Abhanga 2261
For today: what's the use of washing outside — mind dirtied within; abandon dambha-trade — purify mind-speech — you're own witness; pāpa-puṇya-viṭāḷa fills body — earth is always pure; be separate from kāma-krōdha — be such a sōmvaḷā — Tukā says — wrap and store the skill.
The verse
काय धोविलें बाहेरी मन मळलें अंतरीं । गादलें जन्मवरीं असत्यकाटें काटलें ॥१॥ सांडी व्यापार दंभाचा शुद्ध करीं रे मन वाचा । तुझिया चित्तीचा तूं च ग्वाही आपुला ॥ध्रु.॥ पापपुण्यविटाळ देहीं भरितां न विचारिसी कांहीं । काय चाचपसी मही जी अखंड सोंवळी ॥२॥ कामक्रोधा वेगळा ऐसा होई कां सोंवळा । तुका म्हणे कळा गुंडुन ठेवीं कुसरी ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: What's the use of washing outside — the mind is dirtied within — filthy by life-after-life — pierced by thorns of asatya. Abandon the trade of dambha — purify mind and speech — of your own chitta, you yourself are witness. Pāpa-puṇya-viṭāḷa filling the body — you don't consider — what do you grope after — the earth is always pure. Separate from kāma-krōdha — be such a sōmvaḷā — Tukā says — wrap and store the kaḷā, the skill.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| काय धोविलें बाहेरी मन मळलें अंतरीं | "what's the use of washing outside — the mind is dirtied within" |
| गादलें जन्मवरीं असत्यकाटें काटलें | "filthy by life-after-life — pierced by thorns of asatya" |
| सांडी व्यापार दंभाचा शुद्ध करीं रे मन वाचा | "abandon the trade of dambha — purify mind and speech" |
| तुझिया चित्तीचा तूं च ग्वाही आपुला | "of your own chitta, you yourself are witness" |
| पापपुण्यविटाळ देहीं भरितां न विचारिसी कांहीं | "pāpa-puṇya-viṭāḷa filling the body — you don't consider" |
| काय चाचपसी मही जी अखंड सोंवळी | "what do you grope after — the earth is always pure" |
| कामक्रोधा वेगळा ऐसा होई कां सोंवळा | "separate from kāma-krōdha — be such a sōmvaḷā" |
| तुका म्हणे कळा गुंडुन ठेवीं कुसरी | "Tukā says — wrap and store the kaḷā, the skill" |
What it means
Outside-washing-useless-mind-dirty-within + be-separate-from-kāma-krōdha-true-sōmvaḷā abhang.
The opening — inner-dirt-over-outer-washing: kāya dhōvilē bāhērī mana maḷalē antarīm — gādalē janma-varī asatya-kāṭē kāṭalē — what's the use of washing outside — the mind is dirtied within — filthy by life-after-life — pierced by thorns of asatya. What's-the-use of-outer-washing when-the-mind is-dirtied-within? Filthy-by-life-after-life; pierced-by-thorns-of-asatya. Tukārām's-signature critique of ritual-purity divorced from inner-purity.
The abandon-dambha: sāṇḍī vyāpāra dambhāchā śuddha karīm rē mana vāchā — tujhiyā chittīcā tūm cha gvāhī āpulā — abandon the trade of dambha — purify mind and speech — of your own chitta, you yourself are witness. Dambha = hypocrisy, ostentation. Abandon-the-trade-of-dambha; purify-mind-and-speech; you-yourself-are-the-witness-of-your-own-chitta.
The pure-earth contrast: pāpa-puṇya-viṭāḷa dēhīm bharitām na vichārisī kāmhīm — kāya chāchapasī mahī jī akhaṇḍa sōmvaḷī — pāpa-puṇya-viṭāḷa filling the body — you don't consider — what do you grope after — the earth is always pure. Mahī = earth. Akhaṇḍa sōmvaḷī = always pure, unbroken-pure. The body is-being-filled with-pāpa-puṇya-viṭāḷa (= the ritual-impurity-of-merit-and-demerit-mixing); you-don't-consider-this; what-do-you-grope-after when the-earth-itself is-always-pure? (= the obsession-with-ritual-impurity is-misplaced; the earth-is-pure, but-the-mind-is-impure-with-pāpa-puṇya-attachments.)
The true-sōmvaḷā: kāma-krōdhā vēgaḷā aisā hō'ī kām sōmvaḷā — Tukā mhaṇē kaḷā guṇḍuna ṭhēvīm kusarī — separate from kāma-krōdha — be such a sōmvaḷā — Tukā says — wrap and store the kaḷā, the skill. Sōmvaḷā = one who maintains ritual purity. Be-separate-from kāma-krōdha — be-such-a-sōmvaḷā (= true ritual-purity is-this); Tukā says — wrap-and-store the-kaḷā/kusarī (= the-(ritual-)skill, the artifice — store it as no-longer-needed).
Tukārām reverses the meaning of sōmvaḷā: instead of ritual-bath-purity, true-sōmvaḷā is-being-separate-from-kāma-krōdha. The ritual-art (kaḷā, kusarī) is to-be-wrapped-and-put-away.
[T]
For someone today
For today: what's the use of washing outside — mind dirtied within; abandon dambha-trade — purify mind-speech — you're own witness; pāpa-puṇya-viṭāḷa fills body — earth is always pure; be separate from kāma-krōdha — be such a sōmvaḷā — Tukā says — wrap and store the skill.
Where this applies
- Outer-washing-useless-mind-dirty.* Kāya-dhōvilē-bāhērī-mana-maḷalē-antarīm-asatya-kāṭē.
- Abandon-dambha-purify-mind-speech.* Sāṇḍī-vyāpāra-dambhāchā-śuddha-mana-vāchā-gvāhī-āpulā.
- Earth-pure-pāpa-puṇya-viṭāḷa-in-body.* Pāpa-puṇya-viṭāḷa-dēhīm-chāchapasī-mahī-akhaṇḍa-sōmvaḷī.
- Separate-from-kāma-krōdha-true-sōmvaḷā.* Kāma-krōdhā-vēgaḷā-sōmvaḷā-kaḷā-guṇḍuna-kusarī.