Abhanga 2854
An ordinary householder's life, lived with honest earning, detached spending, kindness, and respect for others, is itself a complete path to the highest spiritual state.
The verse
जोडोनियां धन उत्तम वेव्हारें । उदास विचारें वेच करी ॥१॥
उत्तम चि गती तो एक पावेल । उत्तम भोगील जीव खाणी ॥ध्रु.॥
परउपकारी नेणें परनिंदा । परस्त्रिया सदा बहिणी माया ॥२॥
भूतदया गाईंपशूचें पालन । तान्हेल्या जीवन वनामाजी ॥३॥
शांतिरूपें नव्हे कोणाचा वाईंट । वाढवी महत्व वडिलांचें ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे हें चि आश्रमाचें फळ । परमपद बळ वैराग्याचें ॥५॥
Literal translation
Jōḍōnīyām dhana uttama vevhāre — joining (earning)dhana(wealth) byuttama(excellent, fair)vevhāra(dealings, business); udāsa vichāre vecha karī — withudāsa(detached)vichāra(thought), dovecha(spending). Uttama chi gati tō ēka pāvel — he alone (will) attainuttama-gati(excellent-destiny); uttama bhōgīl jīva-khāṇī — he will enjoy excellentjīva-khāṇī(birth, life-source). Para-upakāri neṇe para-nindā — (being)para-upakāri(helper-of-others), not knowingpara-nindā(slander-of-others); para-striyā sadā bahiṇī māyā — para-striyā(others' women) always (regarded as)bahiṇī(sister) (and)māyā(mother). Bhūta-dayā gāī-paśūñce pālana — (having)bhūta-dayā(compassion-for-beings), the protection of cows-and-cattle; tānhelyā jīvana vanāmājī — (giving)jīvana(water, life) to the thirsty in the forest. Śānti-rūpe navhe kōṇāñcā vāīṭ — (being)śānti-rūpa(peaceful-form), not anyone'svāīṭa(ill, harm-doer); vāḍhavī mahatva vaḍilāñce — increases themahatva(greatness) ofvaḍila(elders). Tukā says: he chi āśramāñce phala — this alone is the fruit of the (householder)-āśrama; parama-pada baḷa vairāgyāñce — parama-pada (supreme state) by the baḷa (strength) of vairāgya.
What it means
A canonical 5-verse Tukārām householder-dharma text. THE most-systematic householder-ethics formulation in the Tukārām corpus.
Verse 1 (economic-discipline): Jōḍōnīyām dhana uttama vevhāre — udāsa vichāre vecha karī — earn wealth by fair-dealings; spend with detached-thought. The dual-discipline of earning-and-spending: uttama-vehavāra in earning, udāsa-vichāra in spending.
Dhrūpada (result): Uttama chi gati tō ēka pāvel — uttama bhōgīl jīva-khāṇī — he alone attains uttama-gati; enjoys excellent (next-)birth. The destiny-claim.
Verse 2 (relational-ethics): Para-upakāri neṇe para-nindā — para-striyā sadā bahiṇī māyā — helper-of-others, not knowing slander-of-others; others' women always sisters and mothers. Three relational-rules: (1) help-others; (2) no-slander; (3) regard-others'-women-as-sisters-and-mothers.
Verse 3 (ecological-and-charity): Bhūta-dayā, gāī-paśūñce pālana — tānhelyā jīvana vanāmājī — compassion-for-beings, cow-and-cattle protection; water for the thirsty in the forest. Three more rules: (1) bhūta-dayā; (2) animal-protection (especially cow); (3) water-charity in remote-areas.
Verse 4 (character): Śānti-rūpe navhe kōṇāñcā vāīṭ — vāḍhavī mahatva vaḍilāñce — peaceful-form, not anyone's harm-doer; increases the greatness of elders. Two more: (1) peaceful, non-harm-doing; (2) honoring-and-glorifying elders.
Close: Tukā mhaṇe he chi āśramāñce phala — parama-pada baḷa vairāgyāñce — Tukā: this alone is the āśrama's-fruit — parama-pada by the strength of vairāgya. The end-goal-claim: all-these-householder-disciplines, performed-in-vairāgya-strength, yield parama-pada (supreme-state). The grhastha-āśrama (householder-stage) is presented as a complete-path-to-parama-pada — not a lower-stage.
This is one of THE most-quoted Tukārām texts on householder-dharma. The 10 disciplines: (1) fair-earning, (2) detached-spending, (3) helping-others, (4) no-slander, (5) others'-women-as-sisters-mothers, (6) bhūta-dayā, (7) cow-protection, (8) water-charity, (9) peaceful-character, (10) honoring-elders — and the warrant: parama-pada by balā-of-vairāgya.
For someone today
This is one of Tuka's most complete descriptions of what a good householder's life looks like. Earn your wealth through fair and honest dealing, and spend it with a detached, unattached mind — that alone leads to a good destiny and a good life ahead. Help others rather than slander them, and treat every woman who isn't your wife as you would a sister or a mother. Show compassion to all living beings, protect cattle, and give water to the thirsty even in remote places. Stay peaceful, cause harm to no one, and honor your elders. Tuka says this is the true fruit of the householder's life — when lived with the strength of real detachment, an ordinary household life is itself a complete path to the highest spiritual state. You don't need to abandon your home and family to reach liberation.
मराठी: तुकाराम महाराजांचे हे गृहस्थाश्रमाचे सर्वात परिपूर्ण वर्णन आहे. प्रामाणिक व्यवहाराने धन कमवा आणि विरक्त मनाने ते खर्च करा — यानेच उत्तम गती आणि उत्तम पुढील जन्म मिळतो. दुसऱ्यांची निंदा न करता त्यांना मदत करा, आणि परस्त्रीला सदैव बहीण किंवा आई मानावे. सर्व सजीवांविषयी दया बाळगा, गाईगुरांचे रक्षण करा, आणि दूरवरच्या तहानलेल्यांना पाणी द्या. शांत राहा, कोणाचेही वाईट करू नका, आणि वडीलधाऱ्यांचा मान राखा. तुकाराम महाराज म्हणतात, हेच गृहस्थाश्रमाचे खरे फळ आहे — खऱ्या वैराग्याच्या बळावर जगलेले सामान्य गृहस्थजीवन हाच परमपदाचा पूर्ण मार्ग आहे. मुक्तीसाठी घरदार सोडण्याची गरज नाही.
Where this applies
- THE canonical Tukārām householder-dharma formulation
- Daily-recitation as householder-vrata
- Recognizing the uttama-vehavāra + udāsa-vichāra dual-discipline
- Parama-pada by balā-of-vairāgya — the householder's end-goal claim
- The 10-fold-discipline as the bhakta-householder's daily-rule