Abhanga 2944
Ihalōkī āmhām bhūṣaṇa avakaḷā — in this world, our bhūṣaṇa (ornament) (is) avakaḷā (sorry-state, dishevelled-appearance); bhōpaḷā vākaḷā āṇi bhikṣā — the bhōpaḷā (gourd-bowl), vākaḷā (patched-blanket), and bhikṣā (begging).
The verse
इहलोकीं आम्हां भूषण अवकळा । भोपळा वाकळा आणि भिक्षा ॥१॥
निमोली संपदा भयविरहित । सर्वकाळ चत्ति समाधान ॥ध्रु.॥
छिद्राचा आश्रम उंदीरकुळवाडी । धन नाम जोडी देवाचें तें ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे एक सेवटीं राहाणें । वर्ततों या जना विरहित ॥३॥
Literal translation
Ihalōkī āmhām bhūṣaṇa avakaḷā — in this world, our bhūṣaṇa (ornament) (is) avakaḷā (sorry-state, dishevelled-appearance); bhōpaḷā vākaḷā āṇi bhikṣā — the bhōpaḷā (gourd-bowl), vākaḷā (patched-blanket), and bhikṣā (begging). Nimōlī sampadā bhaya-virahita — detached-from sampadā (wealth-status), free-from-bhaya (fear); sarva-kāḷa chitti samādhāna — at all times, the chitta (is) at samādhāna (peace). Chhidrāñcā āśrama undīra-kuḷa-vāḍī — (our) āśrama (shelter) is full-of chhidra (holes) — an undīra-kuḷa-vāḍī (mouse-dwelling); dhana nāma jōḍī Devāñce te — (our) dhana (wealth) — joined-with the nāma of Deva. Tukā says: eka sevaṭī rāhāṇe — at the end, one-staying; vart-tōm yā janā virahita — I conduct (my-life) (engagement-)virahita (without) this jana (people).
What it means
A striking 4-verse biographical-Tukārām simple-life declaration. The verse-content reads like autobiographical-portrait — what-Tukārām's-life-looks-like in concrete-physical-detail.
Verse 1: Ihalōkī āmhām bhūṣaṇa avakaḷā — bhōpaḷā vākaḷā āṇi bhikṣā — our ornament (in this world) is sorry-state — gourd-bowl, patched-blanket, begging. The bhakta's outer-ornaments: avakaḷā (dishevelled-state), bhōpaḷā (gourd-water-bowl), vākaḷā (patched-blanket), and bhikṣā (begging-for-food).
Dhrūpada: Nimōlī sampadā bhaya-virahita — sarva-kāḷa chitti samādhāna — detached-from-wealth-status, fear-free — all-time chitta-samādhāna. The inner-state: detachment + fearlessness + samādhāna at-all-times.
Verse 2: Chhidrāñcā āśrama undīra-kuḷa-vāḍī — dhana nāma jōḍī Devāñce te — the shelter is full-of-holes — a mouse-dwelling — wealth is Deva's-Name. The shelter-description: chhidra-āśrama (hole-filled-hut), undīra-kuḷa-vāḍī (a mouse-family-dwelling — a hut where the mice-have-their-clan). The only-wealth: Deva's-Name.
Close: Tukā mhaṇe eka sevaṭī rāhāṇe — vart-tōm yā janā virahita — at the end, one-staying — I conduct (myself) without (engagement with) people. The conduct-claim: withdrawn-from-people-engagement; one-staying alone.
This is one of THE most-detailed autobiographical-pictures of Tukārām's chosen-simplicity. Pairs with 2945 (the matched companion-verse) for the full-biographical-portrait.
For someone today
A striking biographical simple-life-of-the-bhakta declaration. In this world, our ornament (is) sorry-state — gourd-bowl, patched-blanket, begging. Detached-from-wealth, fear-free — all-time chitta-samādhāna. Our shelter (is) full-of-holes — a mouse-dwelling — wealth is Deva's-Name. At the end, one-staying — I conduct (myself) without (engagement with) people. The verse documents Tukārām's deliberate-poverty: (1) ornaments-are-sorry-state; (2) gourd-bowl + patched-blanket + begging; (3) detachment + fearlessness + chitta-samādhāna; (4) hole-filled-hut shared-with-mice; (5) wealth-is-Nāma; (6) life-conducted-without-people-engagement. The portrait is concrete-and-radical.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's biographical simple-life-of-the-bhakta declaration
- Recognizing chhidra-āśrama, undīra-kuḷ-vāḍī, gourd-bowl simple-life
- Dhana-is-Deva's-Nāma; I-conduct-without-people
- Pairs with 2945 (companion-verse, we-of-good-fortune; copper-of-gourd; mice-instead-of-cattle) as Tukārām simple-life biographical-cluster (2944-2945)