Abhanga 2186
For today: even reaching end — become blind; no self-interest — stone within; what meeting with parisa — when broken-potsherd-stump; Tuka says — adhama people grow only in avaguṇa.
The verse
सेवटासी जरी आलें । तरी जालें आंधळें ॥१॥ स्वहिताचा लेश नाहीं । दगडा कांहीं अंतरीं ॥ध्रु.॥ काय परिसासवें भेटी । खापरखुंटी जालिया ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे अधम जन । अवगुणें चि वाढवी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Even when [one] has reached the end — [one] has become blind. Not a trace of self-interest [in true-good] — a stone, somehow, within. What meeting with the philosopher's-stone (parisa) — when [one] has become a broken-potsherd-stump? Tuka says: adhama people — grow only in avaguṇa.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सेवटासी जरी आलें | "even when [one] has reached the end" |
| तरी जालें आंधळें | "[one] has become blind" |
| स्वहिताचा लेश नाहीं | "not a trace of self-interest [in true-good]" |
| दगडा कांहीं अंतरीं | "a stone, somehow, within" |
| काय परिसासवें भेटी | "what meeting with the philosopher's-stone (parisa)" |
| खापरखुंटी जालिया | "when [one] has become a broken-potsherd-stump" |
| तुका म्हणे अधम जन | "Tuka says — adhama (base) people" |
| अवगुणें चि वाढवी | "grow only in avaguṇa" |
What it means
Reached-end-yet-blind + broken-potsherd-no-philosopher's-stone-meeting abhang. Critique of those who waste opportunity.
The opening — reached-end-yet-blind: sēvaṭāsī jarī ālē — tarī jālē andhaḷē — even when [one] has reached the end — [one] has become blind. Even-at-the-very-end (= old-age, deathbed, last-chance), some-have-become-blind. (= the last-chance arrives, but the person is-unable-to-see-it.)
The stone-within: svahitāchā lēśa nāhīm — dagaḍā kāmhīm antarīm — not a trace of self-interest [in true-good] — a stone within. Svahita = self-interest, one's-own-true-good. Not-a-trace of svahita; (the heart) is-somehow-a-stone within.
The parisa-broken-potsherd image: kāya parisāsavē bhēṭī — khapara-khuṇṭī jāliyā — what meeting with the philosopher's-stone — when [one] has become a broken-potsherd-stump. Parisa = philosopher's-stone (turns iron-to-gold-by-touch). Khapara-khuṇṭī = broken-potsherd-stump. What good is meeting-the-parisa when-(the bhakta) has-become a broken-potsherd-stump? (= the parisa turns-iron-to-gold; but a-broken-potsherd-stump isn't-even-iron — it's worthless-clay; the alchemy-doesn't-work.) The bhakta as-unusable-clay before the-philosopher's-stone-Lord.
The closing — adhama grow-in-avaguṇa: Tukā mhaṇē adhama jana — avaguṇēm chi vāḍhavī — Tuka says: adhama (base) people — grow only in avaguṇa. Adhama = base, low. Avaguṇa = vice, defect. The adhama-people grow-only-in-vices. The mirror-image of guṇa-growth.
Continues 2185's belly-and-tṛṣṇā critique: 2185 (donkeys-of-tṛṣṇā) → 2186 (broken-potsherd-stump no-parisa-meeting) — both diagnose the wasted-life that can't-be-redeemed even-with the-Lord's-touch.
[T]
For someone today
For today: even reaching end — become blind; no self-interest — stone within; what meeting with parisa — when broken-potsherd-stump; Tuka says — adhama people grow only in avaguṇa.
Where this applies
- When someone nears a major turning point in life, like old age or a health scare, and still refuses to face the truth about themselves
- When you meet a wise teacher or a life-changing opportunity but feel too hardened inside to actually let it change you
- When you notice your heart has gone numb to your own real good, as if it turned to stone without you noticing
- When a person keeps repeating the same faults instead of using each new chance to grow