Abhanga 133
This abhang is deeply uncomfortable because it does not promise reward for devotion. Tukaram is naming the historical pattern: the deity's bhaktas often lose visibly. The promise of "if you worship, things will go well" is not what the catalog supports. The catalog supports something more honest: bhakti has a cost, and the cost is sometimes everything. The closing lift is ठाव नाहीं पुढती — (yet) there is nowhere else. Knowing the pattern, the bhakta still chooses, because no other path holds anything either, and at least this one is in the deity's hand.
The verse
हरि तूं निष्ठ निर्गुण । नाहीं माया बहु कठिण । नव्हे तें करिसी आन । कवणें नाहीं केलें तें ॥१॥ घेऊनि हरिश्चंद्राचें वैभव । राज्य घोडे भाग्य सर्व । पुत्र पत्नी जीव । डोंबाघरीं वोपविलीं ॥ध्रु.॥ नळा दमयंतीचा योग । बिघडिला त्यांचा संग । ऐसें जाणे जग । पुराणें ही बोलती ॥२॥ राजा शिबी चक्रवर्ती । कृपाळु दया भूतीं । तुळविलें अंतीं । तुळें मास तयाचें ॥३॥ कर्ण भिडता समरंगणीं । बाणीं व्यापियेला रणीं । मागसी पाडोनी । तेथें दांत तयाचे ॥४॥ बळी सर्वस्वें उदार । जेणें उभारिला कर । करूनि काहार । तो पाताळीं घातला ॥५॥ श्रियाळाच्या घरीं । धरणें मांडिलें मुरारी । मारविलें करीं । त्याचें बाळ त्याहातीं ॥६॥ तुज भावें जे भजती । त्यांच्या संसारा हे गति । ठाव नाहीं पुढती । तुका म्हणे करिसी तें ॥७॥
Literal translation
English: Hari, you are cruel-without-attribute — your māyā is very hard; what no one (else) does — that you do. You took Harishchandra's wealth — kingdom, horses, fortune, son, wife, life — gave them all into a dom's house. The union of Nala and Damayanti you disrupted — the world knows, the Puranas speak. King Shibi the Compassionate — in the end weighed his own flesh on the scale. Karna fighting on the battlefield — you asked for his (golden) teeth to be broken there. Bali — generous in everything — sent down to the netherworld for his giving. At Shriyala's house, Murari made (Shriyala) kill his own child by his own hand. Those who worship you with feeling — their samsāra goes this way. Tuka says: (yet) there is no place ahead — you do as you do.
मराठी: हरि, तू निष्ठ-निर्गुण (कठोर-अगुणी); तुझी माया फार कठिण; जे कुणी नाही केलं ते तू करतोस. हरिश्चंद्राचं वैभव — राज्य, घोडे, भाग्य, सर्व — पुत्र-पत्नी-जीव डोंबाच्या घरी दिले. नळ-दमयंतीचा संग बिघडवला — जगाला माहीत, पुराणं बोलतात. राजा शिबी चक्रवर्ती — दयाळू भूतांना — शेवटी स्वतःचं मांस तुळवलं. कर्ण समरांगणी — बाणांत व्यापलेला — तू त्याचे (सुवर्ण) दात पाडले. बळी सर्वस्वी उदार — कर उभारून — पाताळी घातला. श्रियाळाच्या घरी मुरारीने धरणं केलं — त्याच्याच हाती बाळाचा प्राण घेतला. तुला भावाने जे भजतात — त्यांच्या संसाराची हीच गती. पुढे ठाव नाही — तुकाराम म्हणतात — तू जे करतोस ते.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| हरि तूं निष्ठ निर्गुण | "Hari, you are nishtha-nirguna (cruel-without-attribute)" |
| नाहीं माया बहु कठिण | "your māyā is no light thing — very hard" |
| हरिश्चंद्राचें वैभव — डोंबाघरीं वोपविलीं | "Harishchandra's wealth — kingdom, horses, fortune, son, wife, life — were given over into a dom's house" (King Harishchandra, who never spoke a lie, lost everything to test) |
| नळा दमयंतीचा योग बिघडिला | "Nala and Damayanti — their union was disrupted" |
| शिबी ... तुळें मास तयाचें | "King Shibi — at the end weighed his (own) flesh in the scales" (Shibi who cut his own flesh to feed the dove) |
| कर्ण ... मागसी पाडोनी तेथें दांत | "Karna ... you asked for his teeth (to break in death)" |
| बळी ... तो पाताळीं घातला | "Bali ... was sent down to pātāla (netherworld)" |
| श्रियाळाच्या घरीं ... त्याचें बाळ त्याहातीं | "at Shriyala's house — Murari (Krishna) made (Shriyala) kill his own child by his own hand" |
| तुज भावें जे भजती त्यांच्या संसारा हे गति | "those who worship you with feeling — their samsāra goes this way" |
| ठाव नाहीं पुढती | "(yet) there is no place ahead" |
What it means
A long catalog of suffering-bhaktas abhang. Tukaram cites six classical figures whose lives were visibly destroyed despite (or because of) their devotion:
- Harishchandra — never lied; lost kingdom, family, freedom; sold himself into a low-caste household.
- Nala-Damayanti — perfect-couple separated by a divine-curse-game.
- Shibi — gave his own flesh to ransom a dove.
- Karna — generous-warrior whose teeth Krishna asked to be broken at death.
- Bali — supreme-giver who was buried in the netherworld for his generosity.
- Shriyala — devotee whose own son Krishna made him slay with his own hands.
The structural claim is uncompromising: तुज भावें जे भजती, त्यांच्या संसारा हे गति — those who worship you with feeling — their samsāra goes this way. The deity's pattern with bhaktas is visible-loss. The closing — ठाव नाहीं पुढती — (yet) there is no place ahead — is the bhakta's somber acceptance: knowing this, there's still nowhere else to go. [T] [Tradition]
For someone today
This abhang is deeply uncomfortable because it does not promise reward for devotion. Tukaram is naming the historical pattern: the deity's bhaktas often lose visibly. The promise of "if you worship, things will go well" is not what the catalog supports. The catalog supports something more honest: bhakti has a cost, and the cost is sometimes everything. The closing lift is ठाव नाहीं पुढती — (yet) there is nowhere else. Knowing the pattern, the bhakta still chooses, because no other path holds anything either, and at least this one is in the deity's hand.
The application is severe: don't sell bhakti as comfort-yielding. Read the catalog. Recognize that suffering is on the path. The honest invitation is the suffering-included one, not the suffering-promised-away one.
मराठी: ही ओवी खूप अस्वस्थ करणारी कारण ती भक्तीला reward देत नाही. तुकाराम historical pattern नाव सांगतायत: देवाचे भक्त बहुधा visibly गमावतात. "भजन कराल तर सर्व ठीक होईल" हे promise catalog support करत नाही. catalog अधिक प्रामाणिक काहीतरी support करतं: bhakti ची किंमत असते — कधी सर्व. शेवटची lift ठाव नाहीं पुढती — तरी पुढे कुठेच नाही. pattern माहीत असूनही भक्त निवडतो — कारण दुसरा कुठलाही मार्ग काहीच धरत नाही, आणि किमान हा देवाच्या हातात.
lागू severe: bhakti ला comfort-यielding म्हणून विकू नका. catalog वाचा. ओळखा की दुःख वाटेवर आहे. प्रामाणिक आमंत्रण suffering-included आहे, suffering-promised-away नाही.
Where this applies
- Suffering and wondering if deity is neglectful. Pattern, not neglect.
- Comparing your loss to other-bhaktas-loss. The catalog is the answer.
- Choosing between path of comfort and path of bhakti. Know the historical cost.