Abhanga 2962
One of THE most-specific 17th-c anti-fake-guru polemics. By guru-mārga, one is always corrupted — they say there is no caste-clan in Brahman. They tell the pure one — no need for ritual-thorn; they call (everyone) spiritual-without-name. They give upadeśa to low-jāti, women, children. By force-and-trick they make brahmin-disciples — opens public-shame of sva-dharma. Without doing proper hōma, they eat together — saying no pāpa, only mokṣa. In the sense-market they give good license — limits and tolls waived. No scripture-warrant, no pātra-apātra-discrimination — they give-upadeśa to-take-money. Such guru-disciple pairs — by Viṭhōbā's oath — go to naraka.
The verse
गुरुमार्गामुळें भ्रष्ट सर्वकाळ । म्हणती याती कुळ नाहीं ब्रम्हीं ॥१॥
पवित्राला म्हणती नको हा कंटक । मानिती आत्मिक अनामिका ॥ध्रु.॥
डोहोर होलार दासी बलुती बारा । उपदेशिती फारा रांडापोरा ॥२॥
कांहीं टाण्या टोण्या विप्र शिष्य होती । उघडी फजिती स्वधर्माची ॥३॥
नसता करुनी होम खाती एके ठायीं । म्हणती पाप नाहीं मोक्ष येणें ॥४॥
इंद्रियांचे पेठे भला कौल देती । मर्यादा जकाती माफ केली ॥५॥
नाहीं शास्त्राधार पात्रापात्र नेणे । उपदेशून घेणें द्रव्य कांहीं ॥६॥
तुका म्हणे ऐसे गुरु शिष्य पूर्ण । विठोबाची आण नरका जाती ॥७॥
Literal translation
Guru-mārgāmuḷe bhraṣṭa sarva-kāḷa — by guru-mārga (guru-traditions) one is always bhraṣṭa (corrupted); mhaṇatī yātī kuḷa nāhī Brahmī — (they) say there is no yāti-kuḷa (caste-and-clan) in Brahman. Pavitrālā mhaṇatī nakō hā kaṇṭaka — (they) tell the pavitra (pure) one — no need for this kaṇṭaka (thorn, ritual-discipline); mānitī ātmika anāmikā — (they) call (everyone) ātmika-anāmika (spiritual-without-name). Ḍōhōra hōlāra dāsī balutī bārā — ḍōhōra, hōlāra, dāsī, balutī-bārā (low-jāti groups); upadeśitī phārā rāṇḍā-pōrā — they give upadeśa in great numbers, (also to) women and children. Kāmhī tāṇyā tōṇyā vipra śiṣya hōtī — (by) tāṇyā-tōṇyā (force and trick) some make vipra (brahmins) disciples; ughaḍī fajitī sva-dharmāñcī — (this) opens fajitī (public-shame) of sva-dharma. Nasatā karunī hōma khātī eke ṭhāyī — not having done (proper) hōma, (they) eat at one place; mhaṇatī pāpa nāhī mōkṣa yeṇe — (they) say (there is) no pāpa, (only) mokṣa by this. Indriyāñce peṭhē bhalā kaula detī — in the indriya-peṭhā (market of senses) (they) give a good kaula (permission, license); maryādā jakātī māfa kelī — maryādā (limits) and jakātī (tolls, fees) waived. Nāhī śāstrādhāra pātrāpātra neṇe — (there is) no śāstrādhāra (scriptural-warrant); (they) don't know pātrāpātra (suitable-or-not recipient); upadeśun gheṇe dravya kāmhī — (their) giving-upadeśa (is) for-taking-money. Tukā says: aise guru śiṣya pūrṇa — such complete guru-śiṣya (pairs); Viṭhōbāñcī āṇa narakā jātī — by Viṭhōbā's oath, (they) go to naraka.
What it means
A striking 7-verse polemic against fake-gurus of Tukārām's time — one of the most-specific-and-detailed social-criticism texts in the corpus. The verse documents-specific 17th-c-Maharashtra-practices that Tukārām condemns.
The seven-fold-charge-list: 1. Guru-mārga-makes-bhraṣṭa — claims-no-jāti-in-Brahman as a pretense for moral-license 2. Calls-pure-discipline a thorn — discourages-the-pavitra-from-discipline; calls-everyone ātmika-anāmika 3. Gives-upadeśa indiscriminately to low-jāti groups, women, children 4. By force-and-trick makes-vipras-disciples; opens-public-shame-of-sva-dharma 5. Eats-together without-proper-hōma; claims no-pāpa, only-mokṣa 6. Licenses-the-indriya-market — waives maryādā-and-jakātī 7. No-śāstra-backing, no-discrimination of-recipient, takes-money
The close: Viṭhōbāñcī āṇa narakā jātī — by the oath of Viṭhōbā, (these guru-śiṣya pairs) go to hell. The eschatological-verdict.
Note on social-context: This verse must-be-read-in-its-17th-c-context. Some of the charges (giving upadeśa-to-low-jātīs-women-children) sit-uneasily-with Tukārām's-own-bhakti-democratization (2864 all-have-adhikāra, 2369 no-caste-in-Name, 2755 śūdra-vamśī). The text appears to-attack-specific-cults that-Tukārām-saw-as-exploitative-rather-than-genuinely-democratic: the diagnostic-element is taking-money (verse 7) and no-śāstra-pātra-apātra (verse 6). The point is not the giving-of-upadeśa to-the-low-jāti, but the mercenary-and-undisciplined nature of-the-cult.
This pairs with 2844-2847 (4-abhang anti-fake-renunciate cluster) as the anti-fake-guru cluster — both criticize specific 17th-c-practices (tobacco-cannabis in 2847; mercenary-upadeśa in 2962).
For someone today
One of THE most-specific 17th-c anti-fake-guru polemics. By guru-mārga, one is always corrupted — they say there is no caste-clan in Brahman. They tell the pure one — no need for ritual-thorn; they call (everyone) spiritual-without-name. They give upadeśa to low-jāti, women, children. By force-and-trick they make brahmin-disciples — opens public-shame of sva-dharma. Without doing proper hōma, they eat together — saying no pāpa, only mokṣa. In the sense-market they give good license — limits and tolls waived. No scripture-warrant, no pātra-apātra-discrimination — they give-upadeśa to-take-money. Such guru-disciple pairs — by Viṭhōbā's oath — go to naraka.
The diagnostic-test for fake-gurus: (1) mercenary motive (take-money); (2) no-śāstra-backing; (3) no-discrimination of-recipient; (4) license-the-indriya-market (permit-sense-indulgence); (5) claim-no-pāpa without-discipline; (6) public-shame-of-sva-dharma. Modern-readers should-contextualize the caste-and-gender-elements within-17th-c-Tukārām-framework (and-note-his-own-democratizing-bhakti).
Where this applies
- One of THE most-specific 17th-c anti-fake-guru polemics in the corpus
- Documentary-evidence of 17th-c-Maharashtra fake-guru practices
- Viṭhōbā-oath-naraka-bound anti-fake-guru-disciple warning
- Pairs with 2844-2847 (anti-fake-renunciate cluster), 2882 (mūngī-sugar humility)