Abhanga 3056
Sādhūñcyā darśanā lājasī gavhārā — (you are) ashamed of sādhu-darśana, gavhārā; veśyeñciyā gharā puṣpe nesī — (you) carry flowers to the veśyā's house.
The verse
साधूच्या दर्शना लाजसी गव्हारा । वेश्येचिया घरा पुष्पें नेसी ॥१॥
वेश्या दासी मुरळी जगाची वोंवळी । ते तुज सोंवळी वाटे कैशी ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे आतां लाज धरीं बुच्या । टांचराच्या कुच्या मारा वेगीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Sādhūñcyā darśanā lājasī gavhārā — (you are) ashamed of sādhu-darśana, gavhārā; veśyeñciyā gharā puṣpe nesī — (you) carry flowers to the veśyā's house. Veśyā dāsī muraḷī jagāñcī vōmvaḷī — veśyā, dāsī, muraḷī are the world's vōmvaḷī (defilement); te tuja sōmvaḷī vāṭe kaisī — how to you they seem sōmvaḷī (pure). Tukā mhaṇe ātām lāja dharīm buchyā — Tukā says: hold (some) lāja now, buchyā; ṭāmcharāñcyā kuchyā mārā vegīm — beat the worthless-ones quickly.
What it means
A continuation of-the-anti-distorted-priorities cluster by Tukārām.
The contrast: Ashamed-of-sādhu-darśana but flowers-to-veśyā-house. The diagnostic: veśyā/dāsī/muraḷī are the world's-defilement, yet-the-corrupt-householder sees-them-as-pure. Closing: hold-shame, you-worthless-one.
★ The verse engages 17th-c social-categories that-must-be-read historically. Muraḷī refers-to a-temple-attendant who-was-often a-form-of-religious-prostitute (deva-dāsī tradition); Tukārām's-target is those-who-treat-religious-spaces-as-libertine-spaces while-shunning-actual-bhakti.
The verse is part-of the-anti-distorted-priorities-cluster (3052/3053/3056/3057). All-four-texts share-the-structure of-specific-paired-contrasts: the-corrupt-householder honors-status/sensual-pleasure but-not-actual-sant-or-bhakti.
For someone today
Tukārām's anti-distorted-priorities polemic. (You are) ashamed of sādhu-darśana, rude-clown — but you carry flowers to the veśyā's house. Veśyā, dāsī, muraḷī are the world's defilement — but how is it that to you they seem pure? Hold some shame now, you worthless-one. The verse permits the diagnostic of-inverted-priorities-honoring-the-defiling-while-shunning-the-pure.
Where this applies
- ★ Anti-distorted-priorities cluster (with 3052/3053/3057)
- Veśyā-considered-pure, sādhu-considered-shameful inverted-priorities
- 17th-c social-categories — must-be-read historically
- Hold-shame, buchyā sharp-closing-rebuke