Abhanga 2198
For today: they grow quarrels in fond-words — amangaḷa jāti-guṇa; viṭāḷa in tāmasa body — no trace of vichāra; child's words taken affectionately — enduring [khaḷa-words] has no such price; Tuka says — what use is upadēśa to khaḷa — crow after bath hunts dunghill.
The verse
लाडाच्या उत्तरीं वाढविती कलहे । हा तो अमंगळ जातिगुण ॥१॥ तमाचे शरीरीं विटाळ चि वसे । विचाराचा नसे लेश तो ही ॥ध्रु.॥ कवतुकें घ्यावे लेंकराचे बोल । साहिलिया मोल ऐसें नाहीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे काय उपदेश खळा । न्हाउनि काउळा खतें धुंडी ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: They grow quarrels in fond-words — this is the amangaḷa jāti-guṇa. Viṭāḷa dwells in the tāmasa body — not a trace of vichāra. Take the child's words affectionately — enduring has no such price. Tuka says: what use is upadēśa to the khaḷa — the crow, after a bath, hunts a dunghill.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| लाडाच्या उत्तरीं वाढविती कलहे | "they grow quarrels in fond-words" |
| हा तो अमंगळ जातिगुण | "this is the amangaḷa jāti-guṇa" |
| तमाचे शरीरीं विटाळ चि वसे | "viṭāḷa dwells in the tāmasa body" |
| विचाराचा नसे लेश तो ही | "not a trace of vichāra" |
| कवतुकें घ्यावे लेंकराचे बोल | "take the child's words affectionately" |
| साहिलिया मोल ऐसें नाहीं | "enduring has no such price" |
| तुका म्हणे काय उपदेश खळा | "Tuka says — what use is upadēśa to the khaḷa" |
| न्हाउनि काउळा खतें धुंडी | "the crow, after a bath, hunts a dunghill" |
What it means
Grow-quarrels-in-fond-words + crow-after-bath-hunts-dunghill abhang.
The opening — quarrels-in-fond-words: lāḍāchyā uttarīm vāḍhavitī kalahē — hā tō amangaḷa jāti-guṇa — they grow quarrels in fond-words — this is the amangaḷa jāti-guṇa. Even-fond-words become-occasions for-quarrels with-the-durjana; this-is the-amangaḷa jāti-guṇa (= inauspicious-caste-quality).
The tāmasa-body: tamāchē śarīrīm viṭāḷa chi vasē — vichārāchā nasē lēśa tō hī — viṭāḷa dwells in the tāmasa body — not a trace of vichāra. Tama = tāmasa-guṇa, darkness. Viṭāḷa = ritual-impurity. In the tāmasa-body, ritual-impurity dwells; not-a-trace-of-vichāra (discrimination).
The child-words contrast: kavatukē ghyāvē lēnkarāchē bōla — sāhiliyā mōla aisē nāhīm — take the child's words affectionately — enduring has no such price. A-child's-words are-taken-affectionately; but-enduring (the durjana's-words) has-no-such-price (= isn't-worth-it). (= one indulges-a-child's-prattle but-the-durjana's-similar-prattle is-not-worth-enduring.)
The crow-after-bath image: Tukā mhaṇē kāya upadēśa khaḷā — nhāuni kāuḷā khatē dhuṇḍī — Tuka says: what use is upadēśa to the khaḷa — the crow, after a bath, hunts a dunghill. Kāuḷā = crow. Khatē = dunghill, manure. Dhuṇḍī = searches, hunts. What's-the-use of-upadēśa to-the-khaḷa? The crow, even-after-bathing, immediately-hunts a-dunghill. Brilliant proverb-image — the nature reasserts itself instantly after-the-superficial-purification.
[T]
For someone today
For today: they grow quarrels in fond-words — amangaḷa jāti-guṇa; viṭāḷa in tāmasa body — no trace of vichāra; child's words taken affectionately — enduring [khaḷa-words] has no such price; Tuka says — what use is upadēśa to khaḷa — crow after bath hunts dunghill.
Where this applies
- Grow-quarrels-in-fond-words.* Lāḍāchyā-uttarīm-kalahē-amangaḷa-jāti-guṇa.
- Tāmasa-body-viṭāḷa-no-vichāra.* Tamāchē-śarīrīm-viṭāḷa-vichārāchā-lēśa-nasē.
- Child-words-affectionate-not-the-khaḷa's.* Lēnkarāchē-bōla-sāhiliyā-mōla.
- No-upadēśa-for-khaḷa-crow-hunts-dunghill.* Upadēśa-khaḷā-nhāuni-kāuḷā-khatē-dhuṇḍī.