Abhanga 4058
The verse
कोणा ही केंडावें हा आम्हां अधर्म । जोजो पावे श्रम तोतो देव ॥१॥
म्हणउनि चित्ता सिकविलें वोजें । आतां हें चि दुजें न बोलावें ॥ध्रु.॥
हालविलें जरि परउपकारें । जिव्हे पाप खरें उपाधीचें ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे जीव प्रारब्धा आधीन । कोण वाहे सीण करुणा शोभे ॥३॥
Literal translation
Bothering-anyone-adharma — whoever-feels-śrama-is-Deva. Taught-chitta — don't-speak-this-cruel-again. Even-paropakāra-tongue-pāpa-from-upādhi. Tukā: jīva-prārabdha-controlled — karuṇā-shobha.
What it means
A 3-verse ahimsā-nuance text. Bothering anyone is adharma for us; whoever feels pain is (a form of) Deva. So I have taught my chitta: don't speak this cruel thing again. Even if the tongue is moved by helping-others — there's true pāpa on it from the entanglement (of any action). The jīva is under prārabdha; who can lift its fatigue? — only compassion is fitting. The argument jōjō pāvē śrama, tōtō dēva (whoever feels pain, that one is Deva) is rare and powerful — ahimsā grounded in Deva-in-the-suffering. The nuanced second half — even helping-with-tongue can carry pāpa — distinguishes pure-karuṇā from upādhic-help.
For someone today
Tukārām: whoever-feels-pain-is-Deva; don't-bother-anyone; only-karuṇā-fits-not-(even)-active-help-which-can-bring-its-own-pāpa.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's whoever-feels-pain-is-Deva-don't-bother-anyone canonical ahimsā
- Pair with 3731 (don't-kill-sarpa-vyāpaka-paṇa-ahimsā), 2657 (bhakti=bowing-to-jīva-jantu-bhūta)