Abhanga 1753
For today: milk doesn't digest in the dog even when given as alms — it's the quality of its kind; in the state of youth, the base-person becomes intoxicated — driving away even his hand, foot, ear; he takes the crystal-bead and throws the wish-fulfilling-jewel — naked by his own desire; that very wish-jewel held at the snake's neck became the poison of its venom-sac; Tuka says — those who act as they do — attain fruits exactly like that.
The verse
न जिरे क्षीर श्वानासी भिक्षतां । याती तयाचा गुण । तारुण्यदशे अधम मातला । दवडी हात पाय कान ॥१॥ घेउनि स्फटिकमणी टाकी चिंतामणी । नागवले आपुले इच्छे ॥ध्रु.॥ तें चि भुजंगें धरिलें कंठीं । मा विष जालें त्याची गरळ ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जे जैसें करिती । ते पवती तैसीं च फळें ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Milk doesn't digest in the dog when given as alms — it's the yāti's guṇa. In tāruṇya state, the adhama intoxicated — drives away hand, foot, ear. Takes sphaṭika-maṇi — throws cintāmaṇi — naked by his own icchā. That very (cintāmaṇi) — bhujanga held at neck — poison became of his garaḷa. Tuka says: those who do as they do — attain fruits as they are.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| न जिरे क्षीर श्वानासी भिक्षतां | "milk doesn't digest — in dog — given as alms" |
| याती तयाचा गुण | "yāti's guṇa" |
| तारुण्यदशे अधम मातला | "tāruṇya state — adhama intoxicated" |
| दवडी हात पाय कान | "drives away — hand, foot, ear" |
| घेउनि स्फटिकमणी टाकी चिंतामणी | "takes sphaṭika-maṇi — throws cintāmaṇi" |
| नागवले आपुले इच्छे | "naked — by own icchā" |
| तें चि भुजंगें धरिलें कंठीं | "bhujanga — held at neck" |
| मा विष जालें त्याची गरळ | "poison became — of his garaḷa" |
| तुका म्हणे जे जैसें करिती | "Tuka says — those-as-they-do" |
| ते पवती तैसीं च फळें | "attain — fruits as they are" |
What it means
Anti-base-nature + sphaṭika-vs-cintāmaṇi-image + bhujanga-cintāmaṇi-becomes-poison abhang.
The dog-milk: na jirē kṣīra śvānāsī bhikṣatām — yātī tayācā guṇa — milk doesn't digest in dog when given as alms — yāti's guṇa. Even-good-milk doesn't-help the dog because-of-its-(species-)nature. Note: yāti here is species-nature, not human-caste — Tukaram's idiom uses yāti for kind-or-nature.
The tāruṇya-adhama: tāruṇya-daśē adhama mātalā — davaḍī hāta pāya kāna — in tāruṇya, the adhama intoxicated — drives away hand, foot, ear. In youth, the base-person gets-intoxicated, drives-away (= forfeits) hand-foot-ear (= his own faculties).
The cintāmaṇi-image: ghē'uni sphaṭika-maṇi ṭākī cintāmaṇi — nāgavalē āpulē icchē — takes sphaṭika-maṇi — throws cintāmaṇi — naked by own icchā. Sphaṭika-maṇi = crystal-bead (cheap); cintāmaṇi = the wish-fulfilling-jewel (priceless). Mistakes the priceless for cheap; throws-away the cintāmaṇi to grasp the crystal.
The bhujanga-image: tēm chi bhujangēm dharilēm kaṇṭhīm — mā viṣa jālēm tyācī garaḷa — that very (cintāmaṇi) — bhujanga held at neck — poison became of his garaḷa. The image: if a snake (bhujanga) holds-the-cintāmaṇi at-its-neck-throat, the cintāmaṇi-becomes-poison of-the-snake's-garaḷa (poison-sac). (= good-things become-poisonous in-the-base-nature; compare 1709's amṛta-becomes-poison-in-serpent.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē jē jaisēm karitī — tē pāvatī taisīm chi phaḷē — Tuka says: those-who-do-as-they-do — attain-fruits-as-they-are. Action-and-fruit correspond-by-quality.
[T]
For someone today
For today: milk doesn't digest in the dog even when given as alms — it's the quality of its kind; in the state of youth, the base-person becomes intoxicated — driving away even his hand, foot, ear; he takes the crystal-bead and throws the wish-fulfilling-jewel — naked by his own desire; that very wish-jewel held at the snake's neck became the poison of its venom-sac; Tuka says — those who act as they do — attain fruits exactly like that.
Where this applies
- Milk-doesn't-digest-in-dog-yāti-guṇa.* Kṣīra-śvāna-jirē-na-yātī-guṇa.
- Tāruṇya-adhama-drives-away-faculties.* Tāruṇya-adhama-davaḍī-hāta-pāya-kāna.
- Take-crystal-throw-cintāmaṇi.* Sphaṭika-maṇi-cintāmaṇi-ṭākī.
- Bhujanga-cintāmaṇi-becomes-poison.* Bhujanga-cintāmaṇi-viṣa-garaḷa.
- Action-fruit-correspond-by-quality.* Jaisēm-karitī-taisīm-phaḷē.