Abhanga 1074
Tukaram says wanting to know the past, present, and future is actually a mark of misfortune, not a gift, because someone truly fortunate doesn't need that kind of certainty. As devotees, our real job is simply to keep God in our thoughts; whatever is meant to happen will happen through fate on its own. He warns that when you set up a show of religion just to fit in with worldly custom, God quietly slips away inside you. And in a surprising twist, he says the biggest burden in life isn't poverty or hardship, it's gaining special powers or supernatural gifts, the very things most seekers chase after.
The verse
भूत भविष्य कळों यावें वर्तमान । हें तों भाग्यहीन त्यांची जोडी ॥१॥ आम्हीं विष्णुदासीं देव ध्यावा चित्तें । होणार तें होतें प्रारब्धें ॥ध्रु.॥ जगरूढीसाटीं घातलें दुकान । जातो नारायण अंतरोनि ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे हा हो प्रपंच गाढा । थोरली ते पीडा रिद्धिसिद्धी ॥३॥ ॥घोंगड्याचे अभंग-॥१२॥
Literal translation
Bhūta-bhaviṣya-vartamāna — bhāgya-hīna jōḍī. Viṣṇu-dāsīm-dhyāva — hōṇāra prārabdha. Jaga-rūḍhī dukāna — Nārāyaṇa — antarōnī. Tuka says: prapamca gāḍha — riddhi-siddhi. Ghōngaḍyācē abhanga — 12.
मराठी: भूत-भविष्य-वर्तमान कळों यावें — हें तों भाग्य-हीनांची जोडी. आम्हीं Viṣṇu-दासीं — Dēva चित्तें ध्यावा — होणार तें प्रारब्धें होतें. जग-रूढी-साटीं दुकान घातलें — Nārāyaṇa अंतरोनि जातो. Tuka म्हणे: हा हो प्रपंच गाढा — थोरली ती पीडा रिद्धि-सिद्धी. ॥घोंगड्याचे अभंग — १२॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| भूत भविष्य कळों यावें वर्तमान | "bhūta-bhaviṣya-vartamāna" |
| हें तों भाग्यहीन त्यांची जोडी | "bhāgya-hīna jōḍī" |
| आम्हीं विष्णुदासीं देव ध्यावा चित्तें | "Viṣṇu-dāsīm — dhyāva" |
| होणार तें होतें प्रारब्धें | "hōṇāra prārabdha" |
| जगरूढीसाटीं घातलें दुकान | "jaga-rūḍhī dukāna" |
| जातो नारायण अंतरोनि | "Nārāyaṇa — antarōnī" |
| हा हो प्रपंच गाढा | "prapamca gāḍha" |
| थोरली ते पीडा रिद्धिसिद्धी | "riddhi-siddhi" |
| घोंगड्याचे अभंग-१२ | "ghōngaḍyācē abhanga — 12" |
What it means
A knowing-past-future-present-this-is-the-acquisition-of-the-misfortunate-we-the-servants-of-Viṣṇu-should-meditate-on-Dēva-by-mind-what-is-going-to-happen-happens-by-fate-for-worldly-conformity-the-shop-is-set-up-Nārāyaṇa-becomes-inwardly-distant-this-prapamca-is-deep-the-biggest-suffering-is-the-attainment-of-powers abhang. Biggest-pīḍa-is-riddhi-siddhi register. The closing marker ॥घोंगड्याचे अभंग — १२॥ announces the next sub-series: Ghōngaḍyācē abhanga (Rough-blanket abhangs), 12 poems. Four claims:
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भूत-भविष्य-वर्तमान — भाग्य-हीन-जोडी. Knowing-past-future-bhāgya-hīna-claim. Knowingbhūta-bhaviṣya-vartamāna;that is the jōḍī (acquisition) of bhāgya-hīna.(Clairvoyance is for theunfortunate — those whose real merit is too low to need anything else.)
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Viṣṇu-दासीं-ध्यान — होणार-प्रारब्ध. Meditate-fate-claim. WeViṣṇu-dāsīmshoulddhyāvaDēva bychittē;what's hōṇāra happens by prārabdha. (Don't worry about foreseeing — what's to happen, happens by prārabdha.)
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जग-रूढी-दुकान — Nārāyaṇa-अंतरोनि. Nārāyaṇa-becomes-distant-claim. Forjaga-rūḍhī(worldly-conformity, public-routine) thedukāna(shop) is set up; Nārāyaṇa is goingantarōnī (becoming-distant inwardly). (When you set up shop for worldly-show, Nārāyaṇa moves away within.)
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Tuka: प्रपंच-गाढ — रिद्धि-सिद्धि-पीडा. Biggest-pīḍa-is-riddhi-siddhi-claim. Tuka says: thisprapamcaisgāḍha (deep); the biggestpīḍaisriddhi-siddhi (the powers — the supernatural attainments). (Rddhi-siddhi — the very thing seekers covet — Tuka says is thebiggest pīḍā.)
Closing marker: ॥घोंगड्याचे अभंग — १२॥ — the Ghōngaḍyācē abhanga (Rough-blanket abhangs) sub-series, 12 poems, begins after this.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram says wanting to know the past, present, and future is actually a mark of misfortune, not a gift, because someone truly fortunate doesn't need that kind of certainty. As devotees, our real job is simply to keep God in our thoughts; whatever is meant to happen will happen through fate on its own. He warns that when you set up a show of religion just to fit in with worldly custom, God quietly slips away inside you. And in a surprising twist, he says the biggest burden in life isn't poverty or hardship, it's gaining special powers or supernatural gifts, the very things most seekers chase after.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की भूत, वर्तमान आणि भविष्य जाणून घेण्याची इच्छा हे खरे तर वरदान नसून दुर्दैवाचे लक्षण आहे, कारण खरा भाग्यवान माणूस अशा खात्रीची अपेक्षा करत नाही. भक्त म्हणून आपले खरे काम इतकेच आहे की देवाला मनात धरून ठेवावे; जे व्हायचे ते प्रारब्धाने आपोआप घडतेच. ते सावध करतात की जेव्हा तुम्ही केवळ जगरहाटीला अनुसरून धर्माचा देखावा उभा करता, तेव्हा देव आतून हळूच दूर निघून जातो. आणि एक आश्चर्यकारक वळण घेत ते सांगतात की जीवनातील सर्वात मोठे ओझे दारिद्र्य किंवा कष्ट नसून, विशेष शक्ती किंवा अलौकिक सिद्धी मिळवणे हेच आहे, ज्याच्या मागे बहुतेक साधक धावत असतात.
Where this applies
- Clairvoyance-is-misfortune. Bhāgya-hīna.
- Meditate-not-foresee. Prārabdha.
- Shop-distances-Nārāyaṇa. Jaga-rūḍhī.
- Riddhi-siddhi-pīḍa. Thōralī.