Abhanga 2471
Treating trees, animals, and birds as kin turns solitude into good company, and a simple life under open sky becomes rich enough on its own.
The verse
वृक्ष वल्ली आम्हां सोयरीं वनचरें । पक्षी ही सुस्वरें आळविती ॥१॥ येणें सुखें रुचे एकांताचा वास । नाहीं गुण दोष अंगा येत ॥ध्रु.॥ आकाश मंडप पृथुवी आसन । रमे तेथें मन क्रीडा करी ॥२॥ कंथाकुमंडलु देहउपचारा । जाणवितो वारा अवश्वरु ॥३॥ हरिकथा भोजन परवडी विस्तार । करोनि प्रकार सेवूं रुची ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे होय मनासी संवाद । आपुला चि वाद आपणांसी ॥५॥
Literal translation
Trees-vines our kinsmen, forest-creatures — birds too sweetly call. By this joy, solitude tastes — no merit-fault touches body. Sky-canopy, earth-seat — mind plays there. Kanthā-kamaṇḍalu for body's-service — wind announces ritual-time. Hari-kathā is food — many varieties — relish with rasa. Tuka says: dialogue with mind — own debate with oneself.
What it means
THE MOST-FAMOUS TUKĀRĀM ECO-BHAKTI ABHANG. The most-anthologized Tukārām forest-friendship / solitude / self-dialogue poem. Used at Maharashtra environmental-celebrations.
THE OPENING: vṛkṣa-vallī āmhām sōyarīm vanacharē — pakṣī hī susvarē āḷavitī — trees-vines our kinsmen, forest-creatures — birds too sweetly call. Sōyarī = kinsmen, relations. Vanachara = forest-dwellers (animals). Trees-and-vines are-our-kinsmen, the-forest-dwellers; birds-too sweetly-call. The ecological-bhakti vision — nature-as-kin, not-resource.
THE SKY-CANOPY: ākāśa-maṇḍapa pṛthvī āsana — ramē tēthē mana krīḍā karī — sky-canopy, earth-seat — mind plays there. The-sky is-the-canopy (maṇḍapa = pavilion); the-earth is-the-seat (āsana); the-mind plays-there. The whole-cosmos as-the-meditation-hall.
The minimal-life: kanthā-kumaṇḍalū dēha-upachārā — jāṇavitō vārā avaśvaru — kanthā-kamaṇḍalu for body's-service — wind announces ritual-time. Just-a-kanthā (patched-cloak) and-kamaṇḍalu (water-pot) for-body-needs; the-wind tells-the-ritual-hour.
Hari-kathā-as-food: Hari-kathā bhōjana paravaḍī vistāra — Hari-kathā is-food, many-varieties to-relish.
Self-dialogue: Tukā mhaṇē hōya manāsī samvāda — āpulā chi vāda āpaṇāmsī — Tuka says: dialogue with the mind — own debate with oneself.
HISTORICAL-CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: - One of THE most-anthologized Tukārām abhangs — appears in nearly every Marathi-school-textbook - Used at Maharashtra environmental-celebrations as the Vārkarī ecological-classic - Cited as proof-text for Tukārām's appreciation-of-nature - A model for spiritual-solitude — sufficient with sky-canopy, earth-seat, minimal-implements - The line vṛkṣa-vallī āmhām sōyarī has become a slogan-phrase for environmental-Hindu-bhakti
Note: Despite-2459 / 2464 saying no-need-to-go-to-the-forest, Tukārām here-praises-the-forest-as-natural-sant-sanga. Not-a-contradiction: the forest is-better-than-cities-of-hypocrisy, but the Vārkarī-householder's-Chandrabhāgā is-also-sufficient.
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For someone today
For today: trees-vines are our kinsmen, forest-creatures, sweet-birds; solitude tastes good; sky-canopy, earth-seat; minimal needs; Hari-kathā as food; self-dialogue with mind.
Where this applies
- When you feel lonely being by yourself and need to remember that nature can feel like family
- When you are trying to simplify your life down to just what you truly need
- When you want to stop caring so much about others' praise or blame and just be at peace where you are
- When you find yourself talking things through with your own mind instead of seeking outside company