Abhanga 4449
A devotee's real hardship, even in the presence of apparent abundance, is a fair and honest thing to hold your source of support accountable for.
The verse
कामधेनूचें वासरूं । खाया न मिळे काय करूं ॥१॥
ऐसें आम्हां मांडियेलें । विठो त्वां कां सांडियेलें ॥ध्रु.॥
बैसोनि कल्पद्रुमातळीं । पोटासाटीं तळमळीं ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे नारायणा । बरें लोकीं हें दीसेना ॥३॥
Literal translation
Kāmadhenu's-vāsaru — no-food-what-to-do. You-set-this-for-us — Viṭhō-why-sāmḍiyēlēm. Sitting-below-kalpadruma — pōṭa-saṭhī-taḷamaḷīm. Tukā: Nārāyaṇa — doesn't-look-good-in-loka.
What it means
A 3-verse lament-irony text. Kāmadhenu's calf doesn't get to eat — what shall I do? You have set this up for us — Viṭhō, why have you abandoned us? Sitting below the wish-fulfilling-tree — yet tossing-restlessly for the stomach. Tukā says: Nārāyaṇa — this doesn't look good in the eyes of people. The double irony: a bhakta is the calf-of-Kāmadhenu (who-grants-everything) and sits-below-the-kalpa-druma (the wish-fulfilling-tree) — yet doesn't-get-food and tosses-for-the-stomach. The world will think: this Lord doesn't take care of his own. Tukārām using bhakta-poverty-irony to corner-the-Lord into-providing. Pair with 3041 (Lord-engineers-bhakta-difficulties), 2944-2945 (simple-life cluster).
For someone today
Tukārām uses a pointed, almost playful irony here, he compares himself to the calf of Kāmadhenu, the wish-granting cow, who somehow still can't find anything to eat, and he asks God directly why he's been left in this predicament. He pictures himself sitting right beneath the wish-fulfilling tree and still restless with hunger, worrying over basic needs even in that position of abundance. His closing complaint isn't purely about his own hardship, it's a clever appeal, he tells God plainly that this situation makes God look bad in front of everyone watching. It's an honest, half-teasing way of holding God accountable, reminding him that a devotee's struggle reflects on the one they trust.
मराठी: तुकाराम इथे एक धारदार, जवळजवळ खेळकर विरोधाभास वापरतात, ते स्वतःला कामधेनूच्या वासराशी तुलना करतात, जे इच्छापूर्ती करणाऱ्या गायीचे वासरू असूनही त्याला खायला काही मिळत नाही, आणि ते देवाला थेट विचारतात की या अशा परिस्थितीत त्यांना का सोडले आहे. ते स्वतःला कल्पवृक्षाखाली बसलेले, तरीही भुकेने अस्वस्थ, अगदी विपुलतेच्या त्या जागी असूनही मूलभूत गरजांची चिंता करताना पाहतात. त्यांची शेवटची तक्रार केवळ स्वतःच्या कष्टांबद्दल नाही, ती एक चतुर विनवणी आहे, ते देवाला स्पष्टपणे सांगतात की ही परिस्थिती पाहणाऱ्या सगळ्या लोकांसमोर देवाला वाईट दाखवते. भक्ताचा संघर्ष हा त्याने ज्याच्यावर विश्वास ठेवला त्याचेच प्रतिबिंब असतो, हे आठवण करून देणारा हा प्रामाणिक, अर्धा खोडकर मार्ग आहे देवाला जबाबदार धरण्याचा.
Where this applies
- When you feel like you're surrounded by abundance or resources yet still struggling with basic needs
- When you want to hold someone you trust accountable for a promise they haven't kept
- When you use a bit of playful complaint or irony to express real frustration without losing affection
- When you feel like your hardship reflects poorly on the support system or people who claim to look after you