Abhanga 4368
A life, speech, or conduct without genuine connection to God is hollow decoration, and a person without devotion remains unfortunate no matter how good things look outwardly.
The verse
हरीविण जिणें व्यर्थ चि संसारीं । प्रेत अळंकारीं मिरवत ॥१॥
देवाविण शब्द व्यर्थ चि कारण । भांड रंजवण सभेसि गा ॥ध्रु.॥
आचार करणें देवाविण जो गा । सर्पाचिया अंगा मृदुपण ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे काय बहु बोलों फार । भक्तीविण नर अभाग्य कीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Hari-vīṇa-jīṇa-vyartha — prēta-with-alankāra. Deva-vīṇa-śabda-vyartha — bhāṇḍa-amuses-sabhā. Āchāra-without-Deva — mrdupaṇa-on-snake-anga. Tukā: bhakti-vīṇa-nara-abhāgya.
What it means
THE canonical 3-image without-Hari-life-vain text. Life without Hari in samsāra is just useless — (it's like) a corpse being paraded in ornaments. Without Deva, speech is useless as cause — (it is) the jester's amusement for the sabhā. Right-conduct without Deva — is giving softness to a snake's body (it stays poisonous). Tukā says: what more to say much — a person without bhakti is just unfortunate. The 3 striking-images for bhakti-less-life-is-disaster: - (1) prēta-with-alankāra: corpse-paraded-in-ornaments — externally-decorated but no-life-inside - (2) bhāṇḍa-amusement-of-sabhā: jester-entertaining-court — words-without-meaning - (3) mrdupaṇa-on-snake-anga: softness/kindness-shown-to-snake — the-snake-remains-poisonous
Pair with 4309 (5-anti-display what-good polemic), 4257 (5-image instructional-futility).
For someone today
Tukaram says a life lived without Hari in this world is essentially wasted, like a corpse dressed up in fine jewelry, decorated on the outside but with nothing alive within. He says speech without God behind it is meaningless too, no different from a jester's chatter meant only to entertain a crowd. Even good conduct and religious observance, if done without real connection to God, is like being gentle with a snake, the outward softness changes nothing because the poison inside remains the same. Tukaram concludes there is no need to say more, a person without devotion is simply unfortunate, no matter how good things look on the surface.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात, हरीशिवाय जगण्यात जगणं म्हणजे प्रत्यक्षात व्यर्थ आहे, जणू एखाद्या प्रेताला दागिन्यांनी सजवण्यासारखं, बाहेरून सजलेलं पण आतून कोणताही जीव नसलेलं. ते म्हणतात, परमेश्वराशिवाय बोलणंही निरर्थक असतं, सभेला रंजवणाऱ्या विदूषकाच्या बडबडीपेक्षा वेगळं नाही. चांगलं आचरण आणि धार्मिक विधीही, जर परमेश्वराशी खरी नाळ नसेल, तर सापाशी मृदुपणे वागण्यासारखं आहे, वरवरची मृदुता काहीच बदलत नाही कारण आतलं विष तसंच राहतं. तुकाराम शेवटी म्हणतात, जास्त काही सांगायची गरज नाही, भक्तीशिवाय माणूस केवळ दुर्दैवी आहे, वरवर कितीही चांगलं दिसलं तरी.
Where this applies
- When you feel your life looks successful on the outside but feels empty and lifeless within
- When you notice yourself talking a lot without any real meaning or purpose behind the words
- When you follow rules and customs out of habit without any real connection to what they mean
- When you wonder why doing all the right outward things still leaves you feeling unfulfilled