Abhanga 3873
The verse
न कळे ब्रम्हज्ञान आचार विचार । लटिका वेव्हार करीतसे ॥१॥
विश्वामित्री पोटीं तयाचा अवतार । नांव महाखर चांडाळाचें ॥ध्रु.॥
द्रव्यइच्छेसाटीं करीतसे कथा । काय त्या पापिष्ठा न मिळे खाया ॥२॥
पोट पोसावया तोंडें बडबडी । नाहीं धडफुडी एक गोष्टी ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे तया काय व्याली रांड । येउनिया भंड जनामध्यें ॥४॥
Literal translation
No-brahma-jñāna-no-āchāra-vichāra — laṭikā-vēvhāra. Viśvāmitra-in-pōṭa — mahā-khara-chāṇḍāḷa. For-dravya-iccha-does-kathā — find-eating-elsewhere? Pōṭa-pōṣaṇē-tongue-baḍabaḍa — no-dhaḍa-phuḍī. Tukā: what-rāṇḍa-bore — bhaṇḍa-among-jana.
What it means
★ A 4-verse anti-mercenary-kathākāra polemic. He knows no brahma-knowledge, no conduct, no reflection — he carries on a false business. His incarnation is from Viśvāmitra's womb — name him great-ass-chāṇḍāḷa. He does kathā for money — could that sinner not find food elsewhere? To fill his belly, his tongue chatters — not one whole-and-clean thing. What woman bore him! — when he turns up among people, only mess. The accusation is sociologically specific: 17th-c. travelling-kathākāras who didn't know the doctrine but ran kathā as a paid-business. Pair with 3074 (anti-monetized-kīrtana), 2962 (anti-fake-guru), 2844-2847 (anti-fake-renunciate cluster).
For someone today
Tukārām: the-mercenary-kathākāra-knows-no-brahma-jñāna-just-chatters-for-money — find-eating-elsewhere.
Where this applies
- ★ Tukārām's anti-mercenary-kathākāra canonical
- Pair with 3074 (anti-monetized-kīrtana), 2962 (anti-fake-guru)