Abhanga 1011

Chasing fame and clever words instead of real devotion can leave you a stranger to both ordinary life and to God, a madness Tukaram wishes he had never let take hold.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A fame-increased-without-cause-false-dispute-brought-between-us-two-Dēva-became-as-if-non-existent-in-my-view-hungry-doesn't-know-eating-vaikharī-honored-by-word-knowledge-but-truth-doesn't-reflect-in-interior-I-became-foreigner-both-places-gone-neither-samsāra-nor-your-feet-had-I-known-earlier-I-wouldn't-have-attached-this-madness abhang. Wouldn't-have-attached-this-madness register. Tukaram's retrospective lament about being-trapped-by-fame-and-words. Five claims:

1. वांयां-विण-लौकिक — लटिक-वाद-दोघांत. Fame-without-cause-false-dispute-claim. Thislaukika (worldly fame, public-reputation) has been increased vāyām-viṇa (without-cause);a laṭika (false) vāda (dispute) has been brought between (us) two — i.e. between me and you, Dēva. (Fame has built a wall.)

2. Dēva-नाहीं-मतें — भुकेलें-जेवितें-न-जाणे. Dēva-became-as-if-non-existent-claim. Dēva became as-if-non-existent in mymata (view);what does the bhukēlā (hungry one) know of jēvitē (eating, the meal)?(When you aretruly hungry, you don't evenknowwhat eating is — you have forgotten it. Similarly, in losing Dēva, I have forgotten what He evenis.)

3. शब्द-ज्ञान-वैखरी — साच-अंतरीं-बिंबत-नाहीं. Vaikharī-honored-truth-doesn't-reflect-claim. Thisvaikharī (the gross outward speech) has been honoured by śabda-jñāna (word-knowledge);but the sāca (truth) doesn't bimba (reflect, mirror, settle) in the antara at all. (Word-knowledge gives external praise; the truth never settles inside.)

4. पर-देशी — दोन्ही-ठाय — संसार-ना-पाय. Foreigner-both-places-gone-claim. I have becomepara-dēśī (foreigner);both ṭhāya (places) have gone — neither samsāra nor your pāya, Dēva. (Worst of both worlds: lost samsāra, never reached the feet.)

5. Tuka: मागें-कळतें — पिसें-न-लावूनियां. Wouldn't-have-attached-this-madness-claim. Tuka says: had I known earlier this way; I would not havelāvūniyām (attached, brought-upon-myself) this pisē (madness). (The retrospective regret: thepisē of fame, of public-life, of word-knowledge.)

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For someone today

This verse is Tukaram's own regret about letting fame and reputation grow without real cause, and how that built a false wall between him and God. He warns that when you drift from real devotion, you can forget what it even feels like, the way a starving person eventually forgets what eating means. Being praised for clever words is not the same as truth actually settling into your heart. Chasing outward reputation left him a stranger to both ordinary life and to God, belonging fully to neither, and looking back he wishes he had never been swept into that trap.

मराठी: ही ओवी तुकारामांचा एक पश्चात्ताप आहे - विनाकारण वाढलेल्या प्रसिद्धीने त्यांच्या आणि देवामध्ये एक खोटी दरी निर्माण केली. ते सांगतात की खऱ्या भक्तीपासून दूर गेलं की भक्ती म्हणजे काय हेच विसरायला होतं, अगदी उपाशी माणसाला जेवण म्हणजे काय तेच आठवत नाही तसं. शब्दांच्या हुशारीचं कौतुक होणं म्हणजे सत्य मनात खरंच रुजणं नव्हे. बाह्य प्रतिष्ठेच्या मागे लागल्याने ते संसारातही राहिले नाहीत आणि देवाच्या चरणीही पोहोचले नाहीत, दोन्हीकडे परके झाले. मागे वळून बघताना त्यांना वाटतं, हे आधी कळालं असतं तर या वेडाच्या नादी ते लागलेच नसते.

Where this applies

• Fame-wall. Laukika.
• Forgotten. Bhukēlā.
• External-praise. Vaikharī.
• Worst-of-both. Para-dēśī.
• Retrospective-lament. Pisē.

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