Abhanga 2908
Na vichāritām ṭhāyāṭhāva — without considering the ṭhāyāṭhāva (place-and-occasion); kāya bhunke tō gāḍhava — what does the donkey bray?
The verse
न विचारितां ठायाठाव । काय भुंके तो गाढव ॥१॥
केला तैसा लाहे दंड । खळ अविचारी लंड ॥ध्रु.॥
करावें लाताळें । ऐसें नेणे कोण्या काळें ॥२॥
न कळे उचित । तुका म्हणे नीत हित ॥३॥
Literal translation
Na vichāritām ṭhāyāṭhāva — without considering the ṭhāyāṭhāva (place-and-occasion); kāya bhunke tō gāḍhava — what does the donkey bray? Kelā taisā lāhe daṇḍa — whatever (he) does, (he) receives the daṇḍa (punishment) accordingly; khaḷa avichāri laṇḍa — (the) khaḷa (wicked), avichāri (un-thoughtful) (is a) laṇḍa (rogue). Karāve lātāḷe — one should give lātāḷe (kicks); aise neṇe kōṇyā kāḷe — but (he) doesn't know at what time. Na kaḷe uchita — doesn't know the uchita (fitting); Tukā says: nīta hita — the nīta-hita (just, beneficial).
What it means
A short anti-fool polemic verse. Na vichāritām ṭhāyāṭhāva — kāya bhunke tō gāḍhava — without considering place-and-occasion — what does the donkey bray? The image: the donkey brays-without-considering-where-or-when; the fool acts-the-same-way.
Kelā taisā lāhe daṇḍa — khaḷa avichāri laṇḍa — (he) gets daṇḍa-as-he-acts — the wicked, un-thoughtful is a rogue. The diagnostic: the fool's-actions invite-punishment.
Karāve lātāḷe — aise neṇe kōṇyā kāḷe — one should give kicks — (he) doesn't know at what time. The application: kicks are appropriate sometimes; but the fool doesn't-know-when. Mature-action requires-discrimination-of-time.
The close: na kaḷe uchita — Tukā mhaṇe nīta hita — doesn't know the fitting — the just-and-beneficial. The fool's signature: no recognition of uchita (fitting) or nīta-hita (just-and-beneficial).
For someone today
A useful anti-fool warning. Without considering place-and-occasion — what does the donkey bray? Whatever (he) does, (he) gets the daṇḍa accordingly — the wicked, un-thoughtful is a rogue. One should give kicks — but (he) doesn't know at what time. (He) doesn't know the fitting — the just-and-beneficial. The verse names the fool's-signature: (1) no consideration of place-and-occasion; (2) invites-punishment by-actions; (3) doesn't-know when-actions-are-appropriate; (4) doesn't-know uchita-and-nīta-hita. The diagnostic-list for spotting avichāri-laṇḍa.
Where this applies
- The foolish-brays-and-gets-struck warning
- Recognizing khaḷa-avichāri-laṇḍa as the fool's signature
- Doesn't-know-uchita — the fool's diagnostic
- The donkey-without-considering-place image