संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2846 of 4582

Abhanga 2846

Ṭīḷā ṭōpī uñca dāvī — (he) shows ṭīḷā (forehead-mark) (and) ṭōpī (cap) (held-) uñca (high); jagī mī ēka gōsāvī — (claiming) in the world: I am the one (and only) gosāvī (renunciate-yogi).

The canonical anti-pseudo-gosāvī-show polemic
3rd verse of 4-abhang anti-fake-renunciate cluster (2844-2847)
Recognizing engraved-mudrās-for-jana-māna hypocrite-signature

The verse

टळिा टोपी उंच दावी । जगीं मी एक गोसावी ॥१॥ अवघा वरपंग सारा । पोटीं विषयांचा थारा ॥ध्रु.॥ मुद्रा लावितां कोरोनि । मान व्हावयासी जनीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे ऐसे किती । नरका गेले पुढें जाती ॥३॥

Literal translation

Ṭīḷā ṭōpī uñca dāvī(he) shows ṭīḷā (forehead-mark) (and) ṭōpī (cap) (held-) uñca (high); jagī mī ēka gōsāvī(claiming) in the world: I am the one (and only) gosāvī (renunciate-yogi). Avaghā vara-panga sārāthe whole vara-panga (outside-show, surface-display) (is) just (such); pōṭī viṣayāñcā thārā(in the) pōṭī (belly) is the thārā (resting-place) of viṣaya (sense-objects). Mudrā lāvitām kōrōnīengraved (kōrōnī) mudrā (sectarian-marks, body-stamps) — (he) applies (them); māna hvāvayāsī janīfor māna (honor) to-come-about among jana (people). Tukā says: aisē kitīhow many such; narakā gele puḍhē jātīhave gone to naraka — (and) will keep-going-ahead.

What it means

The 3rd-verse of the 4-abhang anti-fake-renunciate cluster (2844-2847). Targets the pseudo-gosāvī — the ostentatious renunciate with-sect-marks-and-claims.

Ṭīḷā ṭōpī uñca dāvī — jagī mī ēka gōsāvī(he) shows ṭīḷā (forehead-mark) and ṭōpī (cap) high — (claims) in the world: I am the one gosāvī. The ṭīḷā — the sectarian forehead-mark. The ṭōpī — perhaps the renunciate-cap. He displays them uñca (high, prominently) and claims mī ēka gōsāvīI am the (one and only) gosāvī*.

Avaghā vara-panga sārā — pōṭī viṣayāñcā thārāwhole vara-panga (outside-decoration) just-such; (in the) belly, the resting-place of viṣaya. Vara-panga — the outside-display. The belly (interior, hidden) holds the viṣaya-thārā — the sense-object-resting-place. The interior is opposite-to-the-exterior.

Mudrā lāvitām kōrōnī — māna hvāvayāsī janīengraved mudrās he applies — for the sake of māna among jana. Mudrā — the sectarian body-stamps (sometimes-tattooed or branded-on the chest or arms). Kōrōnīengraved, carved-in. The motivation: māna hvāvayāsī janīto-obtain honor among people. The body-marking is for social-status, not for sādhana.

The close: Tukā mhaṇe aisē kitī — narakā gele puḍhē jātīTukā: how many such — have gone to naraka — will keep going-ahead. The forward-projection: many have gone to hell for this; many more will go. The narrative continues.

For someone today

A canonical anti-pseudo-gosāvī-show polemic. (He) shows ṭīḷā (forehead-mark) and ṭōpī high — (claims): I am the one gosāvī. The whole outside-decoration is just-such; in the belly is the resting-place of viṣaya. Engraved mudrās applied — for the sake of honor among people. How many such — gone to naraka — will keep going. Three diagnostics: (1) high-show of sect-marks + I-am-the-one-gosāvī claim = ostentation; (2) outside-decoration with inside-viṣaya is the standard-hypocrite-pattern; (3) body-marks done-for-social-honor are not sādhana. The naraka eschatological-claim is intended-to-sober: this is not victimless — it leads to hell.

Where this applies

Related verses