Abhanga 3095
Tukārām condemns the person who calls a guru's foot water unclean yet drinks alcohol freely, and who refuses a humble gesture of respect yet chases indulgence without hesitation.
The verse
गुरुपादाग्रींचें जळ । त्यास मानी जो विटाळ ॥१॥
संतीं वाळिला जो खळ । नरकीं पचे चिरकाळ ॥ध्रु.॥
गुरुतीर्थी अनमान । यथासांग मद्यपान ॥२॥
गुरुअंगुष्टा न चोखी । मुख घाली वेश्येमुखीं ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे सांगों किती । मुखीं पडो त्याचे माती ॥४॥
Literal translation
Gurupādāgrīñce jaḷa — the water from guru's foot-tip; tyāsa mānī jō viṭāḷa — (the one) who considers it viṭāḷa. Samtīm vāḷilā jō khaḷa — (the) khaḷa excluded by sants; narakīm pache chirakāḷa — burns in naraka for-eternity. Gurutīrthī anamāna — anumāna at guru-tīrtha; yathāsānga madyapāna — with yathā-sānga (systematic) drinks alcohol. Guru-anguṣṭā na chōkhī — doesn't suck guru's anguṣṭha; mukha ghālī veśye-mukhīm — puts mouth in veśyā-mukha. Tukā mhaṇe sāngōm kitī — Tukā says: how much can (I) tell; mukhīm paḍō tyāñce māṭī — let māṭi fall in his mouth.
What it means
A strong 4-verse anti-guru-disrespect polemic by Tukārām with sharp 17th-c language.
The 3 specific-contrasts of-the-corrupt-disciple: 1. Considers guru's-foot-water as-viṭāḷa, but-drinks-alcohol-systematically — sacred-rejected-while-defiling-accepted 2. Doesn't-suck guru's-toe (humility-rite), but-puts-mouth-in-veśyā's-mouth — humility-refused, lust-accepted 3. Excluded-by-sants and-burned-in-naraka-for-eternity
Closing-curse: let-dust-fall-in-his-mouth (a-curse-of-death-or-silencing).
The polemic is sharp-and-bound-to-17th-c-context. The diagnostic-element is guru-disrespect coupled-with-defiling-conduct (alcohol, prostitute). Compare-the-anti-distorted-priorities-cluster (3052-3057).
For someone today
Tukārām's sharp polemic against disrespecting the guru. The one who considers the water from the tip of the guru's feet as defilement — that rogue, excluded by the sants, burns for eternity in naraka. He has doubts at the guru's sacred waters, yet drinks alcohol without hesitation. He will not so much as touch his lips to the guru's toe, but puts his mouth to a prostitute's mouth. How much more can I say — let dust fall into his mouth. The verse allows this strict injunction against disrespecting the guru while indulging in defiling conduct.
मराठी: तुकारामांची ही गुरुअनादराविरुद्धची कडक टीका आहे. जो गुरूच्या पायाच्या अग्रावरील पाणी विटाळ मानतो — तो दुष्ट संतांनी वाळलेला असतो, नरकात चिरकाळ जळतो. गुरुतीर्थाबद्दल त्याला शंका असते, तरी तो बिनदिक्कत मद्यपान करतो. गुरूच्या अंगठ्याला तो चुंबन देत नाही, पण वेश्येच्या तोंडात आपले तोंड घालतो. किती सांगू — त्याच्या तोंडात माती पडो. हा अभंग गुरुअनादर आणि विटाळकारक आचरण एकत्र असण्याविरुद्धचा कठोर नियम मान्य करतो.
Where this applies
- Strong anti-guru-disrespect polemic
- Uses 17th-c sharp pejorative-language; bound-to-time
- 3 specific-paired-contrasts (foot-water vs alcohol, toe vs prostitute)
- Companion to anti-distorted-priorities cluster (3052-3057)