Abhanga 3165
Repeated disgraceful conduct can so corrode a person's standing that even their remaining good qualities come to be seen with suspicion.
The verse
एवढी अपकीर्ती । ऐकोनियां फजीती ॥१॥
जरि दाविल वदन । थुंका थुंका तो देखोन ॥ध्रु.॥
काळिमेचें जिणें । जीऊनियां राहे सुनें ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे गुण । दरुषणें अपशकुन ॥३॥
Literal translation
Evaḍhī apakīrtī, aikōnīyām phajītī — such defamation; hearing the shame. Jari dāvila vadana, thunkā thunkā tō dekhōna — if (he) shows face, spit-spit on seeing. Kāḷimeñce jiṇe, jīūnīyām rāhe sune — blackened living; living but stays sun-less. Tukā mhaṇe guṇa-darśane apaśakuna — qualities-and-sight (are) ill-omen.
What it means
A sharp judgment-text on disgraced-conduct: if-such-a-one-shows-face, spit-on-sight; his-living-is-blackness.
For someone today
Tukaram delivers a sharp judgment on someone whose conduct has become so disgraceful that hearing about it brings shame to all involved. He says if such a person shows their face, others will spit at the sight of them, and that their way of living has become a kind of blackness, alive but without light or warmth. He concludes that even their good qualities, seen now, feel like a bad omen. It is a stark reminder of how deeply certain choices can corrode a person's standing and how others come to see them.
मराठी: तुकाराम अशा एका व्यक्तीबद्दल तीव्र निर्णय देतात, ज्याचे वर्तन इतके लज्जास्पद झाले आहे की त्याबद्दल ऐकल्यावरही लाज वाटते. ते म्हणतात की अशा व्यक्तीने तोंड दाखवले, तर लोक त्याला पाहून थुंकतील, आणि त्याचे जगणे एक प्रकारच्या काळिमेसारखे झाले आहे, जिवंत असूनही प्रकाश आणि उबेशिवाय. ते शेवटी म्हणतात की आता त्याचे गुणही, दिसले तरी, अपशकुनासारखे वाटतात. काही निवडी माणसाची प्रतिष्ठा किती खोलवर खराब करू शकतात आणि इतर लोक त्याला कसे पाहू लागतात, याची ही एक कठोर आठवण आहे.
Where this applies
- When someone's repeated dishonorable behavior has destroyed the trust others once had in them
- When you notice how a pattern of bad conduct changes the way a community sees a person entirely
- When you feel tempted to excuse a serious wrong because the person still has some good qualities
- When you consider how your own repeated choices could shape your reputation over time