Abhanga 3067
Mocking or hunting for flaws in sincerely devoted people does not harm them; it corrupts the mocker's own mouth and judgment.
The verse
संतांच्या हेळणे बाटलें जें तोंड । प्रत्यक्ष तें कुंड चर्मकाचें ॥१॥
भेसळीचें वीर्य ऐशा अनुभवें । आपुलें परावें नाहीं खळा ॥ध्रु.॥
संतांचा जो शोध करितो चांडाळ । धरावा विठाळ बहु त्याचा ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे केली प्रज्ञा या च साटीं । कांहीं माझे पोटीं शंका नाहीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Samtāñcyā heḷaṇe bāṭale je tōṇḍa — the mouth that has been defiled by mocking of sants; pratyakṣa te kuṇḍa charmakāñce — is literally the kuṇḍa of a charmakāra. Bhesaḷīñce vīrya aiśā anubhave — the mixed-vīrya by such anubhava; āpule parāve nāhī khaḷā — no distinction of own-or-other in the khaḷa. Samtāñcā jō śōdha karitō chāmḍāḷa — the chāṇḍāḷa who looks-for-(flaws-in-)sants; dharāvā viṭāḷa bahu tyāñcā — hold his viṭāḷa (pollution) far. Tukā mhaṇe kelī prajñā yā cha sāṭīm — Tukā says: I have made-prajñā for this; kāmhī mājhe pōṭīm śankā nāhī — no śankā in my belly.
What it means
A strong 3-verse anti-sant-mocker polemic by Tukārām.
The 3 sharp-claims: 1. The mouth-mocking-sants is-literally a tannery-pit — defiled-substance 2. Mixed-vīrya-anubhava — no-own-other-distinction in-the-khaḷa — rogue-lacks-loyalty 3. The chāṇḍāḷa-who-seeks-sants'-flaws — keep-his-pollution-far
Closing-claim: I-have-said-this-with-prajñā; no-doubt-in-my-belly.
The text uses 17th-c pejorative-language (charmakāra-kuṇḍa, chāṇḍāḷa-viṭāḷa, bhesaḷīñce-vīrya) — must-be-read historically. The diagnostic-element is mocking-of-sants and-seeking-their-flaws — these-conducts make-the-person-spiritually-unfit (viṭāḷa-bahu-tyāñcā).
This is a reverse-companion to 3050 (sants'-māgī-māti-be-on-me) and 2887 (sant-pūjā): there the bhakta-seeks-sant-association, here Tukārām warns-against-the-opposite (sant-mocking).
The closing-claim kelī prajñā (deliberate-considered-resolve) is striking — Tukārām claims-explicit-prajñā-backing for-this-strong-language. Compare-3048's kelī-prajñā-manāśīm.
For someone today
Tukārām's anti-sant-mocker polemic. The mouth that has been defiled by mocking of sants is literally the pit of a tanner. The mixed-vīrya — by such anubhava — has no distinction of own-or-other in the rogue. The chāṇḍāḷa who looks for flaws in the sants — hold his pollution far. I have said this with deliberate-considered-resolve — there is no doubt in my belly. The verse permits the strict injunction against mocking the sants and seeking out their flaws.
मराठी: तुकारामांचा हा संतांची निंदा करणाऱ्यांविरुद्धचा तीव्र अभंग आहे. संतांची टिंगल करून बाटलेले तोंड म्हणजे चांभाराच्या कुंडासारखेच आहे. अशा अनुभवाने मिसळलेल्या वृत्तीत त्या दुष्टाला आपले-परके असा भेदच उरत नाही. जो चांडाळ संतांमध्ये दोष शोधत फिरतो — त्याचे विटाळलेपण दूरच ठेवावे. हे मी विचारपूर्वक ठरवून सांगितले आहे — माझ्या मनात याबद्दल कसलीही शंका नाही. या अभंगातून संतांची निंदा करणे आणि त्यांच्यात दोष शोधणे यांविरुद्ध कडक इशारा दिला जातो.
Where this applies
- When you catch yourself mocking someone's sincere devotion or faith because it seems old-fashioned or excessive
- When you're around people who enjoy picking apart the flaws of genuinely good-hearted people
- When you're tempted to score points by tearing down someone's spiritual practice
- When you need to speak a hard truth and wonder how much conviction to put behind it