Abhanga 2719
From the wish-tree, the desired fruit; the misfortunate-weak attains by bhāva. Blessed those kinds — those who have stored Nārāyaṇa in chitta. To the seed, water for sprouting — quality-types belong to whose. Tukā: the connoisseur knows the diamond — the donkey carries sandalwood on its back.
The verse
कल्पतरूअंगीं इच्छिलें तें फळ । अभागी दुर्बळ भावें सिद्धी ॥१॥
धन्य त्या जाती धन्य त्या जाती । नारायण चित्ती सांठविला ॥ध्रु.॥
बीजाऐसा द्यावा उदकें अंकुर । गुणाचे प्रकार ज्याचे तया ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे कळे पारखिया हिरा । ओझें पाठी खरा चंदनाचें ॥३॥
Literal translation
From the kalpa-taru (wish-tree), the desired fruit (comes); the abhāgī durbaḷa (misfortunate-weak) attains siddhi (success) by bhāva. Blessed are those jātī (kinds, lineages) — Nārāyaṇa has been sāṭhavilā (stored) in chitta. To the seed (bījā) like-this, water (udakē) should be given for the ankura (sprout); the guṇa-prakāra (quality-types) belong to whose-they-are. Tukā says: the pārakhiyā (connoisseur, gold-tester) knows the diamond — the kharā (donkey) on its back carries sandalwood.
What it means
A multi-image affirmation verse. Kalpa-taru angīm icchilē tē phaḷa — abhāgī durbaḷa bhāvē siddhi — from the wish-tree, the desired fruit; the misfortunate-and-weak attains success by bhāva. The kalpa-taru (mythical wish-tree that grants whatever is asked) is the bhakti-resource; even the abhāgī-durbaḷa (misfortunate-and-weak) attains siddhi (success) — the qualifier is bhāvē (by bhāva), not by personal-resources.
The dhrūpada celebrates: dhanya tyā jātī dhanya tyā jātī — Nārāyaṇa chittīm sāṭhavilā — blessed are those kinds, blessed are those kinds — they have stored Nārāyaṇa in the chitta. The doubled dhanya tyā jātī (blessed those kinds) is emphatic. Jātī (kinds, lineages) here is qualified by Nārāyaṇa-in-chitta — those who have stored Nārāyaṇa internally — not by birth-caste.
The second verse: bījāñca ankura dyāve udakē — guṇāñce prakāra jyāñce tyā — to the seed, give water for the sprout — the quality-types belong to whose they are. Each bīja (seed) has its own guṇa-prakāra (quality-type); the water (the universal-gift) brings out what is in each seed. The Lord's grace is universal; each receiver expresses it according to what is in him.
The close offers two contrasting images: pārakhiyā kaḷē hīrā — ōjhē pāṭhī kharā chandanāñce — the connoisseur knows the diamond; the donkey carries sandalwood on its back. The pārakhiyā (gold-tester, jeweler-connoisseur) recognizes the diamond by its quality; the kharā (donkey) carries the sandalwood-load without knowing its value. The two-mode contrast: recognition-by-quality vs transportation-without-knowing. The verse implicitly recommends the former position.
For someone today
The verse offers a multi-image affirmation: the wish-tree gives desired fruit to even the unfortunate and weak through bhāva; blessed are those who have stored Nārāyaṇa in their chitta; each seed gets water but expresses according to its own quality; the connoisseur knows the diamond while the donkey just carries sandalwood. The implication: bhāva trumps fortune, storing Nārāyaṇa in the chitta is the lineage that truly qualifies, and one should aspire to be the connoisseur, not the donkey that merely carries the load. The kharā-chandanāñce (donkey carrying sandalwood) image is sharp: don't just carry the tradition without recognizing its value.
मराठी: हा अभंग अनेक प्रतिमांमधून एक ठाम विधान करतो: कल्पवृक्ष भावामुळे दुर्दैवी-दुर्बळालाही इच्छित फळ देतो; ज्यांनी नारायणाला आपल्या चित्तात साठवलं आहे ते धन्य होत; प्रत्येक बीजाला पाणी सारखंच मिळतं, पण प्रत्येक बीज आपापल्या गुणानुसार उगवतं; पारखी हिरा ओळखतो, तर गाढव नुसतं चंदनाचं ओझं वाहतं. यातून एक इशारा मिळतो: भाव नशिबावर मात करतो, नारायणाला चित्तात साठवणं हीच खरी योग्यता आहे, आणि आपण पारखी व्हावं, फक्त ओझं वाहणारं गाढव होऊ नये. 'खरा चंदनाचें' (चंदन वाहणारं गाढव) ही प्रतिमा तीक्ष्ण आहे: परंपरा फक्त वाहू नकोस, तिचं मोल ओळख.
Where this applies
- The blessed-are-those-who-store-Nārāyaṇa-in-chitta recognition
- Bhāva trumps fortune — the misfortunate-weak can succeed
- Each seed expresses according to its own quality — the universal-water is the same, but receivers vary
- The connoisseur-vs-donkey discrimination — be the one who knows the value