Abhanga 787

English: Kali-yuga — root — dharma — vāṭōḷa.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A kali-yuga-dharma-vāṭōḷa-brahmins-leave-rāma-rāma-wear-dark-vṛtti-abandoned-begging abhang. Kali-yuga-dharma-decay register. Three claims (each a specific symptom):

1. कलियुग-मूळ-दर्म-वाटोळे — रामराम-सांडून-दोम-दोष. Kali-yuga-decay-rāma-rāma-abandoned-claim. By the kali-yuga's root — dharma's vāṭōḷa (washing-out, ruin, dilution) has happened; Brāhmaṇa abandon the rāma-rāma (the rāma-greeting / rāma-rāma-as-greeting); say dōma-dōṣa (another-form / corrupt-formula — possibly Damadāna or some-non-Vaiṣṇava greeting). Brahmins-stop-saying-rāma-rāma-and-use-other-greetings.

2. निळी-न-शिवू — काळी-वस्त्र-पांघरती. Avoid-blue-wear-dark-claim. They don't-touch the niḷī (blue cloth — in Hindu purity-rules blue/black cloth has been considered impure for some-twice-born); (yet) they wrap kāḷī (dark-black) cloth. Inconsistent-purity-claims. (The criticism: they avoid blue while wearing black — both are similar; the purity-rules are arbitrary or merely-formal.)

3. Tuka: वृत्ति-सांडून — गदा-मागत. Vṛtti-abandoned-begging-with-staff-claim. Tuka says: (having) abandoned the vṛtti (proper-livelihood-occupation, the brahmin's-traditional duties); they go begging (māgata jātī) with the gadā (staff — the sannyāsin's or wandering-monk's-staff). Brahmins-abandon-vṛtti-go-begging-with-staff. (The criticism: they pretend-to-be-sannyāsins to-get-alms-by-begging, while having abandoned-the-genuine-vṛtti.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the kali-yuga-dharma-decay register:

1. Kali-yuga-root, dharma's vāṭōḷa; brahmins leave rāma-rāma, say doma-doṣa. Greeting-changed.

2. Don't touch blue, wear dark. Inconsistent-purity.

3. Vṛtti abandoned, they go begging with staff. Pretender-monks.

For today: the kali-yuga's-root has caused dharma's vāṭōḷa; Brāhmaṇa have abandoned the rāma-rāma greeting and adopted dōma-dōṣa; they avoid the blue but wear the dark — inconsistent-purity; they have abandoned their vṛtti and go begging with the gadā as if pretender-sannyāsins. (This is a sociological-critique of brahminic-decay: greeting changed, purity-rules-arbitrary, vṛtti-abandoned-for-mendicancy.)*

This abhang is Tukaram's kali-yuga-dharma-decay-and-pretender-monks register — one of the most-specific anti-brahmin-decay polemics. Compare 0743 anti-fake-jñānī-bones-dogs-fight (Tuka's mudra); same anti-fakery but here organized through kali-yuga-symptoms-of-brahmin-decay. The vṛtti sāṇḍuni gadā māgata jātī (vṛtti-abandoned, they go begging with staff) is the precise charge against fake-mendicants*.

मराठी: ही ओवी kali-yuga-dharma-decay register नाव सांगते:

1. Kali-yuga-मुळें-dharma-वाटोळे; ब्राम्हण-रामराम-सांडून-दोम-दोष. Greeting-changed.

2. निळी-न-शिवू; काळी-पांघरती. Inconsistent-purity.

3. वृत्ति-सांडून-गदा-मागत. Pretender-monks.

आज: Kali-yuga-root-ने dharma-च-vāṭōḷa; Brāhmaṇa-ने rāma-rāma greeting सांडून dōma-dōṣa adopt केलं; Blue-avoid पण काळी-wear — inconsistent-purity; Vṛtti abandon करून gadā घेऊन begging — pretender-sannyāsins. (हें sociological-critique of brahminic-decay: greeting-changed, purity-rules-arbitrary, vṛtti-abandoned-for-mendicancy.)

Tukaram च-kali-yuga-dharma-decay-and-pretender-monks-register — Most-specific anti-brahmin-decay polemics पैकी एक. 0743 anti-fake-jñānī-bones-dogs-fight (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच anti-fakery पण इथे kali-yuga-symptoms-of-brahmin-decay च्या मार्गाने. Vṛtti sāṇḍuni gadā māgata jātī precise charge against fake-mendicants.

Where this applies

• Greeting-changed.* Decay.
• Inconsistent-purity.* Arbitrary.
• Vṛtti-abandoned-begging. Pretender.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2467
• Abhanga 4481
• Abhanga 4482
• Abhanga 4497