Abhanga 4569
Slandering sincere devotion out of envy and refusing to remember God carry serious consequences, just as oppressing others does.
The verse
मारिले असुर दाटले मेदिनी । होते कोणाकोणी पीडित ते ॥१॥
ते हा नारायण पाठवी अघोरा । संतांच्या मत्सरा घातावरी ॥२॥
वरिले ते दूतीं यमाचिया दंडीं । नुच्चरितां तोंडीं नारायण ॥३॥
नारायण नाम नावडे जयासि । ते जाले मिरासी कुंभपाकीं ॥४॥
कुंभपाकीं सेल मान तो तयांचा । तुका म्हणे वाचा संतनिंदा ॥५॥
Literal translation
Asuras-killed-burdened-medinī. Sant-nindakas-sent-aghora-by-Lord. Yama-dūtas-take-non-Nārāyaṇa-uttering. Nārāyaṇa-Name-doesn't-please = mirāsī-kumbhapāka. Tukā: vāchā-sant-nindā.
What it means
A 5-verse yamak-bandha — asuras-killed by Lord; the sant-nindakas (slanderers-of-sants) are-sent-to-the-aghora (hell) by the very Lord; those-who-don't-utter-Nārāyaṇa become-mirāsī (hereditary-tenants) of-kumbhapāka (hell). Key formula: Nārāyaṇa-Name-doesn't-please = kumbhapāka-mirāsī. Pair with 4550 (sant-sevā-mahā-lābha vs nindā-adhaḥpāta).
For someone today
God destroys the demons who oppressed the earth and tormented others, and Tukaram warns that the same fate awaits anyone who slanders the sants out of envy. People who never let God's name pass their lips, he says, are dragged off by Yama's messengers to face a harsh reckoning. This is a stern warning about the seriousness of mocking or tearing down people of genuine devotion, and about how avoiding remembrance of God leaves a person spiritually unprotected and exposed to real consequences.
मराठी: देव पृथ्वीला त्रास देणाऱ्या आणि इतरांना छळणाऱ्या असुरांचा नाश करतो, आणि तुकाराम इशारा देतात की मत्सरापोटी संतांची निंदा करणाऱ्यांचीही तीच गत होते. ज्यांच्या तोंडून कधीच देवाचे नाव निघत नाही, त्यांना यमदूत घेऊन जाऊन कठोर हिशेब चुकता करावा लागतो असे ते म्हणतात. हा एक कडक इशारा आहे, खऱ्या भक्तीच्या लोकांची थट्टा करणे किंवा त्यांना खाली खेचणे किती गंभीर आहे याबद्दल, आणि देवाच्या स्मरणापासून दूर राहिल्याने माणूस आध्यात्मिकदृष्ट्या असुरक्षित आणि खऱ्या परिणामांना सामोरा राहतो याबद्दल.
Where this applies
- When you're tempted to mock or belittle someone whose devotion or sincerity makes you uncomfortable
- When envy toward a genuinely good person tempts you to speak against them
- When you notice you've been neglecting any remembrance of God in your daily speech or thought
- When you need a reminder that words spoken in contempt carry real, lasting weight