Abhanga 265
This is a foundational definitions abhang:
The verse
दया तिचें नांव भूतांचें पाळण । अणीक निर्दळण कंटकांचें ॥१॥ पाप त्याचें नांव न विचारितां नीत । भलतें चि उन्मत्त करी सदा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे धर्म रक्षावया साठीं । देवास ही आटी जन्म घेणें ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Dayā — its name is protection of beings — and cutting-down of kaṇṭakas (thorns). Pāpa — its name is not considering nīti — doing whatever, mad always. Tuka says: for dharma-rakṣaṇa, the deva himself has the āṭi — of taking birth.
मराठी: दया तिचें नांव भूतांचें पाळण — अणीक निर्दळण कंटकांचें. पाप त्याचें नांव न विचारितां नीत — भलतें चि उन्मत्त करी सदा. तुकाराम म्हणतात — धर्म रक्षावया साठीं — देवास ही आटी जन्म घेणें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| दया तिचें नांव भूतांचें पाळण | "dayā — its name is bhūtāñce pāḷaṇa (protection of beings)" |
| अणीक निर्दळण कंटकांचें | "and nirdaḷaṇa (cutting-down / removing) of kaṇṭakas (thorns / cruel-ones)" |
| पाप त्याचें नांव न विचारितां नीत | "pāpa — its name is na vicāritā nīti** (not considering nīti)" |
| भलतें चि उन्मत्त करी सदा | "doing whatever — unmatta (mad / drunk) always" |
| धर्म रक्षावया साठीं | "for dharma-rakṣaṇa" |
| देवास ही आटी जन्म घेणें | "the deva himself has the āṭi (effort) — of taking birth**" |
What it means
A precise-definitions abhang. Three claims:
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दया तिचें नांव भूतांचें पाळण — अणीक निर्दळण कंटकांचें — dayā: protection of beings AND cutting-down of kaṇṭakas (thorns). The two-fold definition of dayā. Most folk-understandings of dayā (compassion) = protection-only (= don't-harm). Tukaram's claim: dayā is also nirdaḷaṇa (cutting-down) of the kaṇṭakas (the thorns — those-who-harm-other-beings, the cruel-ones). Real-dayā has both protective-and-removing aspects; protection-only is partial dayā. (Note: kaṇṭakas here is those-who-cause-harm to other-beings, not political-enemies or religious-others. The nirdaḷaṇa is for the protection of beings, derivative from the protection-of-beings primary.)
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पाप त्याचें नांव न विचारितां नीत — भलतें चि उन्मत्त करी सदा — pāpa: not considering nīti — doing whatever, mad always. The pāpa-definition. Pāpa = acting without nīti-consideration = doing whatever, drunk-always. Note: pāpa is not defined as breaking-some-specific-rule; it is acting without considering nīti at all — acting as if drunk, as if there is no consideration. The unmatta-mode is the pāpa-mode.
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तुका म्हणे धर्म रक्षावया साठीं — देवास ही आटी जन्म घेणें — Tuka says: for dharma-rakṣaṇa, the deva himself has the āṭi of taking birth. The closing avatar-claim. Even the deva takes the āṭi (effort) of taking birth for dharma-rakṣaṇa. The avatar-doctrine (yadā yadā hi dharmasya glāniḥ — Bhagavad Gītā 4.7) is invoked: the deva himself is committed to dharma-protection through embodiment. (Compare 261: we must make effort for dharma-protection; here, even the deva makes the effort.)
[T]
For someone today
This is a foundational definitions abhang:
- Dayā = protection-of-beings + cutting-down-of-thorns. Most people understand dayā as protection-only (= don't-harm). Tukaram corrects: real-dayā also includes nirdaḷaṇa of the kaṇṭakas — the cutting-down of those-who-harm-other-beings. Protection-only without nirdaḷaṇa is partial-dayā; the kaṇṭakas continue to harm. Real-dayā requires both.
This is important: it does not license attacking-everyone-you-disagree-with. The kaṇṭakas are specifically those-who-harm-other-beings; the nirdaḷaṇa is derivative from the protection-of-beings primary. (Compare Krishna-Arjuna in the Gītā: the yuddha is dayā for the future-people who would be ruled by the kaurava-misrule.)
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Pāpa = acting-without-nīti-consideration. Most people understand pāpa as breaking-some-specific-rule. Tukaram corrects: pāpa is not considering nīti — acting whatever, mad-always. The pāpa-mode is the unmatta-mode (= drunk, mad, without-consideration). The consideration-of-nīti before-action is what prevents pāpa*.
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Even the deva takes effort for dharma-protection. Devās hī āṭi janma ghēṇē. The avatar-doctrine — the deva himself takes birth — is the deva's commitment to dharma-rakṣaṇa. If even the deva makes the effort, we (the bhaktas) cannot abdicate.
For today: redefine dayā — protection + removal-of-cruelty (with care: only those who actively harm, not those who differ); redefine pāpa — not breaking-rules but acting-without-consideration; recognize the avatar-effort-for-dharma — and our share in it.
This abhang is foundational because it gives precise-definitions of the two basic ethical-categories (dayā / pāpa) and the avatar-doctrine in three lines.
मराठी: ही foundational definitions ओवी:
- दया = भूतांचं पालन + कंटकांचं निर्दळण. बहुतेक लोक दया-only-protection (= हानी न करणं) समजतात. तुकाराम correct करतात: real-dayā मध्ये कंटकांचं निर्दळण पण आहे — इतर-beings ला हानी करणाऱ्यांचं cutting-down. Nirdaḷaṇa-शिवाय protection-only — partial-dayā; kaṇṭakas हानी करत राहतात. Real-dayā ला दोन्ही लागतात.
हे महत्त्वाचं: तुम्हाला असहमत असलेल्या-कोणालाही attack करायचा license नाही. Kaṇṭakas specifically इतर-beings ला हानी करणारे; nirdaḷaṇa protection-of-beings primary पासून derivative.
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पाप = nīti-consideration-शिवाय कृती. बहुतेक लोक पाप-काही-specific-rule-तोडणं समजतात. तुकाराम correct: पाप nīti विचारात न घेणं — भलतंच, सदा-unmatta. पाप-mode unmatta-mode (= drunk, mad, without-consideration). Action आधी nīti-consideration पाप रोखतं.
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देवच dharma-protection साठी effort घेतो. देवास ही आटी जन्म घेणें. Avatar-doctrine — देव स्वतः जन्म घेतो — deva चं dharma-rakṣaṇa वर commitment. देवच effort घेतो तर आम्ही (bhaktas) abdicate करू शकत नाही.
आज: दया redefine करा — protection + cruelty-removal (काळजी सह: फक्त जे actively हानी करतात ते, असहमत असलेले नाही); पाप redefine करा — rules-तोडणं नाही पण consideration-शिवाय-action; avatar-effort-for-dharma ओळखा — आणि आमचा त्यात share.
ही ओवी foundational कारण तीन-line मध्ये दोन-basic-ethical-categories (दया / पाप) आणि avatar-doctrine ची precise-definitions देते.
Where this applies
- Dayā = protection + nirdaḷaṇa of kaṇṭakas. Two-fold, real-dayā.
- Pāpa = not considering nīti. Unmatta-mode.
- Avatar-effort for dharma-rakṣaṇa. Even the deva takes birth.