Abhanga 2442
The verse
ढेंकणासी बाज गड । उतरचढ केवढी ॥१॥ होता तैसा कळों भाव । आला वाव अंतरींचा ॥ध्रु.॥ बोरामध्यें वसे अळी । अठोळीच भोंवती ॥२॥ पोटासाटीं वेंची चणे । राजा म्हणे तोंडें मी ॥३॥ बेडकानें चिखल खावा । काय ठावा सागर ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे ऐसें आहे । काय पाहे त्यांत तें ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: ★ For the bedbug, the cot is a fortress — what is the climb-and-descend ★. Inner-state becomes known. ★ Worm in the jujube — only the pit around ★. For stomach peddles gram — calls himself king with the mouth. ★ Frog eats mud — what does it know of the ocean ★. Tuka says: such is it — what to see in it.
What it means
★★ THE THREE-IMAGES-OF-LIMITED-PERSPECTIVE ABHANG ★★. Three concentric images of constrained-vision.
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★ Bedbug-fortress ★: ḍhēnkaṇāsī bāja gaḍa — for the bedbug, the cot is a fortress. The bedbug-cannot-imagine larger-spaces than-the-cot.
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★ Worm-in-the-jujube ★: bōrāmadhyē vasē aḷī — aṭhōḷīcha bhōmvatī — worm in the jujube — only the pit around. The worm-in-the-jujube-fruit knows-only-the-pit (āṭhōḷī) around-it.
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★ Frog-and-ocean ★: bēḍakānē chikhala khāvā — kāya ṭhāvā sāgara — frog eats mud — what does it know of the ocean. The mud-eating-frog knows-nothing of-the-ocean's-vastness. Compare Maṇḍūka-Upaniṣad-tradition / kūpa-maṇḍūka (well-frog) topos.
The gram-peddler-king: pōṭāsāṭīm vēnchī chaṇē — rājā mhaṇē tōṇḍē mī — for stomach peddles gram, calls himself king with the mouth. One who-peddles-gram-for-bread calls-himself-king with-his-mouth — empty-self-aggrandizement.
The teaching: Limited-perspective is-the-condition of-most-beings; only-the-bhakta's-vision can-see beyond.
[T]
For someone today
For today: ★ bedbug thinks cot is fortress ★; worm knows only the jujube-pit; gram-peddler calls self king; ★ frog eats mud — knows nothing of the ocean ★*.
Where this applies
- Bedbug-fortress. Ḍhēnkaṇāsī-bāja-gaḍa.
- Worm-in-jujube. Bōrāmadhyē-aḷī-aṭhōḷīcha.
- Frog-eats-mud-knows-not-ocean. Bēḍakānē-chikhala-khāvā-kāya-ṭhāvā-sāgara.