Abhanga 4096
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
Tukārām: don't-reject-the-Gangā-because-it-flows-to-a-lazy-yard; don't-reject-the-gold-because-the-leper-made-it; bhāvārūḍha-Tukā-has-Viṭhōbā's-seal — accept-the-message-don't-look-at-the-source-caste.
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)