Abhanga 2947
Viṣa pōṭī sarvā — poison (is) in the belly of all (= the snake); jana bhīte tayā darpā — people fear its darpa (display, hooded-show).
The verse
विष पोटीं सर्वा । जन भीतें तया दर्पा ॥१॥
पंच भूतें नाहीं भिन्न । गुण दुःख देती शीण ॥ध्रु.॥
चंदन प्रिय वासें । आवडे तें जातीऐसें ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे दाणा । कुचर मिळो नये अन्ना ॥३॥
Literal translation
Viṣa pōṭī sarvā — poison (is) in the belly of all (= the snake); jana bhīte tayā darpā — people fear its darpa (display, hooded-show). Pañcha bhūte nāhī bhinna — the pañcha-bhūta (five elements) (are) not bhinna (different); guṇa duḥkha detī sīṇa — (but the) guṇa (qualities) give duḥkha and sīṇa (strain). Chandana priya vāse — the chandana (sandal) is loved for (its) fragrance; āvaḍe te jātī-aise — what one āvaḍe (likes) (is) according-to-(its)-jāti (nature). Tukā says: dāṇā — (of) grain; kuchara miḷō nye annā — kuchara (damaged, rotten) should not be miḷō (mixed) into the anna (food).
What it means
A short anti-mixing-bad-with-good discrimination-discipline verse. The verse-structure: three-images all-making-the-same-point about discrimination-by-nature.
Verse 1: Viṣa pōṭī sarvā — jana bhīte tayā darpā — poison in the belly of (the snake) — people fear its display. The snake's darpa (hooded-display) is fearsome — because-of-the-poison-within. (Outer-warning matches inner-content.)
Dhrūpada: Pañcha bhūte nāhī bhinna — guṇa duḥkha detī sīṇa — the five-elements are not different — but the guṇa give duḥkha-and-sīṇa. All-things-are-made-of-pañcha-bhūta; but-the-guṇa (the qualities-of-combination) make-the-difference (cause some-things to-give-duḥkha-and-sīṇa).
Verse 2: Chandana priya vāse — āvaḍe te jātī-aise — chandana loved for fragrance — what is liked is according to jāti. Chandana (sandal-wood) is loved-for-its-fragrance. What-is-liked is according-to-its-nature.
Close: Tukā mhaṇe dāṇā — kuchara miḷō nye annā — damaged grain should not mix into food. The discipline: don't mix-damaged-with-good. A kuchara-dāṇā (rotten grain) contaminates the whole-meal.
The verse is a discrimination-discipline — recognize-nature (jāti); don't-mix-bad-with-good.
For someone today
A useful discrimination-discipline. Poison (is) in the belly of (the snake) — people fear its display. The five-elements are not different — but the qualities give duḥkha and strain. The sandal is loved for fragrance — what one likes is according to (its) nature. Damaged grain should not mix into food. Three operative-claims: (1) pañcha-bhūta-same but guṇa-make-the-difference; (2) liking is according to jāti-nature; (3) don't-mix-damaged-grain-with-good-food. The discipline: discriminate-by-nature; don't-let-bad-mix-with-good.
Where this applies
- The poison-displayed; chandana-loved-for-fragrance; don't-mix-damaged-grain discrimination-discipline
- Recognizing pañcha-bhūta-same; guṇa-make-difference
- Damaged-grain-shouldn't-mix-into-anna — anti-mixing-bad-with-good
- Pairs with 2930 (anti-durjana-sanga prayer)