Abhanga 2127
When someone causes real harm to many people, firmly reject their claim to respect, keep your distance, and remove their influence from your life without guilt.
The verse
दुर्जनाचा मान । सुखें करावा खंडण ॥१॥ लात हाणोनियां वारी । गुंड वाट शुद्ध करी ॥ध्रु.॥ बहुतां पीडी खळ । त्याचा धरावा विटाळ ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नखें । काढुनि टाकिजेती सुखें ॥३॥
Literal translation
The durjana's pride/honor — gladly broken. Kick him aside — the round-(unobstructed) path is made pure. The wicked harasses many — hold him at the distance of defilement. Tuka says: the (dirty) nails — are cut off with pleasure.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| दुर्जनाचा मान | "the durjana's pride/honor" |
| सुखें करावा खंडण | "gladly broken" |
| लात हाणोनियां वारी | "kick him aside" |
| गुंड वाट शुद्ध करी | "the round-(unobstructed) path is made pure" |
| बहुतां पीडी खळ | "the wicked harasses many" |
| त्याचा धरावा विटाळ | "hold him at-the-distance-of-defilement" |
| तुका म्हणे नखें | "Tuka says — the (dirty) nails" |
| काढुनि टाकिजेती सुखें | "are cut off with pleasure" |
What it means
Durjana's-pride-broken + wicked-at-defilement-distance + nails-cut-off abhang. SHARP-ACTION ADVOCACY.
The opening — break-pride: durjanāchā māna — sukhē karāvā khaṇḍana — the durjana's pride/honor — gladly broken. Break-the-durjana's-pride gladly.
The kick-and-pure-path: lāta hāṇōniyām vārī — guṇḍa vāṭa śuddha karī — kick him aside — the round-(unobstructed) path is made pure. Lāta = kick. Vāṭa śuddha karī = makes the path pure. Kick-the-durjana-aside; the-path becomes-clean. No tolerance for-harassment.
The defilement-distance: bahutām pīḍī khaḷa — tyāchā dharāvā viṭāḷa — the wicked harasses many — hold him at the distance of defilement. Viṭāḷa = ritual-impurity / pollution-distance. Since-he-harasses-many, treat-him as-ritually-impure (= keep him-at-distance, don't-touch). Practical-segregation of-the-pernicious.
The nails-image: Tukā mhaṇē nakhē — kāḍhuni ṭākijētī sukhē — the (dirty) nails — are cut off with pleasure. Dirty-nails are-pleasure-cut-off (= removing the harmful-projection is welcome-relief). Body-grooming as-metaphor for-community-purification.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the durjana's pride/honor — gladly broken; kick him aside — the round-path is made pure; the wicked harasses many — hold him at the distance of defilement; Tuka says — the (dirty) nails — are cut off with pleasure.
Where this applies
- When someone repeatedly harms or manipulates many people and keeps demanding respect they haven't earned.
- When you need to set a firm boundary with someone toxic instead of quietly tolerating them.
- When you feel guilty about cutting off a harmful relationship or influence, even though it clearly needs to happen.
- When a group or community needs to stop giving power and deference to someone who abuses it.