Abhanga 4126
When someone truly great accepts you without weighing your faults or background, that closeness alone can transform who you are, just as sandalwood's fragrance spreads to the thorny tree beside it.
The verse
संतांनीं सरता केलों तैसेपरी । चंदनीं ते बोरी व्यापियेली ॥१॥
गुण दोष याती न विचारितां कांहीं । ठाव दिला पायीं आपुलिया ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे आलें समर्थाच्या मना । तरि होय राणा रंक त्याचा ॥३॥
Literal translation
Santas-made-me-acceptable — chandana-covered-bōri. No-guṇa-doṣa-jāti — gave-place-at-feet. Tukā: samartha's-mind — rāṇā-or-ranka-his.
What it means
A 3-verse sant-acceptance text. The santas have accepted me — just so (the way) the sandal-tree has fragranced (the surrounding) jujube-thorn-tree. Not considering qualities, faults, or caste, they have given me place at their feet. When (anything) comes to the mighty-one's mind, whether a king or a pauper — he belongs to him. The chandana-fragrancing-the-thorny-bōri image is striking — bōri is a thorny worthless-tree; chandana is the noblest-of-fragrant-trees; the chandana-fragrance pervades the worthless bōri because of proximity. Tukārām as the bōri to the sants' chandana. Pair with 4096 (anti-jāti source-doesn't-matter), 3814 (no-varṇāvarṇa-Nāma).
For someone today
Tukaram says the saints accepted him the way a sandalwood tree spreads its fragrance to a thorny, worthless jujube tree growing near it. They didn't stop to weigh his qualities, faults, or caste before giving him a place at their feet. His point is that when someone truly great takes you to heart, your background stops mattering, whether you were a king or a beggar, you now belong to that greatness. Closeness to goodness can transform a person regardless of where they started.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की संतांनी मला असे स्वीकारले जसे चंदनाचे झाड जवळच्या काटेरी, निरुपयोगी बोरीच्या झाडालाही आपला सुगंध देते. त्यांनी माझे गुण, दोष किंवा जात यांचा विचार न करता मला आपल्या पायाशी स्थान दिले. त्यांचा मुद्दा असा आहे की जेव्हा खरोखर मोठा माणूस तुम्हाला मनापासून स्वीकारतो, तेव्हा तुमची पार्श्वभूमी महत्त्वाची राहत नाही, तुम्ही राजा असा किंवा भिकारी, आता तुम्ही त्याचे व्हाल. चांगुलपणाच्या सान्निध्यात राहिल्याने माणूस कुठूनही आला तरी बदलू शकतो.
Where this applies
- When you feel unworthy of the good company or mentors who have welcomed you despite your flaws
- When someone kind and respected accepts you without judging your past, caste, or status
- When you notice yourself changing for the better simply from being close to good, generous people
- When you wonder whether your background disqualifies you from belonging somewhere valuable