोला सर्व हित ॥३॥
Literal translation
Water poured into an upturned pot — doesn't hold, know — to it. Burn-burn that one's being-alive — for what did he come to samsāra? The inferior muga doesn't come to ripeness — examined, looks the same as it was. Therefore not making sanga is good — holding silence is all hita.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पालथे घागरी घातलें जीवन | "upturned — pot — poured water" |
| न धरी च जाण तें ही त्याला | "doesn't hold — know — that very — to it" |
| जळो जळो हें त्याचें ज्यालेपण | "burn-burn — that one's being-alive" |
| कासया हे आलें संवसारा | "for what — came — to samsāra" |
| कुचर मुग नये चि पाका | "inferior muga (lentil) — doesn't come to ripeness" |
| पाहातां सारिखा होता तैसा | "examined — like that — was so" |
| म्हणऊनि संग न करितां भला | "therefore — not making sanga — good" |
| धरितां अबोला सर्व हित | "holding silence — all hita" |
What it means
Anti-incorrigible-association + better-silence abhang.
The upturned-pot: pālathē ghāgarī ghātalēm jīvana — na dharī chi jāṇa tēm hī tyālā — water poured into an upturned pot — doesn't hold. Pālathē = upturned, mouth-down; jīvana = water (lit. life). The image: water poured-onto-an-upturned-pot doesn't even-touch the inside; it slides off — so teachings poured-on the-incorrigible-mind don't hold.
The burn-burn: jaḷō jaḷō hēm tyācēm jyālēpaṇa — kāsayā hē ālēm samvasārā — burn-burn his being-alive — for what came to samsāra? (= let his very-existence burn; what was the use of his coming to this world?)
The inferior-lentil: kucara muga na yē chi pāka — pāhātām sārikhā hōtā taisā — the inferior muga doesn't come to ripeness — examined, was the same. Kucara muga = the bad-lentil that doesn't soften with cooking. Some lentils, no matter how-much-cooked, stay-hard. (= some people, no matter how-much-instructed, don't change.)
The closing: mhaṇa'ūni sanga na karitām bhalā — dharitām abōlā sarva hita — therefore not making sanga is good — holding silence is all hita. Avoid-such-association; better-silence than effort-to-correct-them.
[T]
For someone today
For today: water poured into an upturned-pot doesn't even hold — to such (an inverted-mind), nothing-given enters; burn-burn that one's being-alive — for what did he come to this world?; the inferior lentil doesn't ripen with cooking — examined, it stays the same as it was; therefore not making association is the best — holding silence is the entire-good.
Where this applies
- When you keep trying to give good advice to someone who never seems to take it in
- When you're frustrated because a person doesn't change no matter how much effort you invest in them
- When you're deciding whether to keep arguing your point with someone who has clearly closed their mind
- When you're weighing whether silence and distance would serve you and the other person better than more words