Abhanga 3141
Stutī athavā nimdā karāvī devāñcī — stuti or nindā done about Deva; adhama tō vechī vyartha vāṇī — the adhama wastes vāṇī in vain.
The verse
स्तुती अथवा निंदा करावी देवाची । अधम तो वेची व्यर्थ वाणी ॥१॥
आइकोनि होती बहिर हे बोल । वेचूनि ते मोल नरका जाती ॥ध्रु.॥
इह लोकीं थुंका उडे तोंडावरी । करणें अघोरी वास लागे ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे माप वाचेऐसें निकें । भरलें नरकें निंदेसाटीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Stutī athavā nimdā karāvī devāñcī — stuti or nindā done about Deva; adhama tō vechī vyartha vāṇī — the adhama wastes vāṇī in vain. Āikōnī hōtī bahira he bōla — hearing (this), (ears) become deaf; vechūnī te mōla narakā jātī — spending the mōla, (they) go to naraka. Iha lōkīm thunkā uḍe tōṇḍāvarī — here, thunka falls on (such a) mouth; karaṇe aghōrī vāsa lāge — aghora-vāsa attaches. Tukā mhaṇe māpa vāche-aise nike — Tukā says: the measure of (good) vāchā is fine; bharale narake nimdesāṭīm — (but) filled with naraka through nindā.
What it means
A 3-verse polemic against gossiping-about-Deva (whether-as-praise-or-blame). The argument: both-stuti-and-nindā-without-bhāva are-vyartha; hearing-such-words deafens; spenders-go-to-naraka; spit-falls-on-such-mouths; aghora-stink-attaches.
The radical-claim: even-stuti (praise) without-true-bhāva is-vyartha-vāṇī. Hollow-religious-talk is-just-as-bad as nindā.
For someone today
Tukārām's anti-vyartha-vāṇī polemic. (Either) praise or blame of Deva — the lowest wastes (his) speech on it in vain. Hearing (such words), (the ears) become deaf; spending (such) value, they go to naraka. In this world, spit falls on (such a) mouth; terrible-stink attaches. The measure of (good) speech is fine — but (his speech) is filled with naraka through nindā. The verse permits the speech-discrimination: vyartha-vāṇī (whether-stuti-or-nindā) leads-to-naraka.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's anti-nindā-stuti polemic
- Hollow-religious-talk = vyartha-vāṇī claim