Abhanga 1792
For today: parisa, what kind of metal? — removes iron-lameness without doubt; more than that, have you (deva) become helpless? — to remove my one tightness?; kalpa-taru fulfills longing right-now — cintāmaṇi-khaḍā gives what is thought; by candana's fragrance, other wood becomes candana; what loss occurred to him by giving? — consider, Anantā, Tuka says.
The verse
परिस काय धातु । फेडितो निभ्रांतु लोहपांगु ॥१॥ काय तयाहूनि जालासी बापुडें । फेडितां सांकडें माझे एक ॥ध्रु.॥ कल्तपरु कोड पुरवितो रोकडा । चिंतामणि खडा चिंतिलें तें ॥२॥ चंदनांच्या वासें वसतां चंदन । होती काष्ठ आन वृक्षयाती ॥३॥ काय त्याचें उणें जालें त्यासी देतां । विचारीं अनंता तुका म्हणे ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: Parisa — what kind of metal? — removes iron-lameness without doubt. More than that — have you become helpless? — to remove my one tightness? Kalpa-taru fulfills the longing right-now — cintāmaṇi-khaḍā gives what is thought. By candana's fragrance, by residing — other wood, of other tree-species, becomes candana. What loss occurred to him by giving? — consider, Anantā, Tuka says.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| परिस काय धातु | "parisa — what (kind of) metal" |
| फेडितो निभ्रांतु लोहपांगु | "removes — without doubt — the iron-lameness (lōha-pāngu)" |
| काय तयाहूनि जालासी बापुडें | "more-than-that — have you become — helpless (bāpuḍē)" |
| फेडितां सांकडें माझे एक | "to remove — my one tightness (sānkaḍa)" |
| कल्तपरु कोड पुरवितो रोकडा | "kalpa-taru — fulfills the longing — right-now (rōkaḍā)" |
| चिंतामणि खडा चिंतिलें तें | "cintāmaṇi-khaḍā — (gives) — what is thought-of" |
| चंदनांच्या वासें वसतां चंदन | "by candana's fragrance — by residing — (near) candana" |
| होती काष्ठ आन वृक्षयाती | "(other) wood — of other tree-species — becomes (candana)" |
| काय त्याचें उणें जालें त्यासी देतां | "what loss — occurred — to him — by giving" |
| विचारीं अनंता तुका म्हणे | "consider — Anantā — Tuka says" |
What it means
Parisa-kalpa-taru-cintāmaṇi-candana-shame-on-you-deva-if-you-can't-do-this abhang. A devotional-shaming-tactic: Tuka uses the canonical-wish-fulfillers (parisa, kalpa-taru, cintāmaṇi, candana) to shame the deva into-acting.
Image 1 — Parisa: parisa kāya dhātu — phēḍitō nibhrāntu lōha-pāngu — parisa, what kind of metal? — removes iron-lameness without doubt. Lōha-pāngu = iron-lameness (= the lame / defective state of iron); phēḍitō nibhrāntu = removes without doubt. Parisa transforms-iron-into-gold without-discrimination.
The shame-line: kāya tayāhūni jālāsī bāpuḍē — phēḍitām sānkaḍē mājhē ēka — more than that, have you (deva) become helpless? — to remove my one tightness?. Brilliant-shame: the parisa, an inanimate-stone, removes-iron-lameness without doubt — have you, the Lord, become more-helpless than parisa? — to remove just-one-tightness of mine?. (Devotional-pressuring through unfavorable-comparison.)
Image 2 — Kalpa-taru & cintāmaṇi: kalpa-taru kōḍa puravitō rōkaḍā — cintāmaṇi khaḍā cintilē tē — kalpa-taru fulfills longing right-now — cintāmaṇi-khaḍā gives what is thought. Kalpa-taru = the wish-tree of svarga (fulfills any-desire); cintāmaṇi-khaḍā = the thought-jewel (gives whatever-is-thought-of); rōkaḍā = cash, on-the-spot. These wish-fulfillers respond-instantly.
Image 3 — Candana: candanāñcyā vāsē vasatām candana — hōtī kāṣṭha āna vṛkṣa-yātī — by candana's fragrance, by residing — wood of other tree-species becomes candana. Candana (sandalwood) is so-fragrant that any-other-wood that dwells-near-it absorbs the fragrance. (= mere-association with the saintly-substance is enough-for-transformation.)
The closing-shame: kāya tyācēm uṇē jālēm tyāsī dētām — vicārīm Anantā Tukā mhaṇē — what loss occurred to him by giving? — consider, Anantā, Tuka says. Uṇē = loss, deficit. The deva loses-nothing by giving — so why-not-give?.
This abhang is one of the gatha's playful-pressure abhangs — Tuka uses the cosmology of wish-fulfillers (parisa, kalpa-taru, cintāmaṇi, candana) to argue: even-inanimate-objects do this; surely-the-Lord can-do-more.
[T]
For someone today
For today: parisa, what kind of metal? — removes iron-lameness without doubt; more than that, have you (deva) become helpless? — to remove my one tightness?; kalpa-taru fulfills longing right-now — cintāmaṇi-khaḍā gives what is thought; by candana's fragrance, other wood becomes candana; what loss occurred to him by giving? — consider, Anantā, Tuka says.
Where this applies
- Parisa-removes-iron-lameness-no-doubt.* Parisa-lōha-pāngu-nibhrānta.
- Are-you-more-helpless-than-parisa.* Tayāhūni-bāpuḍē.
- Kalpa-taru-cintāmaṇi-give-instantly.* Kalpa-taru-cintāmaṇi-rōkaḍā.
- Candana-fragrance-makes-other-wood-candana.* Candana-vāsa-kāṣṭha-vṛkṣa-yātī.
- No-loss-to-him-by-giving.* Tyācēm-uṇē-na-dētām.