Abhanga 2105
Do not take on more than your strength can bear; think carefully first, and only then act with courage.
The verse
हीं पाइतन भूपतीशीं दावा । धिग त्या कर्तव्या आगी लागो ॥१॥ मुंगियांच्या मुखा गजाचा आहार । न साहावे भार जाय जीवें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आधीं करावा विचार । शूरपणें तीर मोकलावा ॥३॥
Literal translation
Sandals — quarrel with the king — fie on that conduct — let fire come. To the ant's mouth — an elephant's food — can't bear the weight — jīva goes. Tuka says: first do consideration — let the arrow fly bravely.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| हीं पाइतन भूपतीशीं दावा | "sandals — quarrel with the king" |
| धिग त्या कर्तव्या आगी लागो | "fie on that conduct — let fire come" |
| मुंगियांच्या मुखा गजाचा आहार | "to the ant's mouth — an elephant's food" |
| न साहावे भार जाय जीवें | "can't bear the weight — jīva goes" |
| तुका म्हणे आधीं करावा विचार | "Tuka says — first do consideration" |
| शूरपणें तीर मोकलावा | "let the arrow fly bravely" |
What it means
Sandals-vs-king-absurd + ant-can't-eat-elephant + consider-then-shoot abhang.
The opening absurd-image: hīm pā'itana bhūpatīśīm dāvā — dhig tyā kartavyā āgī lāgō — sandals — quarrel with the king — fie on that conduct — let fire come. Pā'itana = sandals/footwear. The sandals quarreling-with-the-king (king's-feet-against-king-himself) — fie-on-that, let-fire-burn-it. Absurd-disproportion image.
THE ANT-AND-ELEPHANT: mumgiyāñchyā mukhā gajāchā āhāra — na sāhāvē bhāra jāya jīvē — to the ant's mouth, an elephant's food — can't bear the weight — jīva goes. An elephant's-portion in-an-ant's-mouth — can't-bear-the-weight; the jīva-goes (dies). Classic disproportion-warning.
The closing — consider-then-shoot: Tukā mhaṇē ādhīm karāvā vichāra — śūra-paṇē tīra mōkalāvā — Tuka says: first do consideration — let the arrow fly bravely. First-consider; then-bravely release-the-arrow — appropriate-action follows-discernment.
[T]
For someone today
For today: sandals — quarrel with the king — fie on that conduct — let fire come; to the ant's mouth — an elephant's food — can't bear the weight — jīva goes; Tuka says — first do consideration — let the arrow fly bravely.
Where this applies
- When you're tempted to pick a fight with someone far more powerful than you
- When you take on a responsibility or workload that's clearly beyond what you can actually handle
- When you're about to act impulsively without first weighing whether you're truly capable of it
- When you admire someone's boldness but they never stopped to think first