Sant Shri Tukaram Maharaj's Abhang Gatha: विराण्या : अभंग २५

विराण्या : अभंग २५ - Part 2

४१.
अवगुणांचे हातीं ।
आहे अवघी फजिती ।।१।।
नाहीं पात्रासवें चाड ।
प्रमाण तें फिकें घोड ।।ध्रु .।।
विष तांब्या वाटी ।
भरली लावूं नये होटीं ।।२।।
तुका म्हणे भाव ।
शुद्ध बरा सोंग वाव ।।३।।

४२.
हरीच्या जागरणा ।
जातां कां रे नये मना ।।१।।
कोठें पाहासील तुटी ।
आयुष्य वेचे फुकासाटीं ।।२।। ? ।।ध्रु .।।
ज्यांची तुज गुंती ।
ते तों मोकलिती अंतीं ।।२।।
तुका म्हणे बरा ।
लाभ काय तो विचारा ।।३।।

४३.
धर्माची तूं मूर्ती ।
पाप पुण्य तुझे हातीं ।।१।।
मज सोडवीं दातारा ।
कर्मापासूनि दुस्तरा ।।ध्रु .।।
करिसी अंगीकार ।
तरी काय माझा भार ।।२।।
जिवींच्या जीवना ।
तुका म्हणे नारायणा ।।३।।

४४.
ब्रह्मादिक लाभासि ठेंगणे ।
बळिये आह्मी भले शरणागत ।।१।।
कामनेच्या त्यागें भजनाचा लाभ ।
जाला पद्मनाभ सेवार्हुनी ।।ध्रु .।।
कामधेनुचिया क्षीरा पार नाहीं ।
इच्छेचिये वाही वरुषावे ।।२।।
बैसलिये ठायीं लागलें भरतें ।
त्रिपुटीवरतें भेदी ऐसें ।।३।।
हरी नाहीं आह्मां विक्ष्णुदासां जगीं ।
नारायण अंगीं विसावला ।।४।।
तुका म्हणे बहु लाटे भोजन ।
नाहीं रिता कोण राहत राहों ।।५।।

४५.
दुजें खंडे तरी ।
उरला तो अवघा हरी ।।
आपणाबाहेरी ।
न लागे ठाव धुंडावा ।।१।।
इतुलें जाणावया जाणा ।
कोंडें तरी मनें मना ।।
पारधीच्या खुणा ।
जाणतें चि साधावें ।।ध्रु .।।
देह आधीं काय खरा ।
देहसंबंधपसारा ।।
बुजगावणें चोरा ।
रक्षणसें भासतें ।।२।।
तुका करी जागा ।
नको चाचपूं वाऊगा ।।
आहेसी तूं आगा ।
अंगीं डोळे उघडी ।।३।।

४६.
विष्णुमय जग वैष्णवांचा धर्म ।
भेदाभेदभ्रम अमंगळ ।।१।।
अइका जी तुझी भक्त भागवत ।
कराल तें हित सत्य करा ।।ध्रु .।।
कोणा ही जिवाचा न घडो मत्सर ।
वर्म सर्वेश्र्वरपूजनाचें ।।२।।
तुका म्हणे देहाचे अवयव ।
सुख दु:ख जीव भोग पावे ।।३।।

Sant Tukaram Maharaj

Tuka, or Tukaram, was born in 1598 in Dehu, a village near Pune, on the banks of the Indrayani River. His parents were poor farmers and were known to be poor and charitable. Their family deity was Vithoba or Panduranga. Tukaram’s first marriage took place when he was only fifteen years old. His wife and son died of starvation in a famine in the region. His second wife was Jeejabai.

Devoted to spiritual thought, Tukaram found it difficult to make his way through his worldly responsibilities as a trader and farmer. He studied the written works of Jnaneswar, Namdev and Eknath, the foremost Bhakti saints of Maharashtra. Tukaram received his spiritual guidance from Shri Raghava Chaitanya. It is said that he received this vigorous and very detailed and specific guidance in his dreams.

Subsequent to intense contemplation in isolation, Tukaram began to compose his abhangs, devotional stanzas or poetry, to convey his bhakti to Panduranga. He felt that he could not focus on God if he continued with his material world. He wished to remain away from his worldly life and took up the path of singing and chanting the glory of Panduranga. Being able to visualize the deity everywhere and in every object, he surrendered completely to the aspect of devotion.

He challenged the times of those days and the aspect of condemning human discrimination was of utmost importance in his abhangs. He declared that hatred of humans because of their birth, caste, class, wealth and religion could not lead one to realization of God. He faced enmity, jealousy, hatred and discrimination from the learned and from others due to aspects of birth, caste and wealth. He was questioned as to his right in interpreting the Vedas, the sacred books, since he was not born in the ‘correct’ caste or class.

A splendid narration is that in which Tukaram is forced to discard and throw away his abhangs written on palm-leaf manuscripts into the Indrayani River. He does so at the steps of the river near Dehu village. [This site and temple is in existence today.] Having done so, Tukaram sat at the banks of the river in absolute contemplation of his deity, Panduranga, and refused to accept defeat. He claimed that the responsibility now lay with Panduranga, since the abhangs were written as offerings to Him.

In a miracle, Panduranga himself is said to have met Tukaram at the steps of the Indrayani River and affirmed that the abhangs would return from within the waters. And, they did.

It was the times and rule of Chatrapati Shivaji, and the great King did meet Tukaram and sought spiritual and ethical guidance. This meeting of the two great sons of Maharashtra is also termed as the meeting of bhakti (devotion) with shakti (strength).

This is only a very brief introduction to the greatness and wisdom and clarity of Sant Tukaram Maharaj. There are several better writers and knowledge-seekers who have described his life, writings and thoughts in much more detail.