Abhanga 3118
Nakā damta-kathā yethe sāngōm kōṇī — don't anyone tell dantakathā here; kōraḍe te mānī bōla kōṇa — who counts dry words.
The verse
नका दंतकथा येथें सांगों कोणी । कोरडे ते मानी बोल कोण ॥१॥
अनुभव येथें व्हावा शिष्टाचार । न चलती चार आम्हांपुढें ॥ध्रु.॥
निवडी वेगळें क्षीर आणि पाणी । राजहंस दोन्ही वेगळालीं ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे येथें पाहिजे जातीचें । येरा गाबाळाचें काय काम ॥३॥
Literal translation
Nakā damta-kathā yethe sāngōm kōṇī — don't anyone tell dantakathā here; kōraḍe te mānī bōla kōṇa — who counts dry words. Anubhava yethe hvāvā śiṣṭāchāra — anubhava must (be shown) here, (the) śiṣṭāchāra; na chalatī chāra āmhāmpuḍhe — chāra does not pass before us. Nivaḍī vegaḷe kṣīra āṇi pāṇī — (the rāja-hamsa) separates kṣīra and pāṇī; rāja-hamsa dōnhī vegaḷālīm — the rāja-hamsa makes both (vessels) distinct. Tukā mhaṇe yethe pāhije jātīñce — Tukā says: here jāti is needed; yerā gabāḷāñce kāya kāma — others' gabāḷā — what use.
What it means
★ A canonical 3-verse anubhava-over-recitation text by Tukārām.
The claim: No-dantakathā (folk-story) here; dry-words-don't-count; anubhava-must-prove-itself. The image: rāja-hamsa separates milk-from-water — Tukārām-or-the-sant-community has-the-discernment to-recognize-real-from-fake. The closing-line: here-jāti (kind, true-breed) is-needed; others' gabāḷā (chatter) is-useless.
★ The rāja-hamsa kṣīra-nīra viveka (royal-swan separates-milk-from-water) is canonical-Indic-image for discriminating-wisdom. Tukārām applies-it-to bhakti-discernment.
Compare-Tukārām's 2949 (maithuna-analogy: anubhava-vs-śābdika), 3064 (anti-rote-learning; horse-carrying-load).
For someone today
Tukārām's anubhava-text. Don't anyone tell folk-stories here — who counts dry words? Anubhava must (be shown) here — (this is) the refined-conduct; chatter does-not pass before us. The royal-swan separates milk and water — into both distinct. Here breed-of-real is needed — others' chatter — what use? The verse permits the canonical bhakti-experience-over-recitation discrimination.
Where this applies
- ★ Canonical anubhava-vs-pāṭha text
- Rāja-hamsa kṣīra-nīra viveka canonical-image
- Companion to 2949, 3064