Abhanga 3129
Wealth cannot protect anyone from suffering, the workings of fate stay unknowable and rest in God's hand, and the fruit of harmful past karma brings no real happiness even when it comes due.
The verse
धनवंत एक बहिर अंधळे । शुभ्र कुष्ठ काळे भोग अंगीं ॥१॥
परारब्धगति न कळे विचित्र । आहे हातीं सूत्र विठोबाचे ॥ध्रु.॥
आणीक रोगांचीं नांवें घेऊं किती । अखंड असती जडोनियां ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे नष्ट संचिताचें दान । पावे खातां पण सुख नेदी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Dhanavanta eka bahira amdhaḷe — one (who is) rich, (becomes) deaf-blind; śubhra kuṣṭha kāḷe bhōga angīm — white kuṣṭha, dark bhōga in body. Parābrabdha-gati na kaḷe vichitra — parābrabdha-gati is vichitra-unknowable; āhe hātīm sūtra Viṭhōbāñce — the sūtra is in Viṭhōbā's hand. Āṇīka rōgāñcīm nāve gheūm kitī — how many disease-names should I take; akhaṇḍa asatī jaḍōnīyām — they are continuously attached. Tukā mhaṇe naṣṭa samchitāñce dāna — Tukā says: the gift of destructive samchita; pāve khātām paṇa sukha nedī — though-eating, gives no sukha.
What it means
A striking 3-verse prārabdha-vichitra + Viṭhōbā-as-sūtra-holder text by Tukārām.
The claim: Wealth doesn't-correlate-with-health — the rich-can-be-deaf-blind; bodies-bear-leprosy and-dark-bhōga. The prārabdha-gati is vichitra (strange, unknowable) — the sūtra (string-of-fate) is in-Viṭhōbā's-hand. Rōgas-attach-continuously. Even-eating-the-fruits-of-destructive-samchita, sukha-doesn't-come.
The sūtra-in-Viṭhōbā's-hand image is striking — the-thread of-prārabdha is-held-by-Viṭhōbā. The bhakta-can't-fathom-prārabdha but-can-recognize-its-holder.
Pairs-with-3041 (Lord-engineers-bhakta's-difficulties) — both texts grapple with-the-Lord-as-the-puppeteer-of-fate.
For someone today
Tukārām's prārabdha-vichitra text. One (who is) rich, (becomes) deaf-blind; (his) body has leprosy, the dark bhōga. The prārabdha-gati is unknowable, strange. The thread is in Viṭhōbā's hand. How many disease-names should I take? — they are continuously attached. The gift of destructive samchita — even when (one) eats (it), it gives no sukha. The verse permits the bhakti-recognition: prārabdha-strange, Viṭhōbā-holds-sūtra.
Where this applies
- Striking prārabdha-vichitra + Viṭhōbā-as-sūtra-holder canonical text
- Sūtra-in-Viṭhōbā's-hand canonical-image
- Companion to 3041