संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4236 of 4582

Abhanga 4236

Laṭikī gvāhī sabheāmta — false evidence in sabhā; detām patita āgaḷā — makes one (most) patita.

Tukārām's anti-false-witness; kumbha-pāka-naraka warning
17th-c naraka-imagery; bound-to-time

The verse

लटिकी ग्वाही सभेआंत । देतां पतित आगळा ॥१॥ कुंभपाकीं वस्ती करूं । होय धुरु कुळेसी ॥ध्रु.॥ रजस्वला रुधिर स्रवे । तें चि घ्यावें तृषेसी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जन्मा आला । काळ जाला कुळासी ॥३॥

Literal translation

Laṭikī gvāhī sabheāmtafalse evidence in sabhā; detām patita āgaḷāmakes one (most) patita. Kumbha-pākīm vastī karūmsettlement in kumbha-pāka; hōya dhuru kuḷesībecomes dhuru of kuḷa. Rajasvalā rudhira sravewhere menstruating-woman's blood flows; te chi ghyāve trṣesīthat very (one) drinks for thirst. Tukā mhaṇe janmā ālāTukā says: came to janma; kāḷa jālā kuḷāsībecame kāḷa for kuḷa.

What it means

A 3-verse anti-false-witness warning. False-evidence makes-one-most-fallen; kumbha-pāka-hell; drags-family-down; menstrual-blood-for-thirst (taboo-violation as-naraka-punishment); the-jīva-becomes-kāḷa-(ruin)-for-kuḷa.

For someone today

Tukārām's warning: false-evidence-in-court has multi-generational naraka-consequences.

Where this applies