संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2371 of 4582

Abhanga 2371

Those born as washermen or barbers in a former life go on carrying that same caste-work in this one, just as a sticky resin fills the mouth with its taste. And even the sacred tuft of hair and holy thread carried over from a past birth are, underneath, nothing but filth and urine. Tuka says: those who look down on others for their origins are only doing the washerman's own trade, scrubbing at other people's dirt.

When you notice yourself giving someone more respect purely because of their birth or title

When you catch yourself judging another person's worth by where they came from

When you realize that criticizing someone's background says more about you than about them

The verse

जन्मांतरिंचा परिट न्हावी । जात ठेवी त्यानें तें ॥१॥ वाखर जैसा चरचरी । तोंड करी संव दणी ॥ध्रु.॥ पूर्व जन्म शिखासूत्र । मळ मूत्र अंतरीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे करिती निंदा । धुवटधंदा पुढिलांचा ॥३॥

Literal translation

The washerman-barber from former-birth — they keep that caste. Like the resin-sticker — makes the mouth full of flavor. Former-birth's tuft-and-sacred-thread — filth-and-urine within. Tuka says: those who blame — do the washerman's-trade of others' [dirt].

What it means

THE ANTI-CASTE-MARKER ABHANG.

The former-birth-occupation: janmāntarīñchā pariṭa nhāvī — jāta ṭhēvī tyānē tēm — the washerman-barber from former-birth — they keep that caste. Pariṭa = washerman. Nhāvī = barber. Those-from-the-washerman-or-barber-caste of-former-birth — they-keep-that-caste.

The resin-flavor: vākhara jaisā characharī — tōṇḍa karī samva daṇī — like the resin-sticker — makes the mouth full of flavor. Like-the-resin-sticker (vākhara) which-makes-the-mouth-full.

THE FAMOUS LINE: pūrva janma śikhā-sūtra — maḷa-mūtra antarīm — former-birth's tuft-and-sacred-thread — filth-and-urine within. Śikhā = tuft of-hair (Brahmin caste-marker). Sūtra = sacred-thread (Brahmin caste-marker). Maḷa-mūtra = filth-and-urine. The śikhā-and-sūtra (caste-markers) from-former-birth — filth-and-urine-within. A direct-polemic against Brahmin-caste-pride: external-caste-markers carried-from-prior-birth are-just-bodily-filth, not-spiritual-status.

The closing — blamers-as-washermen: Tukā mhaṇē karitī nindā — dhuvaṭa-dhandā puḍhilāñchā — Tuka says: those who blame — do the washerman's-trade of others' [dirt]. Dhuvaṭa-dhandā = washing-trade. Those-who-blame-others are-doing the-washerman's-trade of-others'-dirt.

Tukārām's anti-caste-position: Like other-bhakti-saints, Tukārām (himself born to-the-Kuṇabī-cultivator-caste) rejected Brahmin-caste-pride. The śikhā-sūtra (Brahmin sacred-markers) are-just-bodily-filth, not-marks-of-spiritual-attainment.

[T]

For someone today

मराठी: मागच्या जन्मीचा परीट किंवा न्हावी याच जन्मीही तेच काम करत राहतो, जसा चिकट डिंक तोंडाला चव देतो. आणि मागच्या जन्माची शेंडी-जानवं ही सुद्धा आतून मळ-मूत्रच आहेत. तुका म्हणतो, जे दुसऱ्याच्या जातीवरून निंदा करतात, ते खरं तर इतरांच्याच घाणीचं परीटकाम करत असतात.

Where this applies

When someone takes pride in an inherited status or birth marker as if it proves their worth
When you catch yourself judging someone by their background instead of their character
When a person criticizes others' origins while ignoring their own flaws
When you are deciding whether inherited privilege deserves genuine respect or honest scrutiny