Abhanga 287

Tukaram closes his Hanuman cluster by praising him as immensely powerful, the one who set Ravana's beard on fire and, taking flight, burned down the whole citadel of Lanka. This wasn't destruction for its own sake — after Sita had already been found and Rama's cause was clear, Hanuman's fire targeted the seat of evil itself, showing that a true devotee's strength can be turned toward real, purposeful action when it's needed, not just gentle passivity. Tukaram bows to him for this again and again, without end, and calls the burning of Lanka a blessed, praiseworthy act — because devotion, in Hanuman's example, includes the courage to act decisively against wrongdoing, not only quiet worship.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

The closing abhang of the Hanumat-cluster (284-287; the ॥४॥ marker confirms the 4-abhang gatha-marked sequence). Three claims:

1. हनुमंत महाबळी — रावणाची दाढी जाळी — Hanumantā mahā-baḷī — burned Rāvaṇa's beard. The beard-burning refers to the Sundara-kāṇḍa episode: when captured by Rāvaṇa, Hanuman had his tail set on fire; Hanuman used the burning-tail to burn Rāvaṇa's-Lankā (and indirectly, Rāvaṇa's beard / Rāvaṇa's pride).

2. करोनी उड्डाण — केलें लंकेचें दहन — flying — burned Lankā. The Lankā-jvāḷan (Lankā-burning). Hanuman flying with the burning-tail set the citadel-of-evil on fire. The bhakta-warrior's transformative-action.

3. जाळीयेली लंका — धन्य धन्य — burned Lankā — dhanya, dhanya. The praise-closing. Dhanya dhanya — blessed, blessed. Hanuman is praised for the act of burning Lankā — not as destruction-for-destruction's-sake, but as destruction-of-the-citadel-of-evil.

(The closing ॥४॥ marker confirms 284-287 as a deliberate 4-abhang gatha-cluster: 284 — saraṇa to Hanuman; 285 — Hanumat-pratāpa (Sītā-śuddhi, pātāḷa-go); 286 — Hanumat the kāma-kāḷa-subduer; 287 — Hanumat the Lankā-burner.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram closes his Hanuman cluster by praising him as immensely powerful, the one who set Ravana's beard on fire and, taking flight, burned down the whole citadel of Lanka. This wasn't destruction for its own sake — after Sita had already been found and Rama's cause was clear, Hanuman's fire targeted the seat of evil itself, showing that a true devotee's strength can be turned toward real, purposeful action when it's needed, not just gentle passivity. Tukaram bows to him for this again and again, without end, and calls the burning of Lanka a blessed, praiseworthy act — because devotion, in Hanuman's example, includes the courage to act decisively against wrongdoing, not only quiet worship.

मराठी: तुकाराम आपल्या हनुमंत-मालिकेचा समारोप करताना त्यांना अत्यंत बलवान म्हणून गौरवतात, ज्याने रावणाची दाढी जाळली आणि उड्डाण करत संपूर्ण लंका नगरी जाळून टाकली. हे नुसते विनाशासाठी केलेले विनाश नव्हते — सीता आधीच सापडलेली होती आणि रामाचे कार्य स्पष्ट होते, तेव्हा हनुमंताच्या अग्नीने खुद्द दुष्टाच्या केंद्रस्थानालाच लक्ष्य केले, यातून हे दिसते की खऱ्या भक्ताचे सामर्थ्य गरज पडेल तेव्हा निर्णायक, सप्रयोजन कृतीकडे वळू शकते, केवळ सौम्य निष्क्रियतेकडे नाही. तुकाराम त्यांना यासाठी वारंवार, निरंतर नमस्कार करतात, आणि लंका जाळण्याच्या कृतीला धन्य धन्य म्हणतात — कारण हनुमंताच्या उदाहरणातून भक्ती म्हणजे केवळ शांत पूजाच नव्हे, तर अन्यायाविरुद्ध ठामपणे कृती करण्याचे धाडसही होय.

Where this applies

• Bhakta-warrior is mahā-baḷī. Not only-meek.
• Burning the citadel-of-evil is part of the role. Just-cause-targeted.
• Flight + fire = Hanumat-mode. Bold-action.
• Constant-repeated namaskāra. Hanuman-Chālīsā form.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2374 — Rather than scattering devotion among many lesser deities who demand offerings, Tukaram sa
• Abhanga 2377 — This detailed meditation on Vitthal standing on a brick at Pandharpur, out of love for his
• Abhanga 2387 — Accept whatever life brings with reverence, and place the burden on God rather than carryi
• Abhanga 2402 — For today: happily take rebirths — IF among the Paṇḍharī-Vārkarīs ; Hari-dāsas' company is