Abhanga 1841
For today: seeing the fire, the satī — bristles-of-thrill rise on the body; this is not upadēśa — sukha rises within with ulhāsa; toward wealth and relations — chitta does not put, doesn't cry; remembering the One — (she) jumps in, Tuka says.
The verse
अगी देखोनियां सती । अंगीं रोमांच उठती ॥१॥ हा तो नव्हे उपदेश । सुख अंतरीं उल्हासे ॥ध्रु.॥ वित्तगोतांकडे । चत्ति न घाली न रडे ॥२॥ आठवूनि एका । उडी घाली म्हणे तुका ॥३॥
Literal translation
Seeing the fire — the satī — bristles-of-thrill rise on the body. This is not upadēśa — sukha rises within with ulhāsa. Toward wealth and relations — chitta does not put, doesn't cry. Remembering the One — jumps in, Tuka says.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अगी देखोनियां सती | "seeing the fire — the satī" |
| अंगीं रोमांच उठती | "on the body — bristles-of-thrill rise (rōmāñca)" |
| हा तो नव्हे उपदेश | "this is not — upadēśa" |
| सुख अंतरीं उल्हासे | "sukha rises — within — with ulhāsa (delight-bursting-forth)" |
| वित्तगोतांकडे | "toward wealth and relations" |
| चत्ति न घाली न रडे | "(she) doesn't put chitta — doesn't cry" |
| आठवूनि एका | "remembering the One" |
| उडी घाली म्हणे तुका | "jumps in — Tuka says" |
What it means
Satī-jumps-in-fire-as-bhakta-renunciation abhang. A striking and-bold-image.
The opening: agī dēkhōniyām satī — angī rōmāñca uṭhatī — seeing the fire, the satī — bristles-of-thrill rise on the body. The satī-image: the satī, on-seeing-the-funeral-fire of-her-husband, has-rōmāñca (= ecstatic-bristling) on-her-body — not fear, but joyful-anticipation. (Tukaram-uses this as a Vārkarī-bhakta-image; it does not endorse the practice but uses-the-cultural-image of joyful-acceptance.)
The interpretation: hā tō navhē upadēśa — sukha antarī ulhāsē — this is not upadēśa — sukha rises within with ulhāsa. No-formal-instruction was-needed; the sukha-of-anticipation arose-spontaneously from-within.
The non-attachment: vitta-gōtānkaḍē — chitta na ghālī na raḍē — toward wealth and relations — (she) doesn't put chitta, doesn't cry. No-attachment to-wealth or-relations; no-tears.
The closing: āṭhavūni ēkā — uḍī ghālī mhaṇē Tuka — remembering the One — jumps in, Tuka says. Remembering-the-One, she jumps-into-the-fire.
The implicit-teaching: the bhakta's-renunciation should-be-like-this — joyful-anticipation, no-formal-instruction-needed, no-tears-for-what's-left-behind, just-remembrance-of-the-One and-the-leap. Renunciation as ecstatic-leap, not as solemn-duty.
This is a bold abhang — Tuka uses-a-controversial-cultural-image (the satī's-leap, not endorsing it as an institution) to illustrate-the-quality-of bhakta-renunciation as spontaneous-and-joyful.
[T]
For someone today
For today: seeing the fire, the satī — bristles-of-thrill rise on the body; this is not upadēśa — sukha rises within with ulhāsa; toward wealth and relations — chitta does not put, doesn't cry; remembering the One — (she) jumps in, Tuka says.
Where this applies
- When you're about to give something up and feel dread instead of the lighter, joyful release true letting go can bring
- When you think spiritual surrender has to be forced through discipline rather than arising naturally from love
- When you're still holding on to grief over wealth, relationships, or comforts you're in the process of leaving
- When you need a vivid reminder that real devotion feels like joy rising from within, not a rule imposed from outside