Abhanga 2945
Āmhī bhāgyāñce bhāgyāñce — we (are) of bhāgya — of-great-fortune (doubled); āmhām tāmbe bhōpaḷyāñce — our tāmbe (copper-vessel) (is) bhōpaḷyāñce (of-gourd-made).
The verse
आम्ही भाग्याचे भाग्याचे । आम्हां तांबे भोपळ्याचे॥१॥
लोकां घरीं गाईं म्हैसी । आम्हां घरीं उंदीरघुसी ॥ध्रु.॥
लोकां घरीं हत्ती घोडे । आम्हां आधोडीचे जोडे ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे आम्ही सुडके । आम्हां देखोन काळ धाके ॥३॥
Literal translation
Āmhī bhāgyāñce bhāgyāñce — we (are) of bhāgya — of-great-fortune (doubled); āmhām tāmbe bhōpaḷyāñce — our tāmbe (copper-vessel) (is) bhōpaḷyāñce (of-gourd-made). Lōkām gharī gāī mhaisī — in people's houses, cows and buffaloes; āmhām gharī undīra-ghusī — in our house, mice (and) rats. Lōkām gharī hattī ghōḍe — in people's houses, elephants and horses; āmhām ādhōḍīche jōḍe — for us, ādhōḍīche jōḍe (rope-sandals, ragged-footwear). Tukā says: āmhī suḍake — we (are) suḍake (rag-clad, in-tatters); āmhām dekhōn kāḷa dhāke — seeing us, Kāḷa (Time, Death) is afraid.
What it means
A striking 4-verse self-ironic biographical-Tukārām simple-life verse. Companion to 2944 — together they form the Tukārām simple-life biographical cluster.
The verse uses deliberate-irony: claiming we-are-of-great-fortune while-listing-poverty-items. The irony-twist is that Tukārām claims-this-poverty is actually-the-great-fortune.
Verse 1: Āmhī bhāgyāñce bhāgyāñce — āmhām tāmbe bhōpaḷyāñce — we are of great-fortune (doubled emphatic) — our copper-vessel is of-gourd. The opening-irony: we have great-good-fortune; (and) our copper-vessel is a gourd (= we don't have real-copper, just-a-gourd).
Dhrūpada: Lōkām gharī gāī mhaisī — āmhām gharī undīra-ghusī — in people's-houses cows-buffaloes — in our-house mice-rats. The contrast: people have cattle; we have-mice-rats. (Cf. 2944 undīra-kuḷa-vāḍī.)
Verse 2: Lōkām gharī hattī ghōḍe — āmhām ādhōḍīche jōḍe — people's-houses elephants-horses — for-us rope-sandals. The contrast: people have great-mounts; we have rope-sandals. (Ādhōḍīche jōḍe — the jōḍa of ādhōḍa = rough-rope or-bark-rope.)
Close (the radical-claim): Tukā mhaṇe āmhī suḍake — āmhām dekhōn kāḷa dhāke — we are rag-clad — (but) seeing us, Kāḷa (Death/Time) is afraid. The radical-twist: despite our outer-poverty, Kāḷa-fears-us. (Compare 2855 Hari-mhaṇatām → kāḷa-yama-becomes-śaraṇa.) The bhakta's outer-poverty + inner-bhakti = Kāḷa-afraid.
This is one of THE most-self-ironic-yet-radical-claim verses in the Tukārām corpus. The self-irony establishes-rapport with-the-audience (acknowledging the poverty) while the closing-claim asserts bhakti-supremacy-over-Kāḷa. (Pairs with 2944's biographical-simple-life + 2855's Kāḷa-yama-śaraṇa.)
For someone today
Tukārām's striking self-ironic we-are-bhāgyaśālī-of-gourd-and-mice declaration. We are of great-fortune, great-fortune! — our copper-vessel is of-gourd. In people's houses, cows-buffaloes — in our house, mice-rats. In people's houses, elephants-horses — for us, rope-sandals. We are rag-clad — (yet) seeing us, Kāḷa (Death) is afraid. The verse offers a triple-pattern of self-ironic-poverty (vessel, livestock, mounts) + the radical-closing-claim: despite-outer-poverty, Kāḷa-fears-us. The discipline: recognize that outer-simplicity-with-inner-bhakti is the real bhāgya; the Lord's-friend has-no-fear-of-Death.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's striking self-ironic we-are-bhāgyaśālī-of-gourd-and-mice declaration
- Recognizing the seeing-us-Kāḷa-fears — bhakta-supremacy claim
- Pairs with 2944 as Tukārām simple-life biographical cluster
- Pairs with 2855 (kāḷa-yama-becomes-śaraṇa-to-Hari-japaka) — the Kāḷa-afraid claim