Abhanga 1330
For today: vairāgya happens through losses (parents, wife, dhana, māna); through sustained bhakti (Ekādaśī-kīrtana, saint-words memorized, foot-water served); through svapna-dīkṣā; through enduring niṣēdha; through dharaṇa for samādhāna; and through Pāṇḍuranga speaking through your bhāṇḍavala.
The verse
याति शूद्र वैश केला वेवसाव । आदि तो हा देव कुळपूज्य ॥१॥ नये बोलों परि पाळिलें वचन । केलियाचा प्रश्न तुम्हीं संतीं ॥ध्रु.॥ संवसारें जालों अतिदुःखें दुखी । मायबाप सेखीं कर्मलिया ॥२॥ दुष्काळें आटिलें द्रव्यें नेला मान । स्त्री एकी अन्न अन्न करितां मेली ॥३॥ लज्जा वाटे जीवा त्रासलों या दुःखें । वेवसाय देख तुटी येतां ॥४॥ देवाचें देऊळ होतें तें भंगलें । चित्तासी जें आलें करावेंसें ॥५॥ आरंभीं कीर्तन करीं एकादशी । नव्हतें अभ्यासीं चित्त आधीं ॥६॥ कांहीं पाठ केलीं संतांचीं उत्तरें । विश्वासें आदरें करोनियां ॥७॥ गाती पुढें त्यांचें धरावें धृपद । भावें चित्त शुद्ध करोनियां ॥८॥ संताचें सेविलें तीर्थ पायवणी । लाज नाहीं मनीं येऊं दिली ॥९॥ टाकला तो कांहीं केला उपकार । केलें हें शरीर कष्टवूनि ॥१०॥ वचन मानिलें नाहीं सहुर्दाचें । समूळ प्रपंचें वीट आला ॥११॥ सत्यअसत्यासी मन केलें ग्वाही । मानियेलें नाहीं बहुमतां ॥१२॥ मानियेला स्वप्नीं गुरूचा उपदेश । धरिला विश्वास दृढ नामीं ॥१३॥ यावरि या जाली कवित्वाची स्फूर्ति । पाय धरिले चित्तीं विठोबाचे ॥१४॥ निषेधाचा कांहीं पडिला आघात । तेणें मध्यें चित्त दुखविलें ॥१५॥ बुडविल्या वह्या बैसलों धरणें । केलें नारायणें समाधान ॥१६॥ विस्तारीं सांगतां बहुत प्रकार । होईल उशीर आतां पुरे ॥१७॥ आतां आहे तैसा दिसतो विचार । पुढील प्रकार देव जाणे ॥१८॥ भक्ति नारायण नुपेक्षी सर्वथा । कृपावंत ऐसा कळों आलें ॥१९॥ तुका म्हणे माझें सर्व भांडवल । बोलविले पांडुरंगें ॥२०॥
Literal translation
English: (I am of) yāti śūdra; (kuḷa) vaiśya; did business — from the beginning, this Deva was the family-deity. (I) shouldn't speak of these — but kept the vacana — since the saints asked. By samsāra, became atidukhē-duḥkhī — māyabāpa, in the end, departed. By famine, dhana was consumed, māna was taken; one wife died crying anna-anna. Shame to the jīva — was tortured by this duḥkha; the business-loss was visible. The Deva's temple, that was — was broken (fallen-into-disrepair). The heart felt: this must be done. (I) began doing kīrtana on Ekādaśī — the citta hadn't been in study before. Memorized some saints' uttaras — with viśvāsa and ādara. Behind those who sang ahead — held the dhṛpada (refrain) — making citta śuddha by bhāva. Served the saints' tīrtha-pāyavaṇī — let no lajjā come into mind. What was abandoned was an upakāra — the body has been kaṣṭa-vūnī. Did not accept the vacana of sahurda (close friends). Came to vīṭa with the entire prapañca. Made the mind the gvāhī (witness) of satya-asatya; did not accept the bahumata. Accepted in svapna the guru's upadeśa — held firm viśvāsa in the nāma. After this — the sphūrti of kavitva came — held Viṭhobā's feet in the citta. (Then) the niṣēdha-blow fell — wounded the citta in the middle. The vahyā were drowned — I sat in dharaṇa — Nārāyaṇa gave samādhāna. To tell in detail, many kinds — would be late — now enough. Now (I see) as it is — the next kinds, Deva knows. Bhakti, Nārāyaṇa never abandons — this kind of kṛpāvanta is now known. Tuka says: my whole bhāṇḍavala — Pāṇḍuranga has spoken-through-me.
मराठी: (मी) यातीनें शूद्र — (कुळानें) वैश्य — व्यवसाय केला; आदि-पासून हा देव कुळ-पूज्य. हें बोलूं नये तरी — संतांच्या प्रश्नानें — वचन पाळलें. संसारानें — अति-दुःखानें दुःखी झालों; मायबाप-शेवटीं कर्मले (मेले). दुष्काळानें — द्रव्य आटलें, मान नेला; एक पत्नी "अन्न-अन्न" करत मेली. जीवा लज्जा वाटे — दुःखानें त्रासलों; व्यवसाय तुटीला आला. देवाचें देऊळ — भंगलें होतें; चित्तीं तें करायचें वाटलें. आरंभीं — एकादशीला कीर्तन — चित्त अभ्यासीं नव्हतें. संतांचीं उत्तरें कांहीं पाठ — विश्वासें-आदरें. पुढें गाणार्यांचें धृपद धरीन — भावें चित्त शुद्ध. संताचें तीर्थ-पायवणी सेवलें — मनीं लाज येऊं दिली नाहीं. टाकलें तें उपकार — शरीर कष्टवून केलें. सहुर्दाचें (मित्रांचें) वचन मानलें नाहीं — समूळ प्रपंचानें वीट आला. सत्या-सत्यासी मन ग्वाही — बहु-मत मानलें नाहीं. स्वप्नीं गुरुचा उपदेश मानला — दृढ विश्वास नामीं. यानंतर — कवित्वाची स्फूर्ति आली — चित्तीं विठोबाचे पाय धरले. (मग) निषेधाचा आघात पडला — मध्यें चित्त दुखावलें. वह्या बुडविल्या — धरणें बैसलों — नारायणानें समाधान केलें. विस्तारानें सांगतां बहुत प्रकार — उशीर होईल — आतां पुरे. आतां जसें-तसें दिसतें — पुढचें देव जाणे. भक्ति — नारायण — कधीं उपेक्षीत नाहीं — असें कृपावंत आहे — हें कळून आलें. Tukā म्हणे — माझें सर्व भांडवल — पांडुरंगांनीं बोलविलें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi (selected) | Meaning |
|---|---|
| याति शूद्र वैश केला वेवसाव | "(of) yāti śūdra; (kuḷa) vaiśya — did vēvasāva (business)" |
| आदि तो हा देव कुळपूज्य | "from the beginning — this Deva — was kuḷa-pūjya (family-deity)" |
| संवसारें जालों अतिदुःखें दुखी | "by samsāra — became atidukhē-duḥkhī" |
| मायबाप सेखीं कर्मलिया | "māyabāpa — at the end — karmaliyā (departed / died)" |
| दुष्काळें आटिलें द्रव्यें नेला मान | "by duṣkāḷa — dhana was āṭilē (consumed) — māna was taken (away)" |
| स्त्री एकी अन्न अन्न करितां मेली | "one wife died — crying anna anna (food, food)" |
| देवाचें देऊळ होतें तें भंगलें | "the Deva's temple was bhangalēm (broken / fallen)" |
| आरंभीं कीर्तन करीं एकादशी | "(I) began — doing kīrtana on Ekādaśī" |
| संताचें सेविलें तीर्थ पायवणी | "the saints' tīrtha-pāyavaṇī (foot-water) — (I) served (took as offering)" |
| मानियेला स्वप्नीं गुरूचा उपदेश | "(I) accepted in svapna — the guru's upadeśa" |
| यावरि या जाली कवित्वाची स्फूर्ति | "after this — the sphūrti of kavitva came" |
| बुडविल्या वह्या बैसलों धरणें | "the vahyā (notebooks) were buḍavilyā (drowned) — (I) sat in dharaṇa (sit-in protest)" |
| केलें नारायणें समाधान | "Nārāyaṇa gave samādhāna" |
| भक्ति नारायण नुपेक्षी सर्वथा | "Bhakti — Nārāyaṇa — never abandons (nūpēkṣī)" |
| माझें सर्व भांडवल — बोलविले पांडुरंगें | "my whole bhāṇḍavala — Pāṇḍuranga has spoken-through-me" |
What it means
THE FOUNDATIONAL TUKARAM AUTOBIOGRAPHY — vairāgya-prakāra abhang.
This is the longest and most explicit autobiographical composition in the entire Tukaram Gatha — Tuka's spiritual life-story in his own voice, given because the saints asked. It is the source-document for nearly all subsequent Tukaram-biography.
The narrative-arc:
-
Origins: Yāti śūdra, kuḷa vaiśya, did vyavasāya (the family was Kunbi cultivator-merchant; Tukaram inherited a moneylending-and-grain-shop business at Dehū). Ādi tō hā Deva kuḷa-pūjya — from the beginning, Hari (= Vighnaharta-Viṭṭhobā at Dehū) was the family-deity.
-
The crucible — samsāra-deep-duḥkha:
- Parents died (māyabāpa sēkhīm karmaliyā)
- The 1629-30 famine struck Maharashtra (duṣkāḷē āṭilē dravyē)
- Lost dhana and māna (wealth and reputation)
- First wife (Rakhumā-bāī) died crying for anna-anna — food, food (the famine-death image is among the most haunting in warkari memory)
- Business broke (vēvasāya tuṭī yētām)
-
Shame and torture-by-duḥkha
-
Turning to bhakti:
- Local Hari-temple (the Bhambnāth temple? or possibly a Viṭhobā-shrine at Dehū) had fallen into disrepair (Devācē dē'uḷa hōtēm tēm bhangalēm)
- The heart felt: this must be done
- Began Ekādaśī-kīrtana
- Memorized saint-words with viśvāsa and ādara
- Held the dhṛpada (refrain) of senior singers — bhāva-driven
-
Served the saints' tīrtha-pāyavaṇī (the foot-water, taken as sacred offering) — without lajjā
-
The decisive break:
- Didn't accept friends' (sahurda) advice (presumably to drop the bhakti and resume business)
- Came to vīṭa (revulsion) with the whole prapañca
- Made the mind the witness of satya-asatya — not the bahumata (= majority opinion / collective verdict)
-
Accepted the guru-upadeśa in svapna — the svapna-dīkṣā — dharilā viśvāsa dṛḍha nāmīm (held firm viśvāsa in the nāma)
-
The kavitva-life:
- Kavitva-sphūrti came after the svapna-dīkṣā
-
Held Viṭhobā's feet in the citta
-
The persecution and the drowning of the notebooks:
- Niṣēdha-blow — public condemnation (traditionally identified with the brāhmaṇa Mambājī Bhaṭ's persecution)
- Buḍavilyā vahyā — the notebooks of his abhangs were drowned (in the Indrāyaṇī river — the most famous incident in Tukaram-biography)
- Baisalōm dharaṇē — Tuka sat in dharaṇa (sit-in protest) at Viṭhoba's door
-
Kēlēm Nārāyaṇē samādhāna — Nārāyaṇa himself gave samādhāna (= the abhangs floated back / the persecution was vindicated)
-
The closing realization:
- Bhakti, Nārāyaṇa never abandons — kṛpāvanta aisā kaḷōm ālēm
- Mājhē sarva bhāṇḍavala — bōlavilē Pāṇḍurangē — my entire bhāṇḍavala — Pāṇḍuranga has spoken-through-me
This abhang is the primary source for nearly all Tukaram-biography. The famine, the wife's death, the temple, the Ekādaśī-kīrtana, the svapna-guru, the drowned-vahyā — all are Tuka's own attestations.
[T]
For someone today
For today: vairāgya happens through losses (parents, wife, dhana, māna); through sustained bhakti (Ekādaśī-kīrtana, saint-words memorized, foot-water served); through svapna-dīkṣā; through enduring niṣēdha; through dharaṇa for samādhāna; and through Pāṇḍuranga speaking through your bhāṇḍavala.
Where this applies
- Yāti-śūdra-vaiśya-business-Deva-kuḷapūjya.* Origin.
- Samsāra-duḥkha-parents-died.* The crucible.
- Famine-took-dhana-māna-wife-died-crying-anna.* The losses.
- Temple-broken-heart-felt-this-must-be-done.* The turning.
- Ekādaśī-kīrtana-saints'-words-foot-water.* The bhakti-practice.
- Svapna-guru-upadeśa-firm-nāma-viśvāsa.* The dīkṣā.
- Kavitva-sphūrti-Viṭhobā's-feet-in-citta.* The poetry.
- Niṣēdha-vahyā-drowned-dharaṇa-Nārāyaṇa-samādhāna.* The persecution.
- Bhakti-Nārāyaṇa-never-abandons.* The discovery.
- All-bhāṇḍavala-Pāṇḍuranga-spoken-through.* The signature.