Abhanga 3907
Tukaram condemns the man who wears a mask of respectability in public but abuses his own family and chases profit anywhere, saying self-interest has simply drowned out proper conduct.
The verse
जगीं ब्रम्हक्रिया खिस्तीचा व्यापार । हिंडे घरोघर चांडाळाचे ॥१॥
आंतेजा खिचडी घेताती मागून । गाळिप्रधानि मायबहिणी ॥ध्रु.॥
उत्तमकुळीं जन्म क्रिया अमंगळ । बुडविलें कुळ उभयतां ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे ऐसी कलयुगाची चाली । स्वाथॉ बुडविलीं आचरणें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Brahma-kriyā-mask — Khistīcha-vyāpāra — wanders-chāṇḍāḷa-house-to-house. Takes-āntēja-khichaḍī — abuses-māya-bahaṇī. Uttama-kuḷī — kriyā-amangaḷa — ruined-both-kula. Tukā: Kali-yuga-chālī — svārtha-buḍavalē-āchaṇa.
What it means
A 3-verse anti-corrupt-brāhmaṇa polemic (paired with 3906). In the world he wears the mask of brāhmaṇa-conduct — but his business is of strife; he wanders house-to-house of the chāṇḍāḷas. He takes the untouchable's khichaḍī (cooked food) trailing after them — but speaks abuse to his own mother-sister. Born in a noble clan, his acts are inauspicious — he has ruined both clans. Such is the Kali-yuga way — self-interest has drowned all proper-conduct. The specific accusations: (a) public ritual-purity, but eating from untouchables when money is involved; (b) abusing his own female relatives. Compare 3906 (companion), 3072 (anti-distorted-priorities cluster).
For someone today
Tukaram continues his complaint about a man who wears the mask of religious conduct in public while his actual dealings are all quarrel and self-interest, going door to door among the poorest and lowest people whenever there's food or profit to be had from them. Yet the same man turns around and speaks abusively to his own mother and sister. Born into a respected family, his behavior has brought shame on everyone connected to him. Tukaram's verdict is blunt: this is what happens in a corrupt age, self-interest simply drowns out decent conduct.
मराठी: तुकाराम पुढे तक्रार करतात की एक माणूस बाहेरून धार्मिक वर्तनाचा मुखवटा घालतो, पण त्याचे खरे व्यवहार भांडण आणि स्वार्थाने भरलेले असतात, आणि तो गरीब व खालच्या समजल्या जाणाऱ्या लोकांच्या दारोदारी फिरतो जिथे अन्न किंवा फायदा मिळण्याची शक्यता असते. तरीही तोच माणूस आपल्या आई-बहिणीशी अपमानास्पद बोलतो. सन्मानित घराण्यात जन्मूनही त्याच्या वागण्याने त्याच्याशी जोडलेल्या सगळ्यांना लाज आणली आहे. तुकारामांचा निर्णय स्पष्ट आहे, भ्रष्ट काळात असेच घडते, स्वार्थ सभ्य वर्तनाला बुडवून टाकतो.
Where this applies
- When someone acts respectably in public but treats vulnerable people badly in private for gain
- When a person shows more courtesy to strangers than to their own family
- When you see someone's outward reputation and inner behavior sharply contradict each other
- When you notice self-interest quietly overriding basic decency in yourself or others