Abhanga 2859
Tukā vēḍā avichāra — Tukā is vēḍā (mad), avichāra (without-thinking); karī baḍabaḍa phāra — (he) does baḍabaḍa (chatter) much.
The verse
तुका वेडा अविचार । करी बडबड फार ॥१॥
नित्य वाचे हा चि छंद । राम कृष्ण हरि गोविंद ॥ध्रु.॥
धरी पांडुरंगीं भाव। आणीक नेणें दुजा देव ॥२॥
गुरुज्ञान सर्वा ठायीं । दुजें न विचारी कांहीं ॥३॥
बोल नाईंके कोणाचे । कथे नागवा चि नाचे ॥४॥
संगउपचारें कांटाळे । सुखें भलते ठायीं लोळे ॥५॥
कांहीं उपदेशिलें नेणे । वाचे विठ्ठल विठ्ठल म्हणे ॥६॥
केला बहुतीं फजित । तरी हें चि करी नित्य ॥७॥
अहो पंडितजन । तुका टाकावा थुंकोन ॥८॥
Literal translation
Tukā vēḍā avichāra — Tukā is vēḍā (mad), avichāra (without-thinking); karī baḍabaḍa phāra — (he) does baḍabaḍa (chatter) much. Nitya vāche hā chi chanda — the nitya-vāchā (constant-speech) has this very chanda (passion-rhythm); Rāma Krṣṇa Hari Govinda — Rāma, Krṣṇa, Hari, Govinda. Dharī Pāṇḍurangī bhāva — (he) holds bhāva at Pāṇḍuranga; āṇika neṇe dujā Deva — and does not know any second Deva. Guru-jñāna sarvā ṭhāyī — guru-jñāna (the guru's knowing) is everywhere; dujē na vichārī kāmhī — (he) doesn't vichārī (consider) any second. Bōla nāike kōṇāñce — doesn't listen to anyone's bōla (words); kathē nāgavā chi nāche — in the kathā — (he) just dances nāgavā (naked, abandoned). Sanga-upachāre kāmṭāḷe — (he) gets kāmṭāḷe (disgusted) at the sanga-upachāra (formal-company-customs); sukhe bhalate ṭhāyī lōḷe — (he) happily lōḷe (rolls) (in) any-place. Kāmhī upadeśile neṇe — doesn't know any upadeśa (formal teaching); vāche Viṭhṭhala Viṭhṭhala mhaṇe — (his) speech says Viṭhṭhala Viṭhṭhala. Kelā bahutīm fajita — (he) has been made fajita (publicly humiliated) by many; tarī he chi karī nitya — yet does this very-thing daily. Ahō paṇḍita-jana — O paṇḍita-jana (learned-folk); Tukā ṭākāvā thunkōna — Tukā should-be ṭākāvā thunkōna (cast-away with spit, spit-out).
What it means
THE canonical 8-verse Tukārām autobiographical self-description — a masterpiece of defiant-bhakta self-description. Each verse names-and-celebrates a characteristic-of-the-mad-bhakta that the learned-paṇḍita-class would-find-contemptible.
Verse 1 — Madness: Tukā vēḍā avichāra — karī baḍabaḍa phāra — Tukā is mad, without-thinking — chatters much. The opening-claim. Vēḍā (mad), avichāra (without-thinking), baḍabaḍa (chatterer) — all-three are paṇḍita-contemptible-terms — and Tukā-claims-them.
Dhrūpada — Name-only: Nitya vāche hā chi chanda — Rāma Krṣṇa Hari Govinda — the nitya-vāchā has only this passion-rhythm: Rāma-Krṣṇa-Hari-Govinda. The four-Name chanda (mantra-rhythm) is the only-content of his speech.
Verse 2 — Pāṇḍuranga-only: Dharī Pāṇḍurangī bhāva — āṇika neṇe dujā Deva — holds bhāva at Pāṇḍuranga — doesn't know any other Deva. Exclusive bhakti.
Verse 3 — Guru-jñāna everywhere: Guru-jñāna sarvā ṭhāyī — dujē na vichārī kāmhī — guru-jñāna everywhere — doesn't consider any second. The advaita-claim: the guru's-knowing is in-everything; no-duality.
Verse 4 — Naked-in-kathā: Bōla nāike kōṇāñce — kathē nāgavā chi nāche — doesn't listen to anyone's words — in kathā, just dances naked. The nāgavā nāche — naked-dancing-in-kathā — total-abandonment of social-decorum. (Naked here is metaphorical for all-coverings-shed.)
Verse 5 — Disgusts at formal-company: Sanga-upachāre kāmṭāḷe — sukhe bhalate ṭhāyī lōḷe — gets disgusted at formal-company-customs — happily rolls (in) any-place. The bhakta's anti-decorum — he rolls anywhere, careless-of-status.
Verse 6 — No upadeśa, only Viṭṭhala: Kāmhī upadeśile neṇe — vāche Viṭhṭhala Viṭhṭhala mhaṇe — doesn't know any upadeśa — speech says Viṭhṭhala Viṭhṭhala. (He) has no formal-teaching to share; only the Name.
Verse 7 — Humiliated but persists: Kelā bahutīm fajita — tarī he chi karī nitya — been publicly-humiliated by many — yet does this daily. The defiance: humiliation doesn't deter him.
Verse 8 (close) — Pāṇḍitas spit-out-Tukā: Ahō paṇḍita-jana — Tukā ṭākāvā thunkōna — O learned-folk — Tukā should-be spit-out! The famous defiant-close: Tukārām invites the paṇḍitas to spit-him-out. He doesn't-need-their-approval.
This is one of the most-radical self-descriptions in the entire Marathi-bhakti corpus — Tukārām's anti-paṇḍita defiance fully-articulated.
For someone today
THE canonical Tukārām autobiographical self-description. Tukā is mad, without-thinking — chatters much. The constant-speech has only this passion-rhythm: Rāma-Krṣṇa-Hari-Govinda. (He) holds bhāva at Pāṇḍuranga — doesn't know any other Deva. Guru-jñāna everywhere — doesn't consider any second. Doesn't listen to anyone's words — in kathā, just dances naked. Gets disgusted at formal-company-customs — happily rolls (in) any-place. Doesn't know any upadeśa — speech says Viṭhṭhala-Viṭhṭhala. Has been publicly humiliated by many — yet does this daily. O learned-folk — Tukā should-be spit-out!
Eight characteristics of the mad-bhakta who-doesn't-need-paṇḍita-approval: (1) madness, (2) Name-only-speech, (3) Pāṇḍuranga-only-bhāva, (4) guru-jñāna-everywhere, (5) naked-dancing-in-kathā, (6) anti-decorum, (7) Viṭhṭhala-only-speech, (8) humiliation-doesn't-deter. The defiant-close — spit-Tukā-out! — is the bhakta's final-rejection of paṇḍita-approval-as-a-criterion.
The verse permits every-mad-bhakta-posture: it warrants the not-needing-paṇḍita-approval, dancing-anywhere, chatting-the-Name mode of bhakti.
Where this applies
- THE canonical Tukārām autobiographical self-description
- Recognizing the mad-bhakta-who-doesn't-care-for-pāṇḍita-approval posture
- Pāṇḍita-jana — spit-Tukā-out! — Tukārām's defiance of the learned
- The 8-fold-characteristic of the radical-Vārkarī-bhakta
- Warrant for not-needing-paṇḍita-approval, dancing-anywhere, chatting-the-Name