संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 3783 of 4582

Abhanga 3783

Sāmāve kāraṇa — the essential is the cause; nāhīm sōsata dharaṇe — holding (otherwise) is not tolerated.

Tukārām's low-earning-shameful-press; spit-on-stink-when-flower-near canonical anti-low-livelihood polemic

The verse

सामावे कारण । नाहीं सोसत धरणें ॥१॥ लादी थींके लाजिरवाणी । हीनकमाईंची घाणी ॥ध्रु.॥ पुष्प जवळी नाका । दुगपधीच्या नांवें थुंका ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे किती । उपदेशहीन जाती ॥३॥

Literal translation

Sāmāve kāraṇathe essential is the cause; nāhīm sōsata dharaṇeholding (otherwise) is not tolerated. Lādī thīmke lājiravāṇīthe lādī urinates shamefully; hīnakamāīmchī ghāṇīthe press of low-earning. Puṣpa javaḷī nākāflower near the nose; dugapadhīchyā nāmve thumkāspit on the name of stink. Tukā mhaṇe kitīTukā says: how many; upadeśa-hīna jātīgo without instruction!.

What it means

A 3-verse compressed text on essential-vs-low-livelihood. The-essential-is-the-cause; can't-bear-just-holding-on; the-low-earning-press is-shameful-as-a-urinating-beast; with-a-flower-near, spit-on-the-name-of-stench; how-many-go without-upadeśa!

For someone today

Tukārām: low-base-livelihood-is-shameful; once-the-flower-is-near (true-instruction), the-old-stink-is-spat-upon; many-go-without-ever-receiving-the-teaching.

Where this applies