Abhanga 4040
Nāgale dekhōnī chāngale bōle — sees the rich, speaks well; āpule vechūnī tyājapuḍhe khule — pours own (treasure) openly before them.
The verse
नागलें देखोनि चांगलें बोले । आपुलें वेचूनि त्याजपुढें खुले ॥१॥
अधमाचे ओंगळ गुण । उचित नेणें तो धर्म कोण ॥ध्रु.॥
आर्तभूता न घली पाण्याचा चुळ । न मागे त्यासी घाली साखर गुळ ॥२॥
एकासी आड पडोनि होंकरी । एकासी देखोनि लपवी भाकरी ॥३॥
एकासी धड न बोले वाचा । एकासी म्हणे मी तुझे बांदीचा ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे ते गाढवपशु । लाभेंविण केला आयुष्यनाशु ॥५॥
Literal translation
Nāgale dekhōnī chāngale bōle — sees the rich, speaks well; āpule vechūnī tyājapuḍhe khule — pours own (treasure) openly before them. Adhamāñce ōngaḷa guṇa — the ugly-quality of adhama; uchita neṇe tō dharma kōṇa — doesn't know what is proper-dharma. Ārta-bhūtā na ghalī pāṇyāñcā chuḷa — doesn't pour a mouthful of water on the suffering-creature; na māge tyāsī ghālī sākhara guḷa — to those not asking, gives sugar-and-jaggery. Ekāsī āḍa paḍōnī hōmkarī — to one, falls into corner (hiding); ekāsī dekhōnī lapavī bhākarī — from another, hides the bread. Ekāsī dhaḍa na bōle vāchā — to one, doesn't speak straight; ekāsī mhaṇe mī tujhe bāmdīñcā — to another, says I am your slave. Tukā mhaṇe te gāḍhava-paśu — Tukā says: such are donkey-beasts; lābhemviṇa kelā āyuṣya-nāśu — without lābha, they have wasted life.
What it means
A striking 5-verse anti-mean-person polemic by Tukārām.
The specific behaviors of the adhama (mean person): 1. Sycophancy to-rich (praises, gives-own-treasure to wealthy) 2. Misallocation (no water to suffering; sugar to those-not-asking) 3. Hiding behavior (hides in corner from one; hides bread from another) 4. Inconsistent speech (rude to one; servile to another)
Closing-curse: gāḍhava-paśu (donkey-beasts); life-wasted-without-lābha.
For someone today
Tukārām's anti-mean-person polemic. (He) sees the rich — speaks well; pours-out his own (best) before them. The ugly quality of the low one — he doesn't know what is proper dharma. He doesn't pour a mouthful of water on the suffering — but to those not asking, gives sugar and jaggery. To one — hides in the corner; from another — hides the bread. To one — does not speak straight; to another — says I am your slave. Such are donkey-beasts — without lābha, life has been wasted. The verse permits the diagnostic of-sycophancy-and-mean-conduct as wasted-life.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's striking anti-mean-person/sycophant polemic
- 4-behavior diagnostic
- Gāḍhava-paśu canonical-pejorative