Abhanga 4101
Fake remedies and empty promises never produce real results, just as a legendary touchstone will never turn a broken pot-shard into gold.
The verse
आपुली बुटबुट घ्यावी । माझी परताप द्यावी ॥१॥
आपुला मंत्र नव्हे बरा । माझा बईल चुकला मोरा ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे ऐशा नरा । परिस न झोंबे खापरा ॥३॥
Literal translation
Take-trivia-give-valuable. Mantra-not-good — bullock-strayed. Tukā: such-nara — paris-doesn't-stick-to-khāparā.
What it means
A 3-verse anti-fake-helper polemic. Take back your trivia, give back my valuable. Your mantra didn't work; my bullock has gone astray with the coin. With such a man — the touchstone doesn't cling to a pot-shard. A village-vignette: the fake-magician/charlatan gave a mantra (with a coin as collateral); the mantra failed; the bullock ran-off; now: give me back my coin. The closing paris-doesn't-cling-to-khāparā — fake-mantra-can't-turn-pot-shard-to-gold-no-matter-how-much-paris-applied.
For someone today
Tukaram tells the story of a man who paid a self-styled healer or charm-seller for a mantra, only to have it fail completely, his bullock still wandered off along with his coin. He demands his valuables back, mocking the whole exchange as worthless trivia dressed up as wisdom. He closes with a sharp image, a legendary touchstone that turns metal to gold will never stick to a mere broken pot-shard, meaning no amount of magic words can turn a fake into something real. The lesson is to trust results over claims, and to stop paying for promises that never deliver.
मराठी: तुकाराम एका माणसाची गोष्ट सांगतात ज्याने एका बनावट मांत्रिकाकडून मंत्र विकत घेतला, पण तो मंत्र पूर्णपणे अयशस्वी ठरला, त्याचा बैल तर हरवलाच, शिवाय दिलेले पैसेही गेले. तो आपले मौल्यवान पैसे परत मागतो आणि हा सगळा व्यवहार म्हणजे शहाणपणाच्या नावाखाली दिलेली रिकामी बडबड आहे असे टोचून सांगतो. शेवटी ते एक तीक्ष्ण उदाहरण देतात, प्रसिद्ध परीस दगड धातूचे सोने करतो, पण तो कधीही साध्या खापराला चिकटत नाही, म्हणजे कोणतेही जादूचे शब्द बनावट गोष्टीला खरी बनवू शकत नाहीत. निकालांवर विश्वास ठेवा, दाव्यांवर नाही, आणि कधीच पूर्ण न होणाऱ्या आश्वासनांसाठी पैसे देणे थांबवा हीच यातील शिकवण आहे.
Where this applies
- When someone sells you a quick fix or charm that promises results but delivers nothing
- When you realize you have paid good money for advice that turned out to be worthless
- When you are tempted to trust a smooth talker's claims instead of watching what actually happens
- When you need the confidence to demand your money or trust back from someone who failed to deliver