Abhanga 272

English: He who takes the pakṣa of him (= the wicked-one) — is equal to him.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A co-responsibility ethics abhang. Three claims:

1. याचा कोणी करी पक्ष — तो ही त्याशी समतुल्य — he who takes the pakṣa of (the wicked) — equal to him. Pakṣa — side, faction, defense, alliance. Defending or allying with the wicked-one makes you equal to the wicked-one. The co-responsibility is equal.

2. फुकासाठीं पावे दुःखाचा विभाग — पूर्वजांसि लाग निरयदंडीं — for free, gets share of duḥkha; ancestors get hell-rod attached. The karma-spread: not only the ally suffers, but the ancestors also. Niraya-daṇḍa — the rod of hell — attaches to the pūrvajas. The karma is family-wide. (Note: this is the traditional pitr-karma frame — one's ancestors share in one's karma in the karma-economy.)

3. ऐके राजा न करी दंड — जरि या लंड दुष्टासि — listen, king — if you do not daṇḍa this laṇḍa-duṣṭa. The king's-duty. The king who fails to punish the wicked is himself wicked. (Compare 261, 268's call-to-the-deva-to-act; here, the call to the king.)

4. तुका म्हणे त्याचें अन्न — मद्यपाना समान — Tuka says: his food = liquor-drinking. The closing-prohibition. Eating the food of the wicked-one (or his ally) = drinking liquor. The prohibition is on accepting hospitality / sustenance from the wicked-one's hand.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names a co-responsibility-and-prohibition doctrine:

1. Taking the side of the wicked makes you equal-to-them. Yāchā kōṇī karī pakṣa — tō hī tyāśī sama-tulya. Defending, allying, advocating for the wicked — the co-responsibility is equal. Don't think you are merely-tangentially-involved; the defense is full-co-responsibility.

2. Karma spreads to ancestors. This is the traditional pitr-karma frame. (Modern-readings: the co-responsibility extends to family / community / lineage that defended-the-wicked-one. The karma is collective in this register.)

3. Failing to punish the wicked = wicked-yourself (especially for the king). Aikē rājā na karī daṇḍa — laṇḍa-duṣṭāsi. Power-position requires punishment-of-wickedness. Failure-to-punish is a form of complicity.

4. The wicked-one's food = liquor-drinking. Tyāchēm anna madya-pāna samāna. The prohibition on accepting hospitality / sustenance from the wicked. The food carries the karma of the giver; eating it is participating in their karma.

For today: recognize when you are taking-the-side-of-the-wicked (defending, allying, advocating); recognize the equal-co-responsibility; if in power-position, punish-or-be-complicit; don't accept the wicked-one's hospitality / food — it carries their karma.

This is not anti-hospitality in general; it is specific to the wicked-one's food. Honest food-from-honest-hand is fine; food-from-wicked-hand carries their karma to you.

This is also important psychologically: passive-defense / silent-allegiance to the wicked is not neutral. The neutrality-claim is false in this register; not-punishing = complicity.

मराठी: ही ओवी co-responsibility-and-prohibition doctrine नाव सांगते:

1. Wicked चा pakṣa घेणं = त्यांच्याशी equal. याचा कोणी करी पक्ष — तो ही त्याशी समतुल्य. Wicked चा defense, alliance, advocacy — co-responsibility equal. Tangentially-involved समजू नका; defense full-co-responsibility.

2. Karma पूर्वजांकडे spread होतं. Traditional pitr-karma frame. (Modern-readings: co-responsibility family / community / lineage पर्यंत extends — जे wicked-one ला defend केलं. Karma या register मध्ये collective.)

3. Wicked ला punish न करणं = स्वतःच wicked (विशेषतः king साठी). ऐके राजा न करी दंड — लंड दुष्टासि. Power-position ला wickedness-punishment लागते. Failure-to-punish complicity चा form.

4. Wicked चं अन्न = madya-pāna. त्याचें अन्न मद्यपाना समान. Wicked कडून hospitality / sustenance घेण्यावर prohibition. अन्न giver चं karma carry करतं; खाणं म्हणजे त्यांच्या karma मध्ये participating.

आज: Wicked-side घेत आहात कधी ओळखा (defending, allying, advocating); equal-co-responsibility ओळखा; power-position मध्ये असाल — punish-किंवा-complicit; wicked-one चं hospitality / food स्वीकारू नका — त्यांचं karma carry करतं.

Anti-hospitality general नाही; specific to wicked-one's food. Honest food-from-honest-hand fine; food-from-wicked-hand तुम्हाला त्यांचं karma carry करतं.

Psychologically पण महत्त्वाचं: passive-defense / silent-allegiance to wicked neutral नाही. या register मध्ये neutrality-claim false; not-punishing = complicity.

Where this applies

• Side-taking = co-responsibility. Equal.
• Karma spreads to lineage / family. Collective.
• Failing-to-punish-when-empowered = complicity. Power-position requirement.
• Wicked-one's food = liquor. Prohibition.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2374
• Abhanga 2377 — English: Gentle, sweet bāla-rūpa — that form from Kāḷī-time.
• Abhanga 2387
• Abhanga 2402