Abhanga 1288
For today: despise what is yours (body, house, wealth, country); greet even dogs, pigs, wild beasts, and trees as other; let mī, hē, mājhē not come to your mouth — by this, true sādhu-hood.
The verse
देह आणि देहसंबंधें निंदावीं । इतरें वंदावीं श्वानशूकरें ॥१॥ येणें नांवें जाला मी माझ्याचा झाडा । मोहा नांवें खोडा गर्भवास ॥ध्रु.॥ गृह आणि वित्त स्वदेशा विटावें । इतरा भेटावें श्वापदझाडां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मी हें माझें न यो वाचे । येणें नांवें साचे साधुजन ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: The deha and deha-sambandhas should be despised — the other, (even) śvāna-śūkara, should be greeted. By this — the I-mine has been swept-clean; the mōha-trap of garbha-vāsa (cut). Gṛha, vitta, sva-dēśa — should be despised — go meet (instead) the śvāpada and the jhāḍa. Tuka says: mī, hē, mājhē should not come to the speech — by this, the true sādhujana.
मराठी: देह आणि देह-संबंध — निंदावेत; — इतर (जीव), श्वान-शूकर (कुत्रा-डुक्कर) देखील — वंदावेत. येणें-नांवें — मी-माझ्याचा — झाडा झाला — मोहा-नांवें — गर्भ-वासाचा खोडा (तुटला). गृह, वित्त, स्व-देश — विटावेत — इतरांना (= जीवांना) — श्वापद-झाडां-ला सुद्धां — भेटावें. Tukā म्हणे — "मी, हें, माझें" वाचेला येऊं नये — येणें-नांवें — साचे साधु-जन.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देह आणि देहसंबंधें निंदावीं | "the deha and the deha-sambandhas (= relations through the body) — should be nindāvē (despised)" |
| इतरें वंदावीं श्वानशूकरें | "(but) other (beings), (even) śvāna-śūkara (dogs-and-pigs) — should be vandāvē (greeted / honored)" |
| येणें नांवें जाला मी माझ्याचा झाडा | "by this — the I, mine has been jhāḍā (swept-clean / cleared)" |
| मोहा नांवें खोडा गर्भवास | "the trap (khōḍā) of mōha — and of garbha-vāsa (womb-dwelling = rebirth)" |
| गृह आणि वित्त स्वदेशा विटावें | "gṛha (house), vitta (wealth), sva-dēśa (own country) — should be viṭāvē (despised)" |
| इतरा भेटावें श्वापदझाडां | "the other — go meet — śvāpada (wild-beasts) and jhāḍa (trees)" |
| मी हें माझें न यो वाचे | "mī, hē, mājhē — should not come to the vāca (speech)" |
| येणें नांवें साचे साधुजन | "by this name — the true (sāca) sādhujana" |
What it means
Radical deha-nindā / itara-vandanā abhang. The teaching is structurally precise: flip the polarities. What ordinarily feels closest (deha, gṛha, vitta, sva-dēśa) is to be despised; what ordinarily feels alien (śvāna, śūkara, śvāpada, jhāḍa) is to be greeted.
The reasoning at the dhruva: yēṇē nāmvē jālā mī mājhyācā jhāḍā — by this very (flipping), the I-mine has been swept-out. Jhāḍā is the cleaning-stroke (with a broom) — the I-mine is what has been swept away by this radical inversion. And then mōhā nāmvē khōḍā garbha-vāsa — the mōha-named trap of garbha-vāsa (rebirth-cycle) is cut.
The closing — mī hē mājhē na yō vācē — yēṇē nāmvē sāce sādhujana — the three pronouns mī, hē, mājhē should not come to the speech — by this name, true sādhus. Tuka identifies the absence of the three pronouns from one's speech as the test for true sādhu-hood. (Compare to Buddhist anattā and to Advaita aham-mama-nivṛtti.)
This is among Tukaram's most uncompromisingly anti-egoic abhangs — and the inclusion of śvāna-śūkara (dogs and pigs, the most-despised of village animals) and śvāpada-jhāḍa (jungle-beasts and trees) in the to-be-greeted list extends compassion to its outermost limit.
[T]
For someone today
For today: despise what is yours (body, house, wealth, country); greet even dogs, pigs, wild beasts, and trees as other; let mī, hē, mājhē not come to your mouth — by this, true sādhu-hood.
Where this applies
- Despise-deha-and-relations.* Deha-deha-sambandhē-nindāvīm.
- Greet-even-dogs-and-pigs.* Itarē-vandāvīm-śvāna-śūkarēm.
- I-mine-swept-clean.* Mī-mājhyācā-jhāḍā.
- Despise-gṛha-vitta-sva-dēśa.* Gṛha-vitta-sva-dēśa-viṭāvē.
- Three-pronouns-don't-come-to-mouth.* Mī-hē-mājhē-na-yō-vācē.