Abhanga 3976
Kṣamāśastra jayā narāciyā hātīm — duṣṭa tayāprati kāya karī — (in) whose hand kṣamā-śastra (is) — what can duṣṭa do to him.
The verse
क्षमाशस्त्र जया नराचिया हातीं । दुष्ट तयाप्रति काय करी ॥१॥
तृण नाहीं तेथें पडे दावाग्नि । जाय तो विझोनि आपसया ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे क्षमा सर्वांचें स्वहित । धरा अखंडित सुखरूप ॥३॥
Literal translation
Kṣamāśastra jayā narāciyā hātīm — duṣṭa tayāprati kāya karī — (in) whose hand kṣamā-śastra (is) — what can duṣṭa do to him. Trṇa nāhīm tethēm paḍē dāvāgni — jāya tō vijhōni āpasayā — where there is no grass, forest-fire falls — it goes extinguishing by itself. Tukā mhaṇe kṣamā sarvāñcēm svahita — dharā akhaṇḍita sukharūpa — Tukā says: kṣamā is everyone's svahita — hold unbroken, joy-formed.
What it means
A 3-verse canonical kṣamā-śastra. Forgiveness-as-weapon — what-can-the-wicked-do; like-fire-with-no-grass — it-self-extinguishes; kṣamā is-everyone's-svahita — hold-it-unbroken, sukha-rūpa. Among Tukārām's most-quoted kṣamā-anchors.
For someone today
Tukārām counsels: forgiveness is-the-best-weapon — anger-with-nothing-to-burn-extinguishes-itself.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's canonical kṣamā-śastra text
- Companion to anti-anger and ethical-discipline texts