Abhanga 1044

Tukaram paints a stubborn dog that gets kicked for stealing food, yelps in pain, and then goes right back to the same trick. That is exactly how a person caught in wrongdoing behaves: punished again and again, yet unable to stop, and the harm lands squarely on their own soul, not anyone else's. Once shame is gone, a person will wander from door to door, publicly known as a cheat, with no thought left for their own dignity. Tuka warns that this kind of deep-rooted habit becomes so strong that it traps you in place, unable to go forward into a better life or back to innocence, until you finally choose to change.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A thievish-dog-beaten-with-blows-yowls-but-doesn't-give-up-its-tricks-such-is-the-evil-doer-O-Dēvā-does-harm-to-his-own-soul-nose-gone-but-no-shame-no-thinking-wanders-door-to-door-as-publicly-disgraced-thief-karma-mighty-and-deep-doesn't-let-him-move-forward-or-back abhang. Karma-mighty-and-deep register. Four claims (a parable):

1. चोरट-सुनें — टाळ-केंउं — चाळ-न-सोडी. Thievish-dog-doesn't-give-up-tricks-claim. Acōraṭē sunē (thievish dog) beaten with ṭāḷē (kicks/blows); kē'um-yowls but doesn't sandī (give up) its cāḷē (tricks). (The dog gets kicked, yelps, but goes back to stealing.)

2. दुराचारी — आत्म-घात. Evil-doer-self-harm-claim. Such-a-one is thedurācārī, O Dēvā;does ghāta to (his own) jīva.

3. नाक-गेलें — लाज-न — फजित-खोर. Nose-gone-but-no-shame-claim. Nose has gone (a symbolic disgrace — the nose was historically cut as punishment), but nolāja, no vicāra;wanders dāra-dārī (door-to-door) as phajita-khōra (publicly-disgraced-thief).

4. Tuka: कर्म-बिळवंत — पुढें-मागें-न. Karma-mighty-and-deep-claim. Tuka says: karma is biḷavanta gāḍhē (mighty-and-deep); does not let himsarōm (move) puḍhē-māgē (forward-or-back). (Karma's grip is so strong that the evil-doer can neitheradvancenorretreat.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram paints a stubborn dog that gets kicked for stealing food, yelps in pain, and then goes right back to the same trick. That is exactly how a person caught in wrongdoing behaves: punished again and again, yet unable to stop, and the harm lands squarely on their own soul, not anyone else's. Once shame is gone, a person will wander from door to door, publicly known as a cheat, with no thought left for their own dignity. Tuka warns that this kind of deep-rooted habit becomes so strong that it traps you in place, unable to go forward into a better life or back to innocence, until you finally choose to change.

मराठी: तुकाराम महाराज एका चोरट्या कुत्र्याचे उदाहरण देतात, ज्याला चोरी केल्याबद्दल मार बसतो, तो कुई-कुई करतो, पण पुन्हा तीच चोरी करायला जातो. वाईट सवयीत अडकलेला माणूसही असाच वागतो, वारंवार शिक्षा भोगूनही सुधारत नाही आणि याचे नुकसान शेवटी त्याच्याच जीवाचे होते. लाज सुटली की माणूस दारोदार फिरतो आणि सगळ्यांसमोर बदनाम होतो, स्वतःच्या प्रतिष्ठेची पर्वा त्याला उरत नाही. तुका सांगतात की अशी खोलवर रुजलेली सवय इतकी बळकट होते की ती माणसाला जागच्या जागी अडकवते, ना पुढे जाऊ देते ना मागे फिरू देते, जोपर्यंत तो स्वतः बदलण्याचा निर्णय घेत नाही तोपर्यंत.

Where this applies

• Dog-tricks. Cāḷē.
• Self-harm. Durācārī.
• No-shame. Phajita-khōra.
• Karma-grip. Biḷavanta-gāḍhē.

Related verses

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