Saint Tukaram was a remarkable saint, who was born in a well-to-do household and still, renounced worldly pleasures in the service of God. He was a popular Marathi poet of lord Vittal and this blog is a compilation of incidents that inspire us to venture the Enlighted path and achieve our ultimate purpose.
Childhood
Tukaram was born in modern day Maharashtra state of India. His full name was Tukaram Bolhoba Ambile. He was born to Kanakai and Bolhoba, both were devotees of Vittal. Tukaram’s family owned a retailing and money-lending business as well as were engaged in agriculture and trade. Both his parents died when Tukaram was a teenager.
Marriage Life
Sant Tukaram’s first wife was Rakhama Bai and they had a son named Santu. However, both his son and wife starved to death in the famine of 1630–1632. The deaths and widespread poverty had a profound effect on Tukaram, who became contemplative, meditating on the hills of Sahyadri range (Western Ghats). Tukaram married again and his second wife was Avalai Jija Bai.
As a householder, Tukaram was not hankering over materialistic wealth. He sold his merchandise at low prices and often left his shop open to join a group of pilgrims to Pandharpur (place in which Vittal’s temple is located). He frequently took such trips without informing his wife. So, Jija took the responsibility of running the household by pledging her jewels and arranging money for basic needs.
Tukaram’s abhangs
Tukaram spent most of his later years in devotional worship, community kirtans (group prayers with singing) and composing Abhanga poetry. They are more exuberant expressions of the communitarian experience and are sung even now by devotees during Pandharpur pilgrimage.
Once a renowned Sanskrit philosopher instructed Tukaram to stop singing abhangs and throw his work in the Indrayani river as his recitals were random and not as per scriptures. Tukaram obediently took all his literatures, tied in a silk cloth and drowned in the Indrayani river, crying and chanting god’s name.
Next day when the temple priest opened the shrine of Vittal, he found the soaked silk cloth bundle on the head of the lord containing Tukaram’s work. This incident increased the popularity of Tukaram and stood as proof of how the lord valued his abhangs.
Eat at home
Tukaram had a practice to climb Bhandara hill for meditation and Jijai used to take his food in a basket, climb the hill, feed him and then have her lunch.
Once while climbing the hill, a large thorn pricked her. She fell down with pain and started to weep. Lord Panduranga took pity on her and came in the form of a shepherd. He removed the thorn from her foot, helped her to get up and then left.
After hearing the incident, Tukaram realized that Panduranga had taken trouble for him. Thereafter, he started to come home for lunch, so as not to trouble Panduranga.
Lakshmi Puja
Once Jija was performing Lakshmi puja at home as per the guidance of an astrologer to improve their financial status. She also explained Tukaram that as he took to worship of Vittal, she took to worship the form of Rukmini and there is nothing wrong in it. In due course, she indeed received money and was able to redeem her pledged jewels and buy new dresses for her family.
Tukaram was upset and left home without eating. Initially, Jija thought he was angry or assumed to be one of his uninformed trips. Since, he was absent for around a month, she decided to go to Pandharpur, herself. She reached the temple and made enquiries, only to know that Tukaram hadn’t been there for a while. She cried in front of Vittal and the merciful lord appeared in her dream to inform Tukaram’s whereabouts.
Tukaram was singing abhangs on the hills of Dehu without having eaten since he left home and claimed that as Jija was able to make a living by performing Lakshmi Puja, she din’t need him and so he left the house. Jija burst into tears and said Tukaram was important than anything else in the world. After she gave away in charity all her material possessions brought with the money received through Lakshmi puja, Tukaram went back to stay at home.
Golden Vessel
Tukaram frequently visited the place of Chinchwadi near Pune and performed his bhajans from dusk to dawn. Once the place was visited by a Brahmin who was intending to deliver a discourse of Ramayan and collect contributions for his daughter’s wedding expense.
Learning about Tukaram and the villagers sitting overnight, he decided to leave the village as his discourse may not have sufficient audience. However, Tukaram persuaded the Brahmin to conduct a 45-day discourse and assured that he would to be present for the full discourse.
Brahmin performed the recital with Tukaram’s presence and all the villagers attended the discourse. The villagers were collecting contributions to gift the Brahmin as he successfully completed his discourse. A miser in the village did not attend the discourse and skipped town when the collection efforts were in progress. As the villagers insisted his wife (who attended the discourse) to contribute, she gave a leaking vessel as the miser had locked away money and valuables.
The villagers with the intention of insulting the miser and his wife, announced that the miser had made a generous contribution of a golden vessel. The miser’s wife thought that she would have indeed gifted a golden vessel, had her husband permitted to do so. All gifts were handed to the Brahmin by Tukaram and reading the mind of the miser’s wife, Tukaram turned the normal vessel to a golden one by his gracious touch. All the villagers were astonished and the Brahmin took leave satisfied and happy.
Shivaji
One Ekadasi day, Tukaram was performing kirtans and the Shivaji (the great ruler) was listening to it with love. In the meantime, Muslim soldiers heard about the whereabouts of Shivaji and arrived with a troop of 2000 soldiers to arrest him. They surrounded the house in which bhajans were performed and dint let anyone go in or come out of the house.
Shivaji’s informers whispered about the situation to him. Hearing this Shivaji was worried and one of his bodyguards asked Tukaram if they could leave now. However, Tukaram firmly told him that no one should leave till the kirtan is over. Shivaji continued to listen to the abhangs with the thought that either the lord Vittal should save him or he would be fortunate to die on an ekadasi day listening to abhangs.
As the Muslim spies couldn’t identify Shivaji, they decided to slay all people assembled to ensure Shivaji is dead for sure. Lord Vittal immediately took the form of Shivaji, came out of the house and started to ride a horse. The army chased him for several hours into the Jungle, when Vittal suddenly disappeared and the soldiers blamed one another for not being able to catch Shivaji. The commander could not understand how an army of 2000 soldiers failed to catch one person. Vittal then whispered to Tukaram about the decoy and asked him to continue his abhangs without any fear.
Another significant incident citied in Tukaram’s life was when Shivaji offered a plate of golden coins, as he was worried that Tukaram’s family and sadhus had to be taken care. As most of the time Tukaram spent singing bhajans and kirtans, Shivaji wasn’t sure if he had enough money. Tukaram replied that knowing him for a short period, if Shivaji was worried, then how worried will the lord be knowing and taking care of Tukaram, birth after birth. Stating thus, Tukaram refused to accept the gold.
Tukaram’s Job
People in the village were willing to offer Tukaram anything for free, but he was keen on earning his income. He felt guilty as his wife set out to work in other households to manage their home. Eventually, Tukaram secured a job to take care of an old man’s field in a neighboring village and received an advanced payment of grains.
Tukaram, who was incharge of the crops in the field, couldn’t chase the cows or sparrows that came to feed as he saw Lord Panduranga in their form. As a result, the crops were totally consumed and the old man had a heavy loss. The old man wanted to take him to the king to complain and Tukaram feared that their ruler Shivaji would offer to pay on his behalf. However, when the old man realized that he was indeed the saint Tukaram, he gave Tukaram a cart full of Sugarcane to sell and take home the money. The old man mentioned that the holy touch of Tukaram’s feet is sufficient for his field to raise a rich harvest in the upcoming years.
Tukaram on his way home, distributed all the sugarcane to children and reached with a single cane left. Jija then realized the greatness of Tukaram’s selflessness and divinity.
Bringing back from Dead
Once a householder devotee had left behind his ailing son to attend Tukaram’s abhangs. Before the discourse was over, the mother came with the dead child in her hands and shared her grief with Tukaram. Moved by her words, Tukaram started to chant the name “Paduranga” with eyes closed and the devotees joined. When he opened his eyes, the dead child was also sitting and singing the chorus!
Myth Vs Truth
The year of birth and death of saint Tukaram has been a subject of research and dispute among 20th-century scholars. He was either born in the year 1598 or 1608 in a village named Dehu, near Pune in Maharashtra, India. Tukaram disappeared (not died) in 1649 or 1650.
Tukaram is never systematic in his psychology, his theology or his theodicy. He oscillates between the Dvaita and Advaita Philosophies. Usually, we find saints following one and Saint Tukaram stands as an exception to this norm.
Mahatma Gandhi, in early 20th century, while under arrest in Yerwada Central Jail by the British colonial government for his non-violent movement, read and translated Tukaram’s poetry along with Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and poems by Bhakti movement poet-sants.
According to some scholars, Shivaji a leader who challenged the Mughal Empire and founded the Maratha kingdom, considered Tukaram and Ramdass as his gurus. Eleanor Zelliot states that Bhakti movement poets including Tukaram were influential in Shivaji’s rise to power.
At the end, it is believed that Lord Vittal came in a flying vimana (chariot) to take to his abode in Vaikunth. Sant Tukaram Vaikunthstan Temple in Dehu stands in this place from which Tukaram ascended in his mortal form.
End-Note
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