Abhanga 118
This abhang offers a precise diagnostic for one specific kind of toxic personality: the over-arguer who cannot accept any authority. Veda doesn't reach them, scripture doesn't reach them, no elder reaches them — they are constitutionally argumentative, and engagement is futile. Tukaram's recommendation is the same as 0117's: do not touch. The liquor-laced sweet image is the warning to those who keep being drawn-in by the over-arguer's apparent intelligence or fluency. The fluency is the sweet; the contamination is in it.
The verse
अतिवादी नव्हे शुद्ध या बीजाचा । ओळखा जातीचा अंत्यज तो ॥१॥ वेद श्रुति नाहीं ग्रंथ ज्या प्रमाण । श्रेष्ठाचें वचन न मानी जो ॥ध्रु.॥ तुका म्हणे मद्यपानाचें मिष्टान्न । तैसा तो दुर्जन शिवों नये ॥२॥
Literal translation
English: The over-arguer is not pure of this seed — recognize his (actual) jāti as antyaja. The Veda, the Shruti, the scriptures — none is authority for him; he does not accept the elder's word. Tuka says: like sweet-food laced with liquor — such a depraved-one — do not touch.
मराठी: अतिवादी या बीजाचा शुद्ध नव्हे — ओळखा त्याची जाती अंत्यज. वेद, श्रुती, ग्रंथ — त्याला प्रमाण नाही; श्रेष्ठाचं वचन तो मानत नाही. तुकाराम म्हणतात — मद्यपानाचं मिष्टान्न — तसा दुर्जन — शिवू नका.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अतिवादी नव्हे शुद्ध या बीजाचा | "the over-arguer (is) not pure of this seed" |
| ओळखा जातीचा अंत्यज तो | "recognize him as antyaja by jāti (caste-of-substance)" |
| वेद श्रुति नाहीं ग्रंथ ज्या प्रमाण | "the Veda, the Shruti, the (other) scriptures are no authority for him" |
| श्रेष्ठाचें वचन न मानी जो | "(he) does not accept the elder's word" |
| मद्यपानाचें मिष्टान्न | "sweet-food laced with liquor" |
| दुर्जन शिवों नये | "the depraved — do not touch" |
What it means
A short over-arguer abhang. Tukaram does the same anti-caste recoding as in 0055: he takes the conventional caste term (अंत्यज — the lowest, untouchable category) and applies it not by birth but by behavior. The behavior: cannot accept any authority — Veda, Shruti, scripture, the elder's word. Such a person, regardless of birth, is अंत्यज by jāti in Tukaram's recoding. The closing image — मद्यपानाचें मिष्टान्न — sweet-food laced with liquor — is precise: from the outside it looks edible / good; one bite reveals the contamination. Don't touch. [T] [Tradition]
For someone today
This abhang offers a precise diagnostic for one specific kind of toxic personality: the over-arguer who cannot accept any authority. Veda doesn't reach them, scripture doesn't reach them, no elder reaches them — they are constitutionally argumentative, and engagement is futile. Tukaram's recommendation is the same as 0117's: do not touch. The liquor-laced sweet image is the warning to those who keep being drawn-in by the over-arguer's apparent intelligence or fluency. The fluency is the sweet; the contamination is in it.
मराठी: ही ओवी एका specific toxic व्यक्तित्वासाठी अचूक diagnostic देते: over-arguer जो कोणतीही authority स्वीकारू शकत नाही. वेद पोहोचत नाही, scripture पोहोचत नाही, कोणी वडील पोहोचत नाही — तो constitutionally argumentative, आणि engagement व्यर्थ. तुकारामांची शिफारस ०११७ सारखीच: स्पर्श नका. liquor-laced sweet image is warning — over-arguer च्या visible बुद्धिमत्ता / fluency मुळे लोक खेचले जातात. fluency गोडी; contamination तिच्यातच.
Where this applies
- Person who can't accept any authority. Structural disqualification.
- Over-arguer in spiritual robes. Read past surface.
- Tempted to engage. Sweet-food-laced-liquor.