Abhanga 2781
Para-pīḍaka tō āmhām dāvedāra — the para-pīḍaka (other-hurter) — he is our dāvedāra (legal-opponent); Viśvīm Viśvambhara mhaṇa'ūnī — because Viśvambhara (is) in Viśva (all-things).
The verse
परपीडक तो आम्हां दावेदार । विश्वीं विश्वंभर म्हणऊनि ॥१॥
दंडूं त्यागूं बळें नावलोकुं डोळा । राखूं तो चांडाळा ऐसा दुरि ॥ध्रु.॥
अनाचार कांहीं न साहे अवगुणें । बहु होय मन कासावीस ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे माझी एकविध सेवा । विमुख ते देवा वाळी चित्ते ॥३॥
Literal translation
Para-pīḍaka tō āmhām dāvedāra — the para-pīḍaka (other-hurter) — he is our dāvedāra (legal-opponent); Viśvīm Viśvambhara mhaṇa'ūnī — because Viśvambhara (is) in Viśva (all-things). Daṇḍūm tyāgūm baḷē nāvalokūm ḍoḷā — (we) punish, abandon, by force, don't look (at) with the eye; rākhūm tō chāṇḍāḷā aisā durī — keep that chāṇḍāḷa-like at a distance. Anāchāra kāmhī na sāhē avaguṇē — anāchāra (mis-conduct, transgression), bad-quality — I do not tolerate; bahu hōya mana kāsāvīsa — the mind becomes much kāsāvīsa (fevered, restless). Tukā says: mājhī ekavidha sevā — my ekavidha (one-fold) sevā; vimukha te Devā vāḷī chitte — turn-away-from those who are vimukha (turned-away) from Deva in (your) chitta.
What it means
A sharp social-ethics-and-bhakti-discrimination verse. Para-pīḍaka tō āmhām dāvedāra — Viśvīm Viśvambhara mhaṇa'ūnī — the other-hurter is our legal-opponent — because Viśvambhara is in all. The opening-claim is striking: one who hurts others = our legal-opponent. The reason: Viśvambhara is in all-beings. Hurting any-being is hurting the Viśvambhara residing-there; therefore the para-pīḍaka is the Viśvambhara-side's-opponent. (Compare 2657's bhakti = bowing to jīva-jantu-bhūta and 2725's Bhūtīm sākṣī Nārāyaṇa.)
The dhrūpada gives the operational-response: daṇḍūm tyāgūm baḷē nāvalokūm ḍoḷā — rākhūm tō chāṇḍāḷā aisā durī — we punish, abandon, by force don't look (at him) with the eye — keep him at distance like a chāṇḍāla. Four-fold action: punish, abandon, don't-look-with-eyes, keep-at-distance. The strictness: like a chāṇḍāla (the avoided-caste in traditional-purity-system) — used here metaphorically for one to be avoided-by-the-eye.
The second verse names the somatic-effect of tolerating-mis-conduct: anāchāra kāmhī na sāhē avaguṇē — bahu hōya mana kāsāvīsa — anāchāra, avaguṇa — I don't tolerate; the mind becomes much fevered. The bhakta's mind cannot tolerate anāchāra (mis-conduct, anti-conduct). The somatic-distress (kāsāvīsa = fevered-restless) is the signal.
The close: mājhī ekavidha sevā — vimukha tē Devā vāḷī chitte — my one-fold sevā — turn-away from those who are turned-away from Deva in (your) chitta. Vāḷī chitte — throw-away in your chitta (keep them out of your inner-attention). The one-fold sevā (ekavidha) requires vāḷaṇē of vimukha-from-Deva people.
This is complement to 2657 (bhakti = bowing to all creatures) and 2725 (avaguṇī daṇḍaṇa, guṇī pūjā). The full Vārkarī ethic: bow universally, but punish-and-keep-distance from para-pīḍakas (other-hurters). The universal-bowing doesn't include active-hurters.
For someone today
A useful Vārkarī social-ethics statement. The other-hurter is our legal-opponent because Viśvambhara is in all. Punish, abandon, don't look with eyes, keep at distance like a chāṇḍāla. Anāchāra and bad-quality — I don't tolerate; the mind becomes much fevered. My one-fold sevā — turn-away from those turned-away from Deva. The structural-position: active-hurters of others are enemies of the Viśvambhara-residing-in-them, and thus our enemies. The strictness — don't even look with eyes — recognizes that mere-engagement contaminates. The one-fold sevā (singular-devotion) is incompatible with tolerating active-mis-conduct.
Where this applies
- The other-hurter-is-your-Lord's-enemy-because-He-is-in-all ethics
- Recognizing that one-fold-seva requires turning-away-from-active-hurters
- The strong don't-look-with-eyes; keep-at-distance-like-chāṇḍāla discipline
- Complement-and-nuance to 2657 (bow-to-all-creatures) — bow-doesn't-include-active-hurters