Abhanga 2947
Pay attention to the real qualities beneath the surface, and don't let even a little bit of something harmful mix in with what is good, because it can spoil the whole.
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 itsdarpa(display, hooded-show). Pañcha bhūte nāhī bhinna — thepañcha-bhūta(five elements) (are) notbhinna(different); guṇa duḥkha detī sīṇa — (but the)guṇa(qualities) giveduḥkhaandsīṇa(strain). Chandana priya vāse — thechandana(sandal) is loved for (its) fragrance; āvaḍe te jātī-aise — what oneāvaḍe(likes) (is) according-to-(its)-jāti(nature). Tukā says: dāṇā — (of) grain; kuchara miḷō nye annā — kuchara(damaged, rotten) should not bemiḷō(mixed) into theanna(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
Even though a snake is made of the same five elements as everything else, people fear the sight of its hood because they know poison lies within — the underlying quality is what matters, not just outward appearance. Sandalwood, too, is loved because of its true nature, its fragrance. In the same way, a single grain of spoiled food shouldn't be allowed to mix in with good grain, because it can ruin the whole batch. The lesson is simple: judge by real inner qualities, and never let something harmful blend in with what is good.
मराठी: साप हा इतर सर्वांप्रमाणेच पंचमहाभूतांचाच बनलेला असतो, तरीही लोक त्याच्या फण्याला घाबरतात, कारण त्यांना माहीत असते की आत विष आहे — खरा गुण महत्त्वाचा असतो, नुसते बाह्यरूप नाही. चंदनही त्याच्या खऱ्या स्वभावामुळेच, म्हणजे त्याच्या सुगंधामुळेच प्रिय असते. त्याचप्रमाणे, चांगल्या धान्यात एकही खराब दाणा मिसळू देऊ नये, कारण तो संपूर्ण अन्न बिघडवू शकतो. शिकवण सोपी आहे: खऱ्या अंतर्गत गुणांवरून पारख करावी आणि वाईट गोष्ट कधीही चांगल्यात मिसळू देऊ नये.
Where this applies
- When you're tempted to overlook a warning sign because someone or something looks fine on the surface
- When one bad influence keeps creeping into an otherwise healthy group or plan
- When you need to judge people or situations by their real qualities, not just their outer appearance