Abhanga 2973
Kastūrīñce rūpa atī hīnavara — the rūpa (form) of kastūrī (musk) is very hīnavara (low-grade in appearance); māji ase sāra mōla tayā — but inside (it) is the sāra-mōla (essential-value).
The verse
कस्तूरीचें रूप अति हीनवर । माजी असे सार मोल तया ॥१॥
आणीक ही तैसीं चंदनाचीं झाडें । परिमळें वाढे मोल तयां ॥ध्रु.॥
काय रूपें असे परीस चांगला । धातु केली मोला वाढ तेणें ॥२॥
फिरंगी आटितां नये बारा रुके । गुणें मोलें विकें सहस्रवरी ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे नाहीं जातीसवें काम । ज्याचे मुखीं नाम तो चि धन्य ॥४॥
Literal translation
Kastūrīñce rūpa atī hīnavara — the rūpa (form) of kastūrī (musk) is very hīnavara (low-grade in appearance); māji ase sāra mōla tayā — but inside (it) is the sāra-mōla (essential-value). Āṇīka hī taisīm chandanāñcīm jhāḍe — likewise also the chandana (sandal) trees; parimaḷe vāḍhe mōla tayām — by parimaḷa (fragrance), their mōla (value) grows. Kāya rūpe ase pārisa chāngalā — what (beautiful) rūpa does pārisa (philosopher's-stone) have?; dhātu kelī mōlā vāḍha teṇe — (yet) it grows the mōla of dhātu (metals). Firangī āṭitām nye bārā ruke — when firangī (fine-steel-blade) is āṭitām (melted), (it brings) not (even) 12 ruke (small-coins); guṇe mōle vike sahasra-varī — but by (its) guṇa, it sells for a sahasra (thousand)-fold. Tukā says: nāhī jātīsave kāma — there is no business with jāti; jyāñce mukhī nāma tō chi dhanya — (he) in whose mouth is the Name, that one alone is dhanya (blessed).
What it means
A striking 5-verse inner-quality-over-outer-jāti image-verse. The four-fold-image-set demonstrates that outer-appearance is irrelevant; inner-quality is decisive. Then the conclusion: no-jāti-matters; only-Nāma-in-mouth.
Four-fold-images: 1. Kastūrī (musk) — low-grade in appearance (musk-bag is a small-ugly-thing); but the sāra (essence) inside has-the-real-value 2. Chandana (sandalwood) — the tree is just-a-tree; the fragrance makes-it-valuable 3. Pāris (philosopher's-stone) — no-beautiful-form; but turns-metals-to-gold (grows their mōla) 4. Firangī (fine-steel-blade) — if-melted-down, only-12-small-coins; but as-a-finished-quality-blade, sells-for-thousands
Conclusion: no business with jāti — only Nāma-in-mouth makes-one dhanya. The radical-bhakti-democratization-claim: as outer-form-is-irrelevant-for-musk-and-sandal-and-pāris-and-blade, so jāti-is-irrelevant-for-the-bhakta — only-Nāma matters.
Note: this is the positive bhakti-democratization claim that pairs-with-and-tempers the 2971 caste-pejorative-rhetoric. Tukārām's-actual-position on caste is no-jāti-matters; only-Nāma.
For someone today
THE canonical inner-quality-over-outer-jāti image-set. The form of musk is very low-grade in appearance — but inside is the essential-value. Likewise, the sandal trees — by fragrance, their value grows. What (beautiful) form does the philosopher's-stone have? — yet it grows the value of metals. When fine-steel is melted, (it brings) not 12 small-coins — but by (its) quality, it sells for a thousand-fold. There is no business with jāti — (he) in whose mouth is the Name, that one alone is blessed. The verse provides four parallel-images of outer-low-yet-inner-precious: musk, sandal, philosopher's-stone, fine-steel-blade. The application: jāti is outer-appearance; Nāma-mouth is inner-quality; the bhakta is judged-by-Nāma, not-by-jāti. This is one of THE clearest bhakti-democratization-claims in the corpus.
Where this applies
- THE canonical inner-quality-over-outer-jāti image-set
- Recognizing four-fold-image-set for inner-quality
- No-business-with-jāti; Nāma-mouth-blessed claim
- Pairs with 2369 (no-caste-in-Name), 2864 (all-have-adhikāra), 2755 (śūdra-vamśī), 2906 (yoga-of-elevation)