Abhanga 471

Building houses, shops, and wealth does not by itself bring peace, since the real shortcut to a full life is turning to God now instead of chasing more accumulation.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A household-woes-versus-Krishna's-16000-bhōgī satirical abhang. The sixteen-thousand-bhōgī image refers to Krishna's sixteen-thousand-and-one wives (rescued from Narakāsura — Bhāgavata). Four claims:

1. घर केलें दार केलें — घरीं नाहीं वरो — सेजारणी पापिणीचीं पांच पोरें मरो — built house-door — no varō — neighbor-pāpiṇī's five children, let them die. The opening-household-image: built the house and door (= the formal-householder-life); but novarō(roof — i.e., no real-shelter inside); the neighbor-pāpiṇī(sinful-woman) — let her five children die! (= frustrated-householder-curse against neighbors' children).

2. घरीं पांच पोरें — तीं मजहुनि आहेत थोरें — पांचांच्या बळें — खादलीं बावन केळें — house — five children, bigger than me — pāñca-baḷa, ate 52 kēḷa. The householder-woes: I have five children at home (or, the five senses); they are bigger than me; by theirpāñca-baḷa(five-strength), they ate up 52 bananas (a great quantity). The five-children / five-senses overpower the householder.

3. घर केलें दार केलें — दुकान केला मोटा — पाटाची राणी धांगडधिंगा तिचा मोटा — built house-door, big dukāna — pāṭa-rāṇī's dhāngaḍa-dhinga big. The worldly-success but unrest: built house, door, big shop (= business-success); thepāṭa-rāṇī(queen of the seat = the wife at the head-place / or Lakṣmī as the wealth-deity) makes loud-noise (dhāngaḍa-dhinga = quarreling / commotion).Wealth brings noise, not peace.

4. तर सोळा सहस्र भोगी — तुका म्हणे वेगीं — तर हरि म्हणा जगीं — if 16,000 bhōgī — Tuka says: vēgīm — say Hari in the jagī. The closing-claim: if you would have thesōḷā-sahasra-bhōgī(Krishna's-16,000-status, i.e., abundance-of-loving-relations); Tuka says:vēgīm(quickly); sayHariin thejagī(world). Worldly-abundance comes through Hari-saying, not house-building.

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram paints a satirical picture of household life: a man builds his house and door, but there is no real roof of peace inside it, and petty jealousy toward the neighbors creeps in. Five children, or the five senses, turn out bigger and hungrier than he is, consuming everything he has, and even a thriving shop and growing wealth only bring loud quarrels instead of calm. He contrasts all this striving with Krishna's legendary abundance of sixteen thousand loving relationships, and says the real shortcut to that kind of fullness is not more building and accumulating, but simply calling on Hari, right now, in the middle of the world. The teaching pokes fun at how much effort people pour into houses, shops, and possessions while their inner life stays restless, and points to remembering God as the quicker, truer path to real abundance.

मराठी: तुकाराम इथे संसाराचं एक उपहासात्मक चित्र रंगवतात — माणूस घर बांधतो, दार बांधतो, पण त्या घरात खरी शांतीची छत्री नसते, आणि शेजाऱ्यांबद्दल क्षुद्र मत्सर मनात येतो. पाच मुलं, किंवा पाच इंद्रिये, त्याच्यापेक्षा मोठी आणि भुकेली निघतात आणि त्याच्याजवळचं सगळं संपवून टाकतात, आणि भरभराटीचं दुकान आणि वाढती संपत्तीसुद्धा शांती न आणता फक्त मोठा गोंगाट आणतात. या सगळ्या धडपडीला ते कृष्णाच्या सोळा हजार प्रेमळ नात्यांच्या पौराणिक विपुलतेशी जोडतात आणि सांगतात की त्या परिपूर्णतेचा खरा जलद मार्ग म्हणजे आणखी बांधकाम किंवा साठवणूक नाही, तर आत्ताच, याच जगात, हरिचं नाव घेणं. यातून शिकवण अशी की घर, दुकान, संपत्ती यांच्यामागे लोक किती मेहनत घालतात तरी त्यांचं मन अस्वस्थच राहतं, आणि देवाचं स्मरण हाच खऱ्या विपुलतेचा जलद आणि खरा मार्ग आहे.

Where this applies

• House-built, no varō inside. Inner-roof empty.
• Five overpower; 52 bananas eaten. Senses-consume.
• Big shop, loud noise. Wealth without peace.
• 16,000-bhōga via Hari-saying. Bhakti-economy.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2481 — Pandharpur surpasses even the greatest pilgrimage cities because people there set aside pr
• Abhanga 4481 — Tukaram promises that sincerely calling on the Lord's name, knowingly or unknowingly, with
• Abhanga 4482 — Tukaram teaches that no ritual equals sincerely speaking the Lord's name, that self-center
• Abhanga 4483 — Tukaram tells of the gopis whose all-consuming secret longing for Krishna, hidden beneath