Abhanga 319

Speak only what truly fits with dharma, and speak with your eyes wide open, seeing clearly before you say anything. Don't take up as your own what the world has already rejected as filth — don't take pride in something everyone else recognizes as shameful. True devotion carries a strength greater than anything else, powerful enough, Tukaram says, to burn even fire itself. And he gives a sharp warning: someone who looks brave on the battlefield but is a coward inside is really just making empty noise — real courage has to be genuine all the way through, not just a performance for others to see.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A short outer-warrior-inner-coward abhang. Three claims:

1. बोलावें तें धर्मा मिळे — बरे डोळे उघडूनि — speak what fits dharma — open the eyes well. The speech-discipline. Speak only what fits dharma; open the eyes well (= be alert, see-clearly before speaking).

2. काशासाठीं खावें शेण — जेणें जन थुंकी तें — why eat śeṇa — that the world spits? The self-respect-rule. Don't eat what the world has-spat. Śeṇa (dung) — that the jana spits (= reject as filth) — why would you eat it? (Reading: don't accept what the world has-already-rejected as filth; don't take pride in what others have-disowned-as-shameful.)

3. दुजें ऐसें काय बळी — जें या जाळी अग्नीसि — what other so baḷī — that burns the agni itself? The paradox-question. What is so strong that it burns even the agni (fire) itself? The implication: bhakti / dharma / hari-name — these burn even the destroying-fire. (= the Hari-name has the strength to consume even the destroyer.)

4. तुका म्हणे शूर रणीं — गांढें मनीं बुरबुरी — Tuka says: śūra on the raṇa — gāṇḍhā in mind — buraburī. The closing-diagnostic. Outer-warrior, inner-weak. Brave on the battlefield — but gāṇḍhā (ass / weakling) in the mind — only buraburī (mumbling-chatter). The external-bravery without internal-substance is buraburī (empty-noise).

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For someone today

Speak only what truly fits with dharma, and speak with your eyes wide open, seeing clearly before you say anything. Don't take up as your own what the world has already rejected as filth — don't take pride in something everyone else recognizes as shameful. True devotion carries a strength greater than anything else, powerful enough, Tukaram says, to burn even fire itself. And he gives a sharp warning: someone who looks brave on the battlefield but is a coward inside is really just making empty noise — real courage has to be genuine all the way through, not just a performance for others to see.

मराठी: धर्माला साजेल तेच बोला, आणि डोळे पूर्णपणे उघडे ठेवून, स्पष्ट पाहून मगच बोला. जगाने आधीच घाण म्हणून नाकारलेली गोष्ट स्वतःची म्हणून स्वीकारू नका — जी गोष्ट सगळ्यांना लज्जास्पद वाटते तिचा अभिमान बाळगू नका. खरी भक्ती इतर कुठल्याही गोष्टीपेक्षा अधिक शक्तिशाली असते, इतकी की, तुकाराम म्हणतात, ती अगदी अग्नीलाही जाळू शकते. आणि ते एक तीव्र इशारा देतात — जो रणांगणावर वरवर शूर दिसतो पण आतून भित्रा असतो, तो खरं तर केवळ पोकळ बडबड करत असतो — खरं धैर्य आतून-बाहेरून खरं असावं लागतं, इतरांना दाखवण्यासाठी केलेला अभिनय नव्हे.

Where this applies

• Speech: dharma-fit + open-eyes. Both required.
• Don't eat what the world has spit. Self-respect-rule.
• Bhakti-strength > fire. Cosmic-claim.
• Outer-warrior + inner-coward = buraburī. Honest alignment needed.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2374 — Rather than scattering devotion among many lesser deities who demand offerings, Tukaram sa
• Abhanga 2377 — This detailed meditation on Vitthal standing on a brick at Pandharpur, out of love for his
• Abhanga 2387 — Accept whatever life brings with reverence, and place the burden on God rather than carryi
• Abhanga 2402 — For today: happily take rebirths — IF among the Paṇḍharī-Vārkarīs ; Hari-dāsas' company is