Abhanga 1793
For today: cutting down flower-gardens and fruit-trees, they preserve only the thorn-tree as the essential; what good has he seen for himself? — what other sukha?; burning all the grain-seeds, he sows black-cumin; breaking the future-convenience of the path, he goes through impassable-forest, leading the people; placing the name 'amṛta' on viṣa, the adhama commits brahma-hatyā; Tuka says — if he doesn't heed when told, applying discipline to him is no pāpa.
The verse
तोडुनि पुष्पवटिका फळवृक्षयाति । बाभळा राखती करूनि सार ॥१॥ कोण हित तेणें देखिलें आपुलें । आणीक पाहिलें सुख काईं ॥ध्रु.॥ धान्यें बीजें जेणें जाळिलीं सकळें । पेरितो काळें जिरें बीज ॥२॥ मोडोनिया वाटा पुढिलांची सोय । आडरानें जाय घेउनि लोकां ॥३॥ विषाचें अमृत ठेवूनियां नाम । करितो अधम ब्रम्हहत्या ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे त्यास नाइके सांगतां । तया हाल करितां पाप नाहीं ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: Cutting down flower-vatikā and fruit-tree-species, they preserve babhaḷ (thorn-tree), making it the essential. What good has he seen for himself? — what other sukha? Burning all the grain-seeds, he sows kāḷē-jīrē. Breaking the future-convenience of the path, he goes through impassable-forest, leading the people. Placing the name 'amṛta' on viṣa — the adhama commits brahma-hatyā. Tuka says: if not heeded when told — applying discipline to him is no pāpa.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तोडुनि पुष्पवटिका फळवृक्षयाति | "cutting down — flower-vatika — fruit-tree-species" |
| बाभळा राखती करूनि सार | "they preserve — babhaḷ (acacia / thorn-tree) — making it the sāra (essential)" |
| कोण हित तेणें देखिलें आपुलें | "what good — has he seen — for himself" |
| आणीक पाहिलें सुख काईं | "what other — sukha — did he see" |
| धान्यें बीजें जेणें जाळिलीं सकळें | "all the grain-seeds — which (he) burned" |
| पेरितो काळें जिरें बीज | "sows — kāḷē-jīrē (black-cumin = pungent-but-not-staple)" |
| मोडोनिया वाटा पुढिलांची सोय | "breaking — the future-convenience — of the path" |
| आडरानें जाय घेउनि लोकां | "through impassable-forest — (he) goes — taking the people" |
| विषाचें अमृत ठेवूनियां नाम | "on viṣa — placing — the name — amṛta" |
| करितो अधम ब्रम्हहत्या | "the adhama — commits brahma-hatyā" |
| तुका म्हणे त्यास नाइके सांगतां | "Tuka says — to him — if not heeded — when told" |
| तया हाल करितां पाप नाहीं | "to him — applying discipline — no pāpa" |
What it means
Anti-bad-leader / fake-guru abhang. A series of striking-images for the false-guide who actively-mis-leads.
Image 1 — Trees: tōḍuni puṣpa-vaṭikā phaḷa-vṛkṣa-yātī — bābhaḷā rākhatī karūni sāra — cutting down flower-vatika and fruit-tree-species, they preserve babhaḷ (acacia / thorn-tree) as essential. Puṣpa-vaṭikā = flower-garden (= what brings beauty); phaḷa-vṛkṣa = fruit-tree (= what brings sustenance); bābhaḷā = acacia / thorn-tree (= spiny, useless-as-fruit, only-suitable-for-fuel). The bad-leader cuts-down what-is-beautiful-and-useful and preserves only what-is-thorny-and-useless — as if it were the sāra (essential).
Image 2 — Seeds: dhānyēm bījēm jēṇē jāḷilīm sakaḷē — pēritō kāḷē jīrē bīja — burning all grain-seeds, he sows kāḷē-jīrē. Dhānya-bīja = grain-seeds (= staple-food); kāḷē-jīrē = black-cumin (= a pungent-spice, useful-only-as-medicine, never-as-food). He burns the grain that feeds and sows the cumin that doesn't. (= destroys-the-staple-and-cultivates-the-incidental.)
Image 3 — Paths: mōḍōniyām vāṭā puḍhilāñcī sōya — āḍa-rānē jāya ghē'uni lōkām — breaking the future-convenience of the path, he goes through impassable-forest, leading the people. Puḍhilāñcī sōya = the convenience for those-coming-after; āḍa-rānē = through impassable-forest / cross-country. He breaks-the-good-path-laid-for-future-travelers and leads-the-people through trackless-wilderness.
Image 4 — Naming: viṣācēm amṛta ṭhē'ūniyām nāma — karitō adhama brahma-hatyā — placing the name 'amṛta' on viṣa, the adhama commits brahma-hatyā. Most damning: the adhama labels-poison-as-amṛta and-thereby-kills-others — and this is brahma-hatyā (= the killing of brahma / the highest-pāpa). (Targets the fake-guru who labels his viṣa-teaching as amṛta-realization — killing-souls-by-name-deception.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē tyās nā'ikē sāngatām — tayā hāla karitām pāpa nāhīm — Tuka says: if he doesn't heed when told — applying discipline to him is no pāpa. Hāla = trouble, discipline, hard-treatment. Tuka's rare-fierce position: if the fake-guru doesn't heed correction, then applying-hard-discipline (= social-rejection / public-correction) is not pāpa. (Tuka usually counsels patience; here he authorizes-fierce-rebuke against the fake-guru who-kills-souls.)
This abhang is one of the most-aggressive anti-fake-guru abhangs in the gatha — pairs with abhangs about anti-vāgvilāsī, anti-pretence-of-jñāna, fake-bhakta. The brahma-hatyā charge is theological-aggression at its sharpest.
[T]
For someone today
For today: cutting down flower-gardens and fruit-trees, they preserve only the thorn-tree as the essential; what good has he seen for himself? — what other sukha?; burning all the grain-seeds, he sows black-cumin; breaking the future-convenience of the path, he goes through impassable-forest, leading the people; placing the name 'amṛta' on viṣa, the adhama commits brahma-hatyā; Tuka says — if he doesn't heed when told, applying discipline to him is no pāpa.
Where this applies
- Cuts-flowers-and-fruit-trees-preserves-thorn-tree.* Puṣpa-phaḷa-vṛkṣa-bābhaḷā.
- Burns-grain-seeds-sows-black-cumin.* Dhānya-bīja-jāḷilī-jīrē.
- Breaks-path-leads-through-impassable-forest.* Vāṭā-mōḍa-āḍa-rānē.
- Names-viṣa-as-amṛta-brahma-hatyā.* Viṣa-amṛta-nāma-brahma-hatyā.
- No-pāpa-in-disciplining-the-unheeding.* Hāla-karitām-pāpa-na.