Abhanga 4319
V1: ḍivēnā ḍasēnā bujhēnā nirmaḷa, parī amangaḷa svīkārīnā — doesn't bite/suck/seek-clean, yet doesn't accept impure.
The verse
डिवेना डसेना बुझेना निर्मळ । परि अमंगळ स्वीकारीना ॥१॥
परंतु गर्धब अपवित्र जाणा । पर्वकाळीं दाना देऊं नये ॥ध्रु.॥
डिवी लात्री बुजे बहु नेदी दुध । मुखीं नाहीं शुद्ध विष्ठा खाय ॥२॥
परंतु ते गाय पवित्र हो जाणा । पर्वकाळीं दाना देऊजेते ॥३॥
ब्राम्हणें ब्राम्हणा सद्गू करावा । परि न करावा शूद्रादिक ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे देवें सांगितली सोय । म्हणोनि त्याचे पाय धरिले जीवें ॥५॥
Literal translation
V1: ḍivēnā ḍasēnā bujhēnā nirmaḷa, parī amangaḷa svīkārīnā — doesn't bite/suck/seek-clean, yet doesn't accept impure. V2 (dhrva): parantu gardhaba apavitra — but (the) donkey (is) apavitra; don't give-at-parvakāḷa-dāna. V3: cow bites-and-kicks, gives-little-milk, mouth-not-pure, eats-dung. V4: parantu te gāya pavitra — but (the) cow (is) pavitra — give-at-parvakāḷa-dāna. V5: brāhmaṇe brāhmaṇā sadguru karāvā — parī na karāvā śūdrādika. V6 (close): Tukā mhaṇe deve sāngitalī sōya — mhaṇōnī tyāñce pāya dharile jīve.
What it means
A 6-verse text using cow-donkey contrast to argue sadguru must come from one's own varṇa. Bound-to-17th-c social-framework.
★ Must-be-contextualized historically — Tukārām's other texts (2755 śūdra-vamśī autobiographical, 2973 inner-quality-over-jāti, 3040 anti-imitation-with-nuance) show a more-nuanced overall stance. This verse cites animal-purity-paradox as analogy.
For someone today
Tukārām's 17th-c claim with cow-donkey contrast for sadguru-eligibility. Must-be-read-historically and-against-other-texts.
Where this applies
- Cow-donkey image for sadguru-eligibility
- 17th-c varṇa-restriction
- Read with 2755/2973/3040 for the full picture