Abhanga 1739
Calling yourself generous or devout means little if you spend your energy dodging every chance to actually give, and the honest response to such hypocrisy is compassion, not just mockery.
The verse
जन्मा येऊन उदार जाला । उद्धार केला वंशाचा । मेळवूनि धन मेळवी माती । सदा विपत्ती भोगीतसे ॥१॥ नाम घेतां न मिळे अन्न । नव्हे कारण देखिलिया । धर्म करितां ऐके कानीं । बांधे निजोनि डोकियासी ॥ध्रु.॥ घरा व्याही पाहुणा आला । म्हणे त्याला बरें नाहीं । तुमचे गावीं वैद्य आहे । बैसोनि काय प्रयोजन ॥२॥ उजवूं किती होतिल पोरें । मरतां बरें म्हणे यांसी । म्हणऊनि देवा नवस करी । दावी घरींहुनि बोनें ॥३॥ पर्वकाळीं भट घरासी आला । बोंब घाला म्हणे पोरां । तुमचा उणा होईंल वांटा । काळ पिठासी आला ॥४॥ दाढी करितां अडका गेला । घरांत आला बाइलेपें । म्हणे आतां उगवीं मोडी । डोईं बोडीं आपुली ॥५॥ तीर्थ स्वप्नीं नेणें गंगा । पूजन लिंगा गांविंचिया । आडकुनि दार बैसे दारीं । आल्या घर म्हणे ओस ॥६॥ तुका म्हणे ऐसे आहेत गा हरी । या ही तारीं जीवांसी । माझ्या भय वाटे चित्ती । नरका जाती म्हणोनि ॥७॥
Literal translation
Born, became udāra — uplifted the lineage (ironic-claim) — gathering wealth, gathers earth — always experiences vipatti. When nāma is taken — no anna — no need (= no concern); when dharma is being done — if ears hear — binds head while lying down. Son-in-law's-father guest came — says: he isn't well — there's a vaidya in your village — what's the use of sitting (here). How many children would launch — would die better, he says of them — therefore makes vow to Deva — shows bait from the house. On parva-day, bhaṭṭa came home — says to children: make uproar — your share will be less — Time has come for the flour. Getting beard cut — an aḍakā went — came home to wife — says: now unravel moneylending — I'll shave my own head. Tīrtha — not even in dream — Gangā — no pūjā of the village linga — bolts the door, sits at door — when (guests) come, says: house is empty. Tuka says: such people exist, Hari — save these jīvas too — there's fear in my chitta — because they go to narka.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| जन्मा येऊन उदार जाला — उद्धार केला वंशाचा | "born — became udāra; — uplifted the lineage (ironic)" |
| मेळवूनि धन मेळवी माती — सदा विपत्ती भोगीतसे | "gathering wealth, gathers earth — always experiences vipatti" |
| नाम घेतां न मिळे अन्न | "when nāma-is-taken — no anna (= when someone with nāma comes)" |
| धर्म करितां ऐके कानीं — बांधे निजोनि डोकियासी | "when dharma-action — if ear hears; — binds head while lying down" |
| व्याही पाहुणा आला — म्हणे त्याला बरें नाहीं | "son-in-law's father guest came — says he is not well" |
| उजवूं किती होतिल पोरें — मरतां बरें म्हणे यांसी | "how many children to launch — says: would die better" |
| देवा नवस करी — दावी घरींहुनि बोनें | "makes vow to Deva — shows bait from the house" |
| पर्वकाळीं भट घरासी आला — बोंब घाला म्हणे पोरां | "on parva-day, bhaṭṭa came home — says to children: make uproar" |
| दाढी करितां अडका गेला | "aḍakā (coin) went — getting beard cut" |
| डोईं बोडीं आपुली | "I'll shave my own head" |
| तीर्थ स्वप्नीं नेणें गंगा — पूजन लिंगा गांविंचिया | "tīrtha not even in dream — Gangā; — no pūjā of village-linga" |
| आडकुनि दार बैसे दारीं — आल्या घर म्हणे ओस | "bolts door, sits at door — says: house empty (when guests come)" |
| तुका म्हणे ऐसे आहेत गा हरी — या ही तारीं जीवांसी | "Tuka says — such exist, Hari — save these jīvas too" |
| माझ्या भय वाटे चित्ती — नरका जाती म्हणोनि | "fear in my chitta — because they go to narka" |
What it means
Extended miser-stingy-religious-hypocrite portrait abhang. A 7-verse satirical-narrative — one of Tukaram's most-detailed anti-religious-hypocrite poems.
The catalogue of miser-behaviors:
Verse 1 — Ironic-opening: born and became "udāra" (= the satirical-pretense that he's-liberal-and-uplifted-the-lineage); but actually gathers-wealth-which-is-just-earth, always-suffering.
Dhṛuva — Anti-bhakti-and-dharma: when someone-with-nāma comes, he pretends-no-food; when dharma-deeds happen near, he wraps-his-head-with-cloth-while-lying-down (pretending-deafness-or-illness to avoid).
Verse 2 — Pretend-illness-to-avoid-host-duties: son-in-law's-father came as guest — says: "he is not well, there's a vaidya in your village, what's the use of sitting here" (= sends-him-away).
Verse 3 — Wishing-children-dead: how-many children would-have-to-be-launched (= married-off)? — says it would be better if they died — yet makes-vow-to-Deva, showing-bait-from-the-house (= makes pretense-of-religious-vow-with-cheap-token).
Verse 4 — Children-make-uproar-on-parva-day: when bhaṭṭa comes for parva-day-dakṣiṇā — tells children to bōmba-ghālā (make uproar) — "your share will be less, Time has come for the flour" (= sends-bhaṭṭa-away with the disturbance-pretext).
Verse 5 — Beard-cost-lament: spent an aḍakā on beard-cut, comes-home-to-wife — says: "now unravel moneylending, I'll shave my own head (in future)" (= won't-pay-barber-again).
Verse 6 — No-tīrtha-no-pūjā-bolt-the-door: no Gangā-tīrtha even-in-dream; no pūjā of even-the-village-linga; bolts the door from-inside, sits-at-the-door — when guests come, says: "the house is empty".
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē aisē āhēta gā Harī — yā hī tārī jīvāmsī — mājhyā bhaya vāṭē chittī — narakā jātī mhaṇōni — Tuka says: such people exist, Hari — save these jīvas too — fear in my chitta — because they go to narka. (The closing-shift to compassionate-petition-for-the-misers-themselves.)
This abhang is a masterpiece of social-satire — Tukaram's eye-for-detail in cataloging the miser-religious-hypocrite's behaviors is unmatched in the gatha.
[T]
For someone today
For today: he was born and calls himself generous, as if he uplifted the family line — but all he gathers is wealth that's really just dust, and it brings him nothing but suffering. When someone comes chanting God's name he claims he has no food to give, and when there's a chance to do good nearby he wraps his head and pretends to be asleep. When his son-in-law's father visits as a guest, he turns him away saying he is unwell and should see a doctor back home; he even says it would be better if his children died than have to be married off, yet still makes hollow vows to God while offering only cheap bait from the house. When the priest comes for festival dues he tells his children to make a scene so he can claim he has less to give, and he grumbles for days over the cost of a haircut; he never dreams of a pilgrimage or worships the village shrine, and he bolts his door so that when guests come he can say the house is empty. Tuka says: such people really exist, Hari — please save these souls too, because in my heart I fear where their path leads.
मराठी: आजसाठी: तो जन्माला आला आणि स्वतःला उदार म्हणवतो, जणू त्याने कुळाचा उद्धार केला — पण जो काही पैसा जमवतो तो नुसती माती आहे, आणि त्यातून त्याला फक्त दुःखच मिळते. कोणी नामस्मरण करणारा आला की तो म्हणतो घरात अन्न नाही, आणि जवळपास कुठे धर्मकार्य होत असेल तर डोक्यावर पांघरूण घेऊन झोपल्याचे सोंग करतो. व्याही पाहुणा म्हणून आला की तो त्याला 'बरे नाही, तुमच्या गावीच वैद्य आहे' असे सांगून परत पाठवतो; मुले लग्नाला काढायची म्हणजे किती खर्च, त्यापेक्षा मेलेली बरी असे तो म्हणतो, तरी देवाला नवस मात्र करतो, घरातून केवळ आमिष दाखवत. पर्वकाळी भट दक्षिणेसाठी आला की मुलांना गोंधळ घालायला सांगतो जेणेकरून वाटा कमी असल्याचे भासवता येईल; दाढी करण्याच्या खर्चावरूनही तो कुरकुरतो. तीर्थाचे स्वप्नही पडत नाही, गावच्या देवाचीही पूजा करत नाही, आणि दार आतून लावून बसतो जेणेकरून पाहुणे आले की घर ओस असल्याचे सांगता येईल. तुका म्हणतो: हरी, असे लोक खरोखर आहेत — यांनाही तार, कारण माझ्या मनात भीती वाटते की हे नरकात जातील.
Where this applies
- When you catch yourself making excuses to avoid helping someone who came to you in need
- When you notice you talk about being generous or religious but arrange your life to avoid ever actually giving
- When you feel resentment over small costs, like a haircut or a guest's visit, and let it sour you
- When you judge someone's hypocrisy harshly and need reminding to feel compassion for them instead