Abhanga 4446
Honor and value often come from context and grace rather than from yourself alone, so measure things by real substance, not appearance.
The verse
आपटा संवदड रानचारा । दसर्याचा होय तुरा ॥१॥
तैसा देवामुळें मान । नाहीं तरी पुसें कोण ॥ध्रु.॥
मृत्तिकेची ते घागरी । पाण्यासाटीं बैसे शिरी ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे माप जाण । दाण्यासवें घेणें देणें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Āpṭā-savadaḍa — Dasarā-flower. By-Deva-mān — else-who-asks. Clay-pot — for-water-on-head. Tukā: māpa-known — with-grain-take-give.
What it means
A 3-verse context-makes-the-status text. Āpṭā and savadaḍa, jungle-fodder-leaves — become the Dasarā-festival's flower-spray. So, by Deva, status comes — else who would ask? A clay-pot — for water it sits as a top-load on the head. Tukā says: know the measure — taking and giving happens with the grain. The doctrine: value-comes-by-context, not-intrinsic. Āpṭā-leaves (Bauhinia racemosa) become Dasarā-sacred (taken-as-gold on Vijayādaśamī). Clay-pot is just-clay, but-when-water-needs-carrying, becomes-essential. By-Deva, status comes — without him, who-asks-of-you.
For someone today
Tukārām points out that ordinary jungle leaves, apṭā and savadaḍ, become treasured gold-substitutes during the Dasarā festival, not because they changed, but because the occasion gave them new meaning. In the same way, he says, whatever honor or standing you have comes through God's grace and the situation you're placed in, not purely from yourself, since without that context, who would even notice you? A plain clay pot means little until someone needs water, and then it becomes something people carry on their heads, essential in the moment. Tukārām closes by saying you should know your true measure, understanding that what you give and receive happens in proportion to real substance, like grain, not to appearances or pretension.
मराठी: तुकाराम सांगतात की सामान्य रानझाडांची पाने, आपटा आणि सोनपानं, दसऱ्याच्या सणात मौल्यवान सोन्यासारखी मानली जातात, ती स्वतः बदलली म्हणून नव्हे, तर त्या प्रसंगानेच त्यांना नवा अर्थ दिला म्हणून. त्याचप्रमाणे, आपल्याला मिळणारा मान किंवा स्थान हे बरेचदा देवाच्या कृपेमुळे आणि परिस्थितीमुळे मिळते, केवळ स्वतःमुळे नाही, कारण त्या संदर्भाशिवाय तुमच्याकडे कोण लक्ष देईल? एक साधी मातीची घागर पाणी हवे असल्याशिवाय फारशी महत्त्वाची वाटत नाही, पण गरज पडली की तीच घागर डोक्यावर घेतली जाते आणि त्या क्षणी अत्यावश्यक ठरते. तुकाराम शेवटी सांगतात की आपले खरे मोजमाप ओळखा, देणे-घेणे हे खऱ्या मूल्याच्या प्रमाणात, जसे धान्याच्या प्रमाणात, होते, दिखाव्याच्या प्रमाणात नाही.
Where this applies
- When you feel undervalued and forget that circumstance and grace, not just effort, shape how others see your worth
- When something ordinary in your life suddenly becomes essential because of a specific need or moment
- When you're tempted to take credit entirely for status that actually came from favorable circumstances
- When you need to judge a situation honestly by real substance instead of appearances or reputation