Abhanga 4039
Khōnkarī ādhana hōya pāka-siddhī — can a chipped pot achieve pāka-siddhi; he tōm ghaḍōm kadhī śake chi nā — that never possibly comes-to-pass.
The verse
खोंकरी आधन होय पाकसिद्धी । हें तों घडों कधीं शके चि ना ॥१॥
खापराचे अंगीं घासितां परिस । न पालटे कीस काढिलिया ॥२॥
पालथे घागरी रिचवितां जळ । तुका म्हणे खळ तैसे कथे ॥३॥
Literal translation
Khōnkarī ādhana hōya pāka-siddhī — can a chipped pot achieve pāka-siddhi; he tōm ghaḍōm kadhī śake chi nā — that never possibly comes-to-pass. Khāparāñce angīm ghāsitām parisa — rubbing pāris on the body of a potsherd; na pālṭe kīsa kāḍhiliyā — the filing brought-out does-not change (to gold). Pālathe ghāgarī richavitām jaḷa — pouring water into an upside-down pot; Tukā mhaṇe khaḷa taise kathe — Tukā says: such is kathā with khaḷas.
What it means
A striking 3-verse parable by Tukārām.
3 images of futility: 1. Chipped pot can't cook a perfect meal 2. Pāris on potsherd doesn't transmute it to gold — the touchstone-of-Name-bhakti can't transform a corrupted-vessel 3. Pouring water into upside-down pot — the discourse pours-out without-being-held
Application: kathā (sacred-discourse) told-to-khaḷa is-like-these — futile. The vessel-(of-the-listener) must-be-fit; otherwise the-pāris of-bhakti and-the-water of-kathā fail.
For someone today
Tukārām's anti-kathā-with-khaḷa parable. Can a chipped pot achieve perfect-cooking? — that never possibly comes-to-pass. Even rubbing a touchstone on a potsherd — the filing does-not change. (Like) pouring water into an upside-down pot — such is kathā (told to) rogues. The verse permits the bhakti-recognition that-sacred-discourse-requires-a-fit-vessel.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's anti-kathā-with-khaḷa 3-image parable
- Pāris-on-potsherd, water-in-upside-down-pot striking-images