Abhanga 3977
Yāti guṇēm rūpa kāya te vānara — tayāñcyā vichārēm varte rāma — by yāti-guṇa-rūpa, what are they but monkeys — yet by their vichāra Rāma acts.
The verse
याति गुणें रूप काय ते वानर । तयांच्या विचारें वर्ते राम ॥१॥
ब्रम्हहत्यारासि पातकी अनेक । तो वंद्य वाल्मीक तिहीं लोकीं ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे नव्हे चोरीचा व्यापार । म्हणा रघुवीर वेळोवेळां ॥३॥
Literal translation
Yāti guṇēm rūpa kāya te vānara — tayāñcyā vichārēm varte rāma — by yāti-guṇa-rūpa, what are they but monkeys — yet by their vichāra Rāma acts. Brahmahatyārāsi pātakī aneka — tō vandya vālmīka tihīm lōkīm — brahman-killer with many sins — that Vālmīka is vandya in three lokas. Tukā mhaṇe navhe chōrīcā vyāpāra — mhaṇā raghuvīra veḷōveḷām — Tukā says: not a thief's business — say Raghuvīra time and again.
What it means
A 3-verse democratization-by-bhakti. Vānaras — low-by-yāti-guṇa-rūpa, yet Rāma-acts-by-their-counsel; Vālmīka — brahman-killer-with-many-sins, yet worshipped-in-three-lokas; this-is-no-theft's-business — say-Raghuvīra-time-and-again. Resonates with caste-and-redemption corpus (2787, 2810, 2843, 2973).
For someone today
Tukārām asserts: the-lowest by-vichāra do-Rāma's-work; the-worst-criminal by-Name-becomes-vandya; Name-recitation is-free for-all.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's democratization-by-bhakti canonical
- Companion to Vālmīka-Ajāmīla redemption-lists (2787, 2843, 2973)