Abhanga 1343
For today: honoring the vēśa is easy; but who is truly Brāhmaṇa? Book-pravīṇa shows itself śuddha-hīna; by suppressing truth, pāpas-against-satya happen.
The verse
वेश वंदाया पुरते । कोण ब्राम्हण निरुते ॥१॥ ऐसें सांगा मजपाशीं । संतां निरवितों येविशीं ॥ध्रु.॥ असा जी प्रवीण । ग्रंथीं कळे शुद्धहीण ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे लोपें । सत्याचिया घडती पापें ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: To honor the vēśa is enough — but who is a Brāhmaṇa nirutē (truly)? Tell me this — I'm asking the saints in this matter. Those who are pravīṇa — in granthas — show themselves śuddha-hīna. Tuka says: by lōpa — pāpas of (against) satya happen.
मराठी: वेश (वर्ण-वेश) वंदायला तर पुरतें — पण निरुतें ब्राम्हण कोण? असें मला सांगा — संतांना मी ह्या-विशीं विचारतों. जे ग्रंथींत प्रवीण आहेत — त्यांच्यांत-च — कळे — शुद्ध-हीण (शुद्धता-हीन). Tukā म्हणे — लोपानें (झाकून ठेवण्यानें) — सत्याची-च पापें घडतात.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| वेश वंदाया पुरते | "to vandāyā (honor) — the vēśa (costume) — is puratē (enough)" |
| कोण ब्राम्हण निरुते | "who is — Brāhmaṇa — nirutē (truly)?" |
| ऐसें सांगा मजपाशीं | "such (a thing) — tell me" |
| संतां निरवितों येविशीं | "I am asking (niravitōm) the saints — in this matter" |
| असा जी प्रवीण | "(those) who are pravīṇa (skilled / well-versed)" |
| ग्रंथीं कळे शुद्धहीण | "in granthas — kaḷē (it shows) — śuddha-hīna (without-purity)" |
| तुका म्हणे लोपें | "Tuka says — by lōpa (suppression / hiding)" |
| सत्याचिया घडती पापें | "of satya — pāpas (against) ghaḍatī (happen)" |
What it means
Who-is-truly-Brāhmaṇa abhang. The opening: vēśa vandāyā puratē — kōṇa Brāhmaṇa nirutē? — honoring the vēśa (= the outward Brahmin-costume — yajñopavīta, śikhā, etc.) is enough; (but) who is a Brāhmaṇa nirutē (= really, in truth)? The vēśa-honor is easy (just bow); but the real test of Brahmin-hood is what?
The framing: aisē sāngā maja-pāśīm — samtām niravitōm yē-viśīm — tell me this — I am asking the saints in this matter. Tuka frames the question as one for the saints to answer (= to authorize). He doesn't presume to issue the verdict alone.
The diagnostic: asā jī pravīṇa — granthīm kaḷē śuddha-hīna — (those) who are pravīṇa (well-versed / skilled) in granthas — in them itself, śuddha-hīna (without-purity / impure) shows. The book-pravīṇa often reveals himself as without-purity — his erudition makes the impurity visible. Compare 1178 kyā bicārē paṇḍita karō — hāta pasārē āsa (the pundit's hands stretched in hope) and 1316 (vaiṣṇava-cāmbhāra > abhakta-brāhmaṇa).
The closing aphorism: lōpē — satyāciyā ghaḍatī pāpē — by lōpa (suppression / hiding-of-truth) — pāpas of (= against) satya are committed. Concealing-the-truth is itself the pāpa-of-satya. The book-pravīṇa who suppresses the simple bhakti-truth (because it doesn't elevate his caste) commits pāpa.
[T]
For someone today
For today: honoring the vēśa is easy; but who is truly Brāhmaṇa? Book-pravīṇa shows itself śuddha-hīna; by suppressing truth, pāpas-against-satya happen.
Where this applies
- Honoring-vēśa-is-easy-but-who-is-truly-Brāhmaṇa.* Vēśa-vandāyā-kōṇa-Brāhmaṇa-nirutē.
- Asking-the-saints.* Samtām-niravitōm.
- Book-pravīṇa-shows-without-purity.* Granthīm-kaḷē-śuddha-hīna.
- Suppression-pāpas-against-truth.* Lōpē-satyāciyā-pāpē.