Abhanga 1973
Tuka voices raw honesty about being reduced to poverty by God's own order, admitting his hardship while still sensing a quiet hand supporting him.
The verse
काय करूं आतां माझिया संचिता । तेणें जीववित्ती साटी केली ॥१॥ न म्हणावें कोणी माझें हें करणें । हुकुम तो येणें देवें केला ॥ध्रु.॥ करूनि मोकळा सोडिलों भिकारी । पुरविली तरी पाठी माझी ॥२॥ पाणिया भोंपळा जेवावया पानें । लाविलीं वो येणें देवें आम्हां ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे यासी नाहीं वो करुणा । आहे नागवणा ठावा मज ॥४॥
Literal translation
What to do now about my samcita — by it — jīva-vitti — barter was made. Let no one say "this is my doing" — this very God made the order. Made me free — released as beggar — but pushed up my back. Water-gourd, leaves to eat from — fixed-on-us — by this God. Tuka says: he has no compassion — I know him as one-who-strips.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| काय करूं आतां माझिया संचिता | "what to do now about my samcita" |
| तेणें जीववित्ती साटी केली | "by it — jīva-vitti — barter was made" |
| न म्हणावें कोणी माझें हें करणें | "let no one say — this is my doing" |
| हुकुम तो येणें देवें केला | "this very God made the order" |
| करूनि मोकळा सोडिलों भिकारी | "made me free — released as beggar" |
| पुरविली तरी पाठी माझी | "but pushed up my back" |
| पाणिया भोंपळा जेवावया पानें | "water-gourd, leaves to eat from" |
| लाविलीं वो येणें देवें आम्हां | "fixed-on-us — by this God" |
| तुका म्हणे यासी नाहीं वो करुणा | "Tuka says — he has no compassion" |
| आहे नागवणा ठावा मज | "I know him as one-who-strips" |
What it means
Lord-strips-leaves-only-water-gourd-and-leaves abhang.
The opening: kāya karūm ātām mājhiyā samcitā — tēṇē jīva-vittī sāṭī kēlī — what to do now about my samcita — by it — jīva-vitti — barter was made. Samcita = accumulated-karma; jīva-vitti = jīva-and-vṛtti (life-and-mental-modes). The samcita-bartered the jīva-vitti.
The God-order: na mhaṇāvē kōṇī mājhē hē karaṇē — hukuma tō yēṇē Dēvē kēlā — let no one say "this is my doing" — this very God made the order. Don't-blame-me; the Lord-ordered-this.
The beggar-release: karūni mōkaḷā sōḍilōm bhikārī — puravilī tarī pāṭhī mājhī — made me free, released as beggar — but pushed up my back. Released-as-beggar but-with-his-hand-on-my-back (= still supporting-me even-as-beggar).
The striking poverty-image: pāṇiyā bhōmpaḷā jēvāvayā pānē — lāvilīm vō yēṇē Dēvē āmhām — water-gourd, leaves to eat from — fixed-on-us by this God. Bhōmpaḷā = gourd-pot (the beggar's water-vessel); pānē = leaves (used as plates by ascetics/the-poor). The God has-fixed-us with-only-water-gourd and-leaves-as-plates — concrete asceticism-image of-Tukārām's-actual-poverty.
The closing accusation (sharp tone toward the Lord, voiced to the wife): Tukā mhaṇē yāsī nāhīm vō karuṇā — āhē nāgavaṇā ṭhāvā maja — Tuka says: he has no compassion — I know him as one-who-strips. The Lord has-no-compassion; I-know-him as-the-one-who-strips. A bhakta-complaint typical-of-the-wife-cluster — Tukārām voicing-the-wife's-likely-objections, then turning-them-into-bhakti.
[T]
For someone today
For today: what to do about my samcita — by it jīva-vitti barter made; let no one say "this is my doing" — God made the order; made me free, released as beggar — but pushed up my back; water-gourd, leaves to eat from — fixed-on-us by this God; Tuka says — he has no compassion — I know him as one-who-strips.
Where this applies
- When you're struggling with poverty or loss and feel abandoned by whatever you believe in
- When you want to stop blaming yourself for circumstances that feel bigger than your choices
- When you need permission to voice raw anger or disappointment honestly, even in prayer
- When you notice quiet support even in the middle of real hardship