संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 3801 of 4582

Abhanga 3801

Tukārām's rāja-must-punish-the-criminal; farmer-must-weed; sants-must-not-be-treated-anuchita canonical social-ethics

The verse

अन्यायासी राजा जरि न करितां दंड । बहुचक ते लंड पीडिती जना ॥१॥ ने करी निगा कुणबी न काढितां तण । कैंचे येती कण हातासी ते ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे संतां करूं नये अनुचित । पाप नाहीं नीत विचारिता ॥३॥

Literal translation

Rāja-doesn't-danḍa-criminal — many-rascals-torment-people. Farmer-doesn't-weed — no-grain-comes-to-hand. Tukā: don't-do-anuchita-to-sants — no-pāpa-by-nīti.

What it means

A 3-verse parallel-analogy social-ethics text. If the king doesn't punish the wrongdoer, many rascals torment the people. If the farmer doesn't weed, no grain comes to hand. Don't do wrong to the sants — it is no sin, examined by policy (i.e., punishing those who wrong sants is the correct policy, like the king punishing criminals). The structure: two well-known agrarian/political principles, then the third applied case — protect the santas as you protect the kingdom-and-field.

For someone today

Tukārām: king-must-punish-rascals — farmer-must-weed — likewise sants-must-be-protected.

Where this applies

Related verses