Abhanga 3075
However vast a person's wealth becomes, not even the smallest coin of it goes with them when they die.
The verse
लंकेमाजी घरें किती तीं आइका । सांगतसें संख्या जैसीतैसी ॥१॥
पांच लक्ष घरें पाषाणांचीं जेथें । सात लक्ष तेथें विटेबंदी ॥ध्रु.॥
कोटि घरें जेथें कांशा आणि तांब्याचीं । शुद्ध कांचनाचीं सप्त कोटी ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे ज्याची संपदा एवढी । सांगातें कवडी गेली नाहीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Lankemājīm ghare kitī tīm āikā — in Lankā, how many houses, hear; sāngatsē samkhyā jaisītaisī — I tell the count as-is. Pāmcha lakṣa ghare pāṣāṇāñcīm jethe — 5 lakh houses of stone; sāta lakṣa tethe viṭebandī — 7 lakh of viṭebandī (fired-brick). Kōṭi ghare jethe kāmśā āṇi tāmbyāñcīm — crores of houses of bronze and copper; śuddha kāmchanāñcīm sapta-kōṭī — of pure gold, 7 crores. Tukā mhaṇe jyāñcī sampadā evaḍhī — Tukā says: he whose sampadā was such; sāngāte kavaḍī gelī nāhī — went with not even one kavaḍī.
What it means
A striking 3-verse Lankā-wealth image by Tukārām.
The image: Rāvaṇa's Lankā had 5-lakh-stone-houses, 7-lakh-brick-houses, crores-of-bronze-and-copper-houses, 7-crores-of-pure-gold-houses; yet-Rāvaṇa-went-with-not-even-a-kavaḍī (cowrie, smallest-currency-unit).
The argument is anitya-meditation by-historical-example: the-greatest-wealth-in-history was-Rāvaṇa's; at-death, even-a-cowrie-didn't-go-with-him. The kavaḍī is striking — not-even-the-smallest-coin.
Compare-Tukārām's 2884 (māpārī mortality-warning — Time-measures-your-āyuṣya; not-king-not-elder-not-kin-will-save).
For someone today
Tukārām's Lankā-wealth image. In Lankā, hear how many houses — I tell the count as-is: 5 lakh houses of stone; 7 lakh of fired-brick; crores of bronze and copper; 7 crores of pure gold. He whose wealth was so much — (he) went with not even one cowrie as companion. The verse permits the anitya-meditation by historical example: even Rāvaṇa died empty-handed.
मराठी: तुकारामांची ही लंकेच्या संपत्तीची प्रतिमा आहे. लंकेत किती घरे होती ते ऐका — मी जशी आहे तशी संख्या सांगतो: पाच लाख घरे दगडाची; सात लाख भाजलेल्या विटांची; कोट्यवधी घरे कांशाची व तांब्याची; सात कोटी शुद्ध सोन्याची. ज्याची संपत्ती इतकी अफाट होती, तोही एक कवडीही सोबत घेऊन गेला नाही. या अभंगातून हा ऐतिहासिक दाखला देऊन अनित्यतेचा बोध मिळतो: रावणासारखा महाराजाही रिकाम्या हातांनीच मरण पावला.
Where this applies
- When you're chasing wealth or possessions as if they'll define your worth forever
- When you feel envious of someone with far more money or property than you
- When you're reflecting on a wealthy person's death and what they actually left behind
- When you need a reminder while accumulating savings and assets that none of it travels with you