Abhanga 4096
The true worth of a person or a good thing does not depend on their origin or caste, but on their genuine quality and sincerity.
The verse
प्राक्तनाच्या योगें आळशावरी गंगा । स्नान काय जगा करूं नये ॥१॥
उभी कामधेनु मागिलें अंगणीं । तिसी काय ब्राम्हणीं वंदूं नये ॥ध्रु.॥
कोढियाचे हातें परिसें होय सोनें । अपवित्र म्हणोन घेऊं नये ॥२॥
यातिहीन जाला गांवींचा मोकासी । त्याच्या वचनासी मानूं नये ॥३॥
भावारूढ तुका मुद्रा विठोबाची । न मनी तयांचीं तोंडें काळीं ॥४॥
Literal translation
Prāktan-Gangā-lazy-yard — jaga-should-bathe. Kāmadhēnu-back-yard — brāhmaṇī-should-worship. Paris-via-leper-iron-becomes-gold — don't-reject-as-impure. Yātihīna-mōkāsī — accept-his-vachana. Bhāvārūḍha-Tukā-Viṭhōbā-mudra — don't-recognize-faces-black.
What it means
THE canonical 5-verse anti-jāti-discrimination doctrine. By prior-merit-fate, the Gangā has come flowing to a lazy man's yard — should the world refuse to bathe? A wish-cow stands in the back-yard — should the brāhmaṇi refuse to worship her? Iron in a leper's hand becomes gold (via the touchstone) — should one refuse it calling it impure? A low-caste has become the village revenue-collector — should his word not be accepted? Tukā, mounted-on-bhāva, has Viṭhōbā's seal; those who don't recognize this — their faces (will be) black. Four parallel images of value-doesn't-depend-on-source: Gangā-in-lazy-yard, Kāmadhēnu-in-back-yard, gold-via-leper, mokāsī-from-yātihīna. The closing self-reference: bhāvārūḍha-Tukā (Tukā-mounted-on-bhāva) has Viṭhōbā's mudra — accept-Tukā-by-bhāva, not-by-his-low-caste. Pair with 3814 (no-varṇāvarṇa-by-Name), 2973 (inner-quality-over-jāti), 2755 (śūdra-vamśī).
For someone today
Tukaram gives four sharp examples to make one point: the value of a good thing does not depend on where it comes from. Nobody refuses to bathe in the Ganga just because it happens to flow through a lazy man's yard, and nobody refuses to worship a wish-granting cow just because she stands in someone's humble backyard. Iron touched into gold by a leper's hand is still gold, and a low-caste person appointed as village headman still deserves to have his word respected. Tukaram then applies this directly to himself, saying that what matters is the sincerity of his devotion, not his caste, and that anyone who judges him by his birth rather than his heart is making a serious mistake.
मराठी: तुकाराम चार धारदार उदाहरणे देऊन एकच मुद्दा मांडतात: चांगल्या गोष्टीचे मोल तिच्या उगमावरून ठरत नाही. गंगा एखाद्या आळशी माणसाच्या अंगणातून वाहते म्हणून कोणी तिच्यात स्नान करणे टाळत नाही, आणि कामधेनू एखाद्याच्या साध्या मागील अंगणात उभी आहे म्हणून कोणी तिची पूजा करणे टाळत नाही. कुष्ठरोग्याच्या हातून परिसाच्या स्पर्शाने सोने झालेले लोखंड तरीही सोनेच असते, आणि खालच्या जातीचा माणूस गावाचा मोकासी झाला तरी त्याच्या शब्दाला मान द्यायलाच हवा. तुकाराम हाच मुद्दा स्वतःला लावतात, म्हणतात की महत्त्वाची गोष्ट त्यांच्या भक्तीची प्रामाणिकता आहे, त्यांची जात नव्हे, आणि जो त्यांना जन्मावरून जोखतो, अंतःकरणावरून नाही, तो मोठी चूक करतो.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's THE anti-jāti-discrimination by-source-doesn't-matter canonical
- bhāvārūḍha-Tukā-Viṭhōbā-mudra self-authentication
- Pair with 3814 (no-varṇāvarṇa-Nāma), 2973 (inner-quality), 2755 (śūdra-vamśī)