Abhanga 2772
Tōmvarī tōmvarī jambukā karī garjanā — until-until the jambuka (jackal) roars; jamva tyā pañchānanā dekhilē nāhīm — until he has not seen the pañchānana (five-faced one, lion).
The verse
तोंवरि तोंवरि जंबुक करि गर्जना । जंव त्या पंचानना देखिलें नाहीं ॥१॥
तोंवरि तोवरिं सिंधु करि गर्जना । जंव त्या अगिस्तब्राम्हणा देखिलें नाहीं ॥ध्रु.॥
तोंवरि तोंवरि वैराग्याच्या गोष्टी । जंव सुंदर वनिता दृष्टी पडिली नाहीं ॥२॥
तोंवरि तोंवरि शूरत्वाच्या गोष्टी । जंव परमाईंचा पुत्र दृष्टी देखिला नाहीं ॥३॥
तोंवरि तोंवरि माळामुद्रांचीं भूषणें । जंव तुक्याचें दर्शन जालें नाहीं ॥४॥
Literal translation
Tōmvarī tōmvarī jambukā karī garjanā — until-until the jambuka (jackal) roars; jamva tyā pañchānanā dekhilē nāhīm — until he has not seen the pañchānana (five-faced one, lion). Tōmvarī tōvarim sindhu karī garjanā — until-until the sindhu (ocean) roars; jamva tyā agastya-brāhmaṇā dekhilē nāhīm — until he has not seen the agastya-brāhmaṇa (Agastya, who drank the ocean dry). Tōmvarī tōmvarī vairāgyāñcyā gōṣṭī — until-until vairāgya-talk; jamva sundara vanitā drṣṭī paḍilī nāhīm — until a beautiful woman has not fallen into sight. Tōmvarī tōmvarī śūratvāñcyā gōṣṭī — until-until warrior-talk; jamva paramāīñcā putra drṣṭī dekhilā nāhīm — until Paramāī's son has not been seen by sight. Tōmvarī tōmvarī māḷā-mudrāñcīm bhūṣaṇē — until-until the māḷā-mudrā (rosary-mudra-marks) ornaments (are worn for show); jamva tukyāñce darśana jālē nāhīm — until Tukya's darśana has not happened.
What it means
This abhang, preserved in the Tukārām-section of the Sakal Sant Gatha, is NOT Tukārām's own composition. The closing-line jamva tukyāñce darśana jālē nāhīm (until Tukya's darśana has not happened) is in the third-person about Tukārām himself. This is likely a disciple-praise-abhang by Niḷōbā (Tukārām's most-famous disciple, c. 1640-1709) or another contemporary-Vārkarī. The Sakal Sant Gatha tradition's editorial-practice includes such third-party praise-abhangs in the Tukārām-section.
The structure is a 5-fold tōmvarī-tōmvarī (until-until) comparison:
- Jackal-roars-until-lion-is-seen — the lesser-noise stops when the greater-substance appears
- Ocean-roars-until-Agastya-is-seen — Agastya famously drank the ocean (a Purāṇic story); the ocean's roar is impressive until one remembers Agastya could drink it dry
- Vairāgya-talk-continues-until-a-beautiful-woman-is-seen — the test of talked-renunciation is the actual-encounter with beauty
- Warrior-talk-continues-until-Paramāī's-son-is-seen — Paramāī's son is presumably a famous-warrior (perhaps an oral-tradition figure); pretender-warriors fall-silent in his presence
- Climax: māḷā-mudrā-ornaments are mere-show until Tukya's darśana happens — the religious-display-of-tulasī-rosaries-and-mudra-marks is exposed-as-show by Tukārām's darśana
The placement of Tukārām's darśana in the fifth-and-climactic position elevates him to the substance-against-which-religious-pretenders-are-tested. This is high-praise from the disciple-tradition.
The māḷā-mudrā-ornament-critique is Tukārām's own constant theme (see 2761's dambha-shop, 2630's narastuti-kathā-vikrā, 2734's dambha-not-Hari-kīrtana) — but here the disciple-poet uses it to praise Tukārām himself as the substance against which all religious-show falls-flat.
For someone today
The verse offers a useful test-by-substance pattern. The pretender roars only until the real-substance appears: jackal-vs-lion, ocean-vs-Agastya, vairāgya-talk-vs-beautiful-woman, warrior-talk-vs-real-warrior, religious-ornaments-vs-Tukārām's-darśana. Each pair tests talked-or-displayed substance vs encountered-actual-substance. The pattern is portable: what talk-or-display in you would fall-silent in the presence of the real-substance?
Historically, this verse-pair (2772 + 2773) is also significant for documenting Tukārām's contemporary-fame and the Tukārām-as-substance-yardstick tradition that arose around him.
Where this applies
- The tōmvarī-tōmvarī test-by-substance pattern
- Rare-historical-evidence of Tukārām's contemporary-reputation
- The talked-vs-encountered substance test for one's own religion-display
- Niḷōbā-style disciple-praise tradition