संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 312 of 4582

Abhanga 312

This abhang gives the structural-mahimā of ekādaśī-vrata with positive promises and consequences:

When ekādaśī observance is the practice — and the abhang names the gravity
When blocking others from hari-kīrtana = pāpa-larger-than-Meru — and you accept this critique
When yama-dūta become subordinates for punishment — and you receive this consequence

The verse

एकादशीस अन्न पान । जे नर करिती भोजन । श्वानविष्ठे समान । अधम जन तो एक ॥१॥ ऐका व्रताचें महिमान। नेमें आचरती जन । गाती ऐकतीं हरिकीर्तन । ते समान विष्णूशीं ॥ध्रु.॥ अशुद्ध विटाळसीचें खळ । विडा भिक्षतां तांबूल । सांपडे सबळ । काळाहातीं न सुटे ॥२॥ सेज बाज विलास भोग । करी कामिनीशीं संग । तया जोडे क्षयरोग । जन्मव्याधी बळिवंत ॥३॥ आपण न वजे हरिकीर्तना । अणिकां वारी जातां कोणा । त्याच्या पापें जाणा । ठेंगणा महा मेरु ॥४॥ तया दंडी यमदूत । जाले तयाचे अंकित । तुका म्हणे व्रत । एकादशी चुकलीया ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: Eating anna-pāna on ekādaśī — those who eat — equal to śvāna-viṣṭhāadhama jana. Listen — the vrata-mahimā — those who observe with nēma; those who sing-and-listen to hari-kīrtana — equal to Vishnu. Aśuddha viṭāḷaśī-khaḷa — begging-tāmbūla — caught strongly — not released from kāḷa's hand. Sez-baz-vilāsa-bhōga — does sanga with kāminī — gets kṣaya-rōga. Doesn't go to hari-kīrtana himself, prevents others — his pāpamahā-Meru becomes ṭhengaṇā. Tuka says: yama-dūta become his ankita for daṇḍa — if ekādaśī is missed.

मराठी: एकादशीस अन्न पान — जे नर करिती भोजन — श्वानविष्ठे समान — अधम जन तो एक. ऐका व्रताचें महिमान — नेमें आचरती जन — गाती ऐकतीं हरिकीर्तन — ते समान विष्णूशीं. अशुद्ध विटाळसीचें खळ — विडा भिक्षतां तांबूल — सांपडे सबळ — काळाहातीं न सुटे. सेज बाज विलास भोग — करी कामिनीशीं संग — तया जोडे क्षयरोग — जन्मव्याधी बळिवंत. आपण न वजे हरिकीर्तना — अणिकां वारी जातां कोणा — त्याच्या पापें जाणा — ठेंगणा महा मेरु. तुकाराम म्हणतां — तया दंडी यमदूत — जाले तयाचे अंकित — व्रत — एकादशी चुकलीया.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
एकादशीस अन्न पान जे नर करिती भोजन "on ekādaśī, those who eat anna-pāna**"
श्वानविष्ठे समान अधम जन तो एक "equal to śvāna-viṣṭhāadhama jana**"
ऐका व्रताचें महिमान "listen — the vrata-mahimā**"
नेमें आचरती जन "those who observe with nēma (discipline / rule)"
गाती ऐकतीं हरिकीर्तन ते समान विष्णूशीं "those who sing and listen to hari-kīrtana — equal to Vishnu"
अशुद्ध विटाळसीचें खळ विडा भिक्षतां तांबूल "aśuddha viṭāḷaśī-khaḷa (impure-state) — begging-tāmbūla"
सांपडे सबळ काळाहातीं न सुटे "caught strongly — not released from kāḷa's hand**"
सेज बाज विलास भोग करी कामिनीशीं संग "sez-baz-vilāsa-bhōga — does sanga with kāminī**"
तया जोडे क्षयरोग जन्मव्याधी बळिवंत "gets kṣaya-rōga (consumption), strong life-disease"
आपण न वजे हरिकीर्तना अणिकां वारी जातां कोणा "does not go to hari-kīrtana himself, prevents others"
त्याच्या पापें जाणा ठेंगणा महा मेरु "his pāpa, know — mahā-Meru becomes ṭhengaṇā (dwarfed)"
तया दंडी यमदूत जाले तयाचे अंकित "yama-dūta become his ankita (subordinates) for daṇḍa (punishment)"
व्रत एकादशी चुकलीया "if ekādaśī-vrata is missed"

What it means

A 5-verse ekādaśī-vrata abhang. Tukaram's ekādaśī-vrata-mahimā in detail. Five claims:

  1. Eating anna-pāna* on ekādaśī = śvāna-viṣṭhā-equivalent. Adhama jana. The food-eaten on ekādaśī is equal to dog's-droppings. The register is harsh: the violation is grave*.

  2. Hari-kīrtana-singers and listeners on ekādaśī = Vishnu-equivalent. Te samāna Vishnu-śīm. The vrata-honoringwith nēma (discipline) and hari-kīrtanamakes the observer Vishnu-equivalent. The positive-promise.

  3. Other ekādaśī-violations: aśuddha-state begging tāmbūla, sez-baz-vilāsa-kāminī-sanga. Begging-tāmbūla in impure-state and engaging in sex on ekādaśīcaught strongly by kāḷa, kṣaya-rōga arises. The body-effects of vrata-violation are real.

  4. Blocking others from hari-kīrtana = pāpa-larger-than-Meru. Tyāchyā pāpe — ṭhengaṇā mahā-meru. Mt. Meru becomes a ṭhengaṇā (dwarf) beside his pāpa. Active-blocking-others is the largest pāpa in this abhang. (Compare 244 of-the-deva-while-disrespecting-the-deva; 280's saint-atikrama makes deva-pūjā adharma.)

  5. Yama-dūta as subordinates for punishment. Yama-dūta become ankita (subordinates) — they come at his command (= come to punish him) — if the ekādaśī-vrata is missed.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang gives the structural-mahimā of ekādaśī-vrata with positive promises and consequences:

  1. Ekādaśī-eating is grave. Equivalent to dog's-droppings. Food-on-ekādaśī violates the vrata-frame. (Note: ekādaśī-vrata in warkari tradition is specifically a fast on the eleventh-lunar-day, with hari-kīrtana focus. Tukaram's gravity-claim is for those who take the vrata and break it; not a universal-norm imposed on those-not-taking-the-vrata.)

  2. Singing-and-listening to hari-kīrtana on ekādaśī = Vishnu-equivalent. The positive-promise. Vrata observance with kīrtana-content makes the observer Vishnu-equivalent in this register.

  3. Body-effects of vrata-violation. Sex on ekādaśī yields kṣaya-rōga. Tāmbūla-begging in impure-state binds to kāḷa. The body and karma respond to vrata-discipline.

  4. Blocking-others is the largest pāpa. Mahā-Meru becomes dwarf beside it. If you don't go yourself and prevent othersthat pāpa exceeds Meru. (Compare 280's saint-atikrama; 213's bhedakas-must-be-tāḍita.)

  5. Yama-dūta as personal-punishers for vrata-violation. Yama-dūta become his ankita. The consequence-mechanism is individualized.

For today: if you observe ekādaśī-vrata, observe with full-discipline (food, body, kīrtana); if you don't, don't block others (this is the largest pāpa in the abhang). The vrata-mahimā is real for those who take it; the violation-consequences are real for those who break it; the blocking-others-pāpa is universal-applicable (= blocking-others-from-bhakti is bad regardless of whether you yourself are observing).

This abhang is important for vrata-tradition-context: it gives the gravity of vrata observance and violation, with the most-radical claim being about blocking-others.

मराठी: ही ओवी ekādaśī-vrata चं structural-mahimāpositive promises आणि consequences सह — देते:

  1. Ekādaśī-eating grave. Dog-droppings-equivalent. Ekādaśī-वर food vrata-frame violate करतं.

  2. Ekādaśī ला hari-kīrtana = Vishnu-equivalent. Positive-promise. Vrata observance with kīrtana-content observer ला Vishnu-equivalent या register मध्ये बनवते.

  3. Vrata-violation चे body-effects. Ekādaśī ला sex kṣaya-rōga देतं. Impure-state मध्ये tāmbūla-begging kāḷa ला बांधतं. Body आणि karma vrata-discipline ला respond करतात.

  4. इतरांना block करणं largest pāpa. Mahā-Meru त्यापुढे dwarf होतो. तुम्ही स्वतः जात नाहीत आणि इतरांना रोखतातो pāpa Meru ओलांडतो.

  5. Vrata-violation साठी yama-dūta personal-punishers. Yama-dūta त्याचे ankita बनतात. Consequence-mechanism individualized.

आज: तुम्ही ekādaśī-vrata observe करत असाल — full-discipline (food, body, kīrtana) ने observe करा; नसाल — इतरांना block करू नका (हा abhang मधला largest pāpa). Vrata-mahimā घेणाऱ्यांसाठी real; violation-consequences तोडणाऱ्यांसाठी real; blocking-others-pāpa universal-applicable (= bhakti पासून इतरांना block करणं — तुम्ही स्वतः observing असो वा नसो, वाईट).

Where this applies

Related verses