Abhanga 1783
For today: kasturī (musk) that has pervaded the earth — to that, what other can equal it?; iron touched by the philosopher's-stone — to that, what other can equal it?; Tuka says — I do not go by jāti — I do pūjyamāna for the Vaiṣṇavas (regardless of their birth-caste).
The verse
कस्तुरी भिनली जये मृत्तिके । तयेसी आणिके कैसी सरी ॥१॥ लोखंडाचे अंगीं लागला परिस । तया आणिकास कैसी सरी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मी न वजें यातीवरी । पूज्यमान करीं वैष्णवांसी ॥ ।३॥
Literal translation
Kasturī pervaded the earth — to that, what other can equal? Iron touched by parisa — to that, what other can equal? Tuka says: I do not go by jāti — I do pūjyamāna for the Vaiṣṇavas.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कस्तुरी भिनली जये मृत्तिके | "kasturī (musk) — pervaded — the earth (mṛttikā)" |
| तयेसी आणिके कैसी सरी | "to that — what other — (can) equal" |
| लोखंडाचे अंगीं लागला परिस | "to iron — parisa (philosopher's-stone) — touched" |
| तया आणिकास कैसी सरी | "to that — what other — (can) equal" |
| तुका म्हणे मी न वजें यातीवरी | "Tuka says — I do not — go — by yātī (caste)" |
| पूज्यमान करीं वैष्णवांसी | "I do pūjyamāna (= due-honor / worship) — for the Vaiṣṇavas" |
What it means
Bhakti-transforms-substrate + anti-jāti + Vaiṣṇava-pūjana abhang. One of the most-cited anti-caste abhangs in the gatha.
Image 1 — Kasturī + mṛttikā: kasturī bhinilī jayē mṛttikēsī — tayēsī āṇikē kaisī sarī — kasturī (musk) pervaded the earth — to that, what other can equal?. Kasturī = the musk-essence (precious-fragrance); mṛttikā = plain-earth / ordinary-clay. Once kasturī has pervaded ordinary-earth, even precious-substances cannot match its-value. (= bhakti-pervaded-substrate exceeds even the originally-precious.)
Image 2 — Parisa + lōkhaṇḍa: lōkhaṇḍācē angīm lāgalā parisa — tayā āṇikāsa kaisī sarī — iron touched by parisa — to that, what other can equal?. Parisa = the philosopher's-stone (= the alchemical-stone that turns iron-into-gold by mere-touch); lōkhaṇḍa = iron (= the lowest-metal). Iron-touched-by-parisa becomes-gold; nothing-else can match this transformed-iron. (= the touch-of-bhakti transforms the lowest-substrate into-the-highest.)
The conclusion: Tukā mhaṇē mī na vajēm yātī-varī — pūjyamāna karīm Vaiṣṇavāñsī — Tuka says: I do not go by jāti — I do pūjyamāna for the Vaiṣṇavas. Yātī-varī = by-jāti / by-caste-rank; pūjyamāna = the due-honor / worship; Vaiṣṇavāñsī = for the Vaiṣṇavas (= those-who-have-bhakti, regardless-of-caste). Tuka explicitly disavows jāti-based-judgment and honors all-Vaiṣṇavas regardless-of-caste.
The implicit-logic: just as kasturī transforms earth, just as parisa transforms iron, just so does bhakti transform any-jāti-substrate. The bhakta-Vaiṣṇava — regardless of birth-caste — is the kasturī-pervaded-earth, the parisa-touched-iron; honor-them-without-jāti-prejudice.
This abhang is foundational for the Vārkarī-tradition's anti-caste-stance — pairs with abhangs 1606, 1676, 1687, 1690, 1751, 1752, 1718 in the gatha. One of the most-quoted lines in Vārkarī kīrtana for the anti-caste-bhēda message.
[T]
For someone today
For today: kasturī (musk) that has pervaded the earth — to that, what other can equal it?; iron touched by the philosopher's-stone — to that, what other can equal it?; Tuka says — I do not go by jāti — I do pūjyamāna for the Vaiṣṇavas (regardless of their birth-caste).
Where this applies
- When you catch yourself judging someone by their family background, job, or social rank before you know their character
- When you meet a genuinely devoted or good person from a background society looks down on, and feel tempted to dismiss them anyway
- When you are deciding who deserves respect in a spiritual gathering or community
- When you doubt whether your own humble origins disqualify you from being taken seriously as a sincere devotee