Abhanga 3129
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.
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