Abhanga 3826
The verse
सुगरणीबाईं थिता नास केला । गुळ तो घातला भाजीमध्यें ॥१॥
क्षीरीमध्यें हिंग दुधामध्यें बोळ । थितें चि वोंगळ कैसें केलें ॥ध्रु.॥
दळण दळोनी भरूं गेली पाळी । भरडोनि वोंगळी नास केला ॥२॥
कापुराचे सांते आणिला लसण । वागवितां सीण दुःख होय ॥३॥
रत्नाचा जोहारी रत्न चि पारखी । येर देखोदेखीं हातीं घेती ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे जरी योग घडे निका । न घडतां थुंका तोंडावरी ॥५॥
Literal translation
Sugaraṇi-bāī-spoiled-ready — gur-in-bhāji. Hing-in-khīrī, bōḷa-in-milk — spoiled-ready. Grinding — spoiled-by-bharaḍōnī. For-camphor-brought-garlic — pain-in-handling. Pearl-jeweler-recognizes — others-take-by-imitation. Tukā: if-yoga-not-right — spit.
What it means
★ A 5-verse wrong-context polemic. The cook-woman spoiled what was ready — putting jaggery into the savory dish, asafoetida into the sweet milk-pudding, myrrh into milk — she made the good food foul. She went to grind — and by grinding wrong, ruined it. For the camphor-season, she brought garlic — in handling such wrong things, only suffering. (Only) the pearl-jeweler recognizes the pearl — others pick (it) up by imitation. If the right union happens — fine; if not — spit (on his face). Six homely-kitchen mismatches as analogies for mismatched-context in bhakti — putting the wrong thing in the wrong place. Final line: real recognition (jeweler) vs imitation; if right yoga (occasion + person) doesn't happen, harsh dismissal.
For someone today
Tukārām: jaggery-in-savory, garlic-in-camphor-season — wrong-context-spoils-everything; only-the-jeweler-recognizes-the-pearl.
Where this applies
- ★ Tukārām's wrong-context-imagery; pearl-jeweler-vs-imitator; spit-if-yoga-not-right canonical
- 17th-c. kitchen-mismatch imagery for bhakti-mismatch