Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Bahinabai / Quote / Photo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahinabai
The woman saint Bahinabai exclaims in one of her songs that "Jnanadeva laid the foundation, and Tukaram became the pinnacle".
Statues of Jnanadeva and Tukaram at Shivling inside Neelkantheswar Temple
http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/37010
Tube / Slides
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Bahinabai
https://www.slideshare.net/search/slideshow?searchfrom=header&q=Bahinabai
The woman saint Bahinabai exclaims in one of her songs that "Jnanadeva laid the foundation, and Tukaram became the pinnacle".
Statues of Jnanadeva and Tukaram at Shivling inside Neelkantheswar Temple
http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/37010
Tube / Slides
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Bahinabai
https://www.slideshare.net/search/slideshow?searchfrom=header&q=Bahinabai
Farmer
One of Tukaram's admirers promised him some grain every day if he would look after his fields of corn and protect them from birds. Tukaram agreed as he thought that he would find a solitary place to sing the praises of God. When Tukaram went to the field, all the birds flew away. And Tukaram was so upset that the poor birds were deprived of their food. In a few days, however, the birds lost their shyness and fear and began to feed regularly on the corn. When the owner of the fields came to know of it, he hauled up Tukaram before the village headman; and in spite of all the preachings of Tukaram about kindness to God's creatures and duty to allow them to feed freely, he was made to give a promissory note to the owner of the fields for whatever sum might be found to be the loss. After the harvest, however, it was found that the fanner, instead of losing, had got double the expected quantity. The farner was so overjoyed that he sent Tukaram the excess quantity which, as was to be expected, Tukaram distributed to the poor.
Dehu – Home Town of Saint Tukaram / Photos / Samadhi temple / Fair / Map
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehu
http://in.ygoy.com/2010/03/09/dehu-the-home-town-of-saint-tukaram/
http://gallery.bizhat.com/showphoto.php?photo=58896&title=sant-tukaram-temple&cat=1426
The Dehu samadhi temple was constructed in 1723. His younger son, Narayanbaba got the temple made on the banks of the river Indrayani. The rock, atop which the Sant sat, while on fasting, is still present there.
Two fairs are held annually here: one on Ashadhi Ekadashi and the other on Kartik Ekadashi. The other famous places in Alandi are Muktai temple, Ram temple, Krishna Temple, Math of Swami Hariharendra, Vitthal-Rakhumai temple and the famous wall. Also situated on the banks of the river Indrayani, 31 kms away, is Dehu, the birthplace of Tukaram, the great 17th century poet-saint of Maharashtra. He lived here and taught people how to pray the god. He and Sant Dnyaneshwar were the popular saints and both worshiped Lord Vitthal. The 'Palakhi' in the month of 'Ashadh' from Dehu is one of the main attractions of Dehu.
http://d2i.in/visit/Samadhi-of-Sant-Tukaram_Dehuroad_pune_Pilgrimage/1746
With Alandi
http://www.maharashtramaza.info/cities/cultural-pune/pune-tourist-places/dhehu-and-alandi
http://in.ygoy.com/2010/03/09/dehu-the-home-town-of-saint-tukaram/
http://gallery.bizhat.com/showphoto.php?photo=58896&title=sant-tukaram-temple&cat=1426
The Dehu samadhi temple was constructed in 1723. His younger son, Narayanbaba got the temple made on the banks of the river Indrayani. The rock, atop which the Sant sat, while on fasting, is still present there.
Two fairs are held annually here: one on Ashadhi Ekadashi and the other on Kartik Ekadashi. The other famous places in Alandi are Muktai temple, Ram temple, Krishna Temple, Math of Swami Hariharendra, Vitthal-Rakhumai temple and the famous wall. Also situated on the banks of the river Indrayani, 31 kms away, is Dehu, the birthplace of Tukaram, the great 17th century poet-saint of Maharashtra. He lived here and taught people how to pray the god. He and Sant Dnyaneshwar were the popular saints and both worshiped Lord Vitthal. The 'Palakhi' in the month of 'Ashadh' from Dehu is one of the main attractions of Dehu.
http://d2i.in/visit/Samadhi-of-Sant-Tukaram_Dehuroad_pune_Pilgrimage/1746
With Alandi
http://www.maharashtramaza.info/cities/cultural-pune/pune-tourist-places/dhehu-and-alandi
Mambaji
Mambaji was a brahmin by caste. He was originally staying at Chinchwad; but later on he came to Dehu and built his "Math" there. He also had a good number of disciples and Mambaji was subsiting on the money that his discipjes used to give him. He was known as "Mambaji Gosavi" among his followers; but when he found that Tukaram was coming to the forefront and eclipsing him, he became jealous of him and was waiting to pick up a quarrel with him.
Though Mambaji was hating Tukaram inwardly, he used to attend his Keertan, for outward show, in the Vithoba temple. Behind this temple Mambaji had planted some trees and he used to water them and take care of them. One buffalo was given to Tukaram's wife, Jijai by her father Arnaji Gulve. Once this buffalo broke the fencing of Mambaji's garden and trampled over some of the trees in the garden. This excuse was enough for Mambaji to pick up a quarrel. He ran to Tukaram's bouse with a stick and thrashed him so much that he himself was completely exhausted.
In the night Tukaram as usual started his Keertan and when he noticed that Mambaji was not present, he sent for him. On knowing that his body was paining, Tukaram at once rushed to his house and started shampooing his body. He said, "Sir, you were troubled much in thrashing me. It is quite natural that your body might be paining because of the exhaustion."' Hearing this, Mambaji felt ashamed and attended the Keertan
Though Mambaji was hating Tukaram inwardly, he used to attend his Keertan, for outward show, in the Vithoba temple. Behind this temple Mambaji had planted some trees and he used to water them and take care of them. One buffalo was given to Tukaram's wife, Jijai by her father Arnaji Gulve. Once this buffalo broke the fencing of Mambaji's garden and trampled over some of the trees in the garden. This excuse was enough for Mambaji to pick up a quarrel. He ran to Tukaram's bouse with a stick and thrashed him so much that he himself was completely exhausted.
In the night Tukaram as usual started his Keertan and when he noticed that Mambaji was not present, he sent for him. On knowing that his body was paining, Tukaram at once rushed to his house and started shampooing his body. He said, "Sir, you were troubled much in thrashing me. It is quite natural that your body might be paining because of the exhaustion."' Hearing this, Mambaji felt ashamed and attended the Keertan
Meditation on Bhamgiri Mountain
Saint Tukarama has written, "I lived on Bhamgiri Mountain and concentrated all my faculties on Him. Snakes, scorpions, and tigers attacked me; there was trouble everywhere. It was on the fifteenth day that revelation came: I met Vithoba. I was then inspired to versify, and in my mind I put my hands around Lord Vithoba's feet."
Devoted Wife
Tukaram’s name and fame spread far and wide; but he himself remained poor. He was always doing bhajan and Kirtan and he earned nothing. The burden of maintaining the family consisting of himself, wife and children fell on his poor wife. Tukaram was so absorbed in his Bhajan that generally he forgot about his dinner. His wife had to take his food, search for him and serve him wherever he was to be found. Mostly he was found on the Bhamgiri hill. Tukaram’s wife had to undergo many difficulties in maintaining the family; but she was a good though she was apt to lose her temper sometimes. Before his death, Tukaram himself acknowledged her devotion and purity.
Dream / Explanation
I was sleeping when Namdeo and Vitthal Stepped into my dream."Your job is to make poems. Stop wasting time," Namdeo said.Vitthal gave me the measure and gently aroused me from a dream inside a dream.Namdeo vowed to write one billion poems."Tuka, all the unwritten ones are your responsibility."
Pandurang gave him the necessary inspiration and Namdev told him to complete the one hundred crores of poems which he had intended to make and of which he had completed ninety-four crores and forty lakhs, leaving a balance of five crores and sixty lakhs for Tukaram.
Pandurang gave him the necessary inspiration and Namdev told him to complete the one hundred crores of poems which he had intended to make and of which he had completed ninety-four crores and forty lakhs, leaving a balance of five crores and sixty lakhs for Tukaram.
Transformation of Detractors to Followers / Detail
Tukaram of Low Caste Family turned to poetic compositions [abhangs]. In so doing, Tukaram incurred the wrath of the Brahmins: not only had he dared to impinge upon the prereogatives of the Brahmins, who believed themselves to be the only true custodians, interpreters, and spokesmen of religion, he compounded the offence by writing in Marathi rather than Sanskrit. The local Brahmins compelled him to throw the manuscripts of his poems into the river Indrayani, and taunted him with the observation tht if he were a true devotee of God, the manuscripts would reappear. Tukaram then commenced a fast-unto-death, invoking the name of God; and after thirteen days of his fast, the manuscripts of Tukaram’s poems reappeared. Some of his detractors turned into his followers; and over the course of the few remaining years of his life, Tukaram acquired a reputation as a saint.
Whenever Tukaram began to perform bhajan or Kirtan, people began to flock to the place, and with very few exceptions, people of all classes began to consider him as a saint and treat him with respect. This was of course resented by a small number of people and they tried their best to discredit him; and having failed in this, they sent a report against Tukaram to Rameshwar Shastri who was regarded as a learned Brahmin of the time.
Tukaram tried to convince the Shastri that he was a very innocent person. But Rameshwar was adamant and would not listen to any argument. He told Tukaram finally that he saw, in the poems of Tukaram, a deliberate attempt to explain the principles of the Srutis which Tukaram, as a Sudra by caste, had no right to do; he must therefore stop making poems of that sort in future, and as for the poems he had already made, they should be drowned in the Indrayani river.
Tukaram held all Brahmins in great reverence, and therefore, he immediately brought out of his home all the poems, bound them together, tied a big syone round the bundle, and threw it into the river. Tukaram’s traducers, who were jealous of him, were greatly pleased. Tukaram did not mind their taunts, but he was worried. Here he was, merely singing the praise of God in his poems, and that was not the monopoly only of the Vedas and the Srutis. Moreover, he had been commanded by Panduranga Himself to spread Bhakti among the people through the poems.
Tukaram then sat on the bank of the river Indrayani in constant prayer to Pandurang to show him the correct path. For thirteen days he thus sat unmoved, without water, food or sleep. On the last day, one of Tukaram’s followers, in a dream, saw Pandurang coming to him and telling him, “Go to the river; there you will find the poems of Tukaram floating on the surface intact”. At once the man went to the river and brought to the bank the bundle of poems. Tukaram was moved by the mercy of god and delivered five poems blaming himself for doubting the world of God and for putting Him to so much trouble of having to preserve the poems in water for thirteen days. This, however, was not sufficient for Tukaram who always held the word of a Brahmin as worthly of respect as that of the Holy Scriptures and he had the orders of Rameshwar Shastri not to make poems any more.
Soon after this event, Rameshwar one day passed through the village of Vagholi and came to a village where a Muslim Fakir by name Anagadshah was staying. In Anagadshah’s compound, there was a big fountain throwing cool water all round. Rameashwar, seeing that fountain, was tempted to take a bath in the waters. Anagadshah was annoyed to see a stranger trespassing into his compound and cursed him that all his body should feel a burning sensation inwardly. Immediately Rameshwar began to suffer from the effects of the curse. The disciples, that accompanied Rameshwarbhat, suggested him that he may beg parden of Angadshah so that he will suggest a remedy to get rid of the trouble, but the ego of Rameshwarbhat was so strong that he being a person of a high caste, he was not ready to bow down before a "Yawan".
All other efforts to make his body cool failed, and in despair, unable to bear the pangs, he went to Alandi and sat before the Samadhi of Jnaneshwar and prayed to him to relieve him of the burning sensation in his body. At night he saw Jnaneshwar in a dream. Jnaneshwar addressed him: “You entertain hatred in your mind towards Tukaram, who is the greatest devotee of Vithoba. Go and surrender to Tukaram; all your bodily pains will vanish”. Rameshwar, however, was afraid to go in person to Tukaram. He knew by that time all that had taken place at Dehu and he had come to recognize the greatness of Tukaram and therefore was afraid that Tukaram might curse him. So he sent a letter to Tukaram apologizing and asking for forgiveness. Tukaram had nothing but supreme love towards everybody, towards even his persecutors. On receiving the letter, he sent a reply to Rameshwar in the following verse:
“If the mind is pure, even your enemies become your friends; you have no danger from cruel animals like tigers or serpents. Even poison becomes as beneficial to you as the nectar of heaven. All unhappiness will be converted into happiness and even suffering due to the burning of the body will vanish. You will come to love all creatures as you love yourself; you will entertain equal towards all. Tuka says, ‘Narayan has showered His mercy on me. That is why I feel like this towards all beings’.”
As Rameshwar read the reply and came to the words, “and even suffering due to the burning of the body will vanish”, his body became free of all suffering and thus it was firmly impressed on him that he had done great injustice to Tukaram. From that time Rameshwar became a great admirer and an ardent follower of Tukaram.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Rameshwar+Bhatt
Whenever Tukaram began to perform bhajan or Kirtan, people began to flock to the place, and with very few exceptions, people of all classes began to consider him as a saint and treat him with respect. This was of course resented by a small number of people and they tried their best to discredit him; and having failed in this, they sent a report against Tukaram to Rameshwar Shastri who was regarded as a learned Brahmin of the time.
Tukaram tried to convince the Shastri that he was a very innocent person. But Rameshwar was adamant and would not listen to any argument. He told Tukaram finally that he saw, in the poems of Tukaram, a deliberate attempt to explain the principles of the Srutis which Tukaram, as a Sudra by caste, had no right to do; he must therefore stop making poems of that sort in future, and as for the poems he had already made, they should be drowned in the Indrayani river.
Tukaram held all Brahmins in great reverence, and therefore, he immediately brought out of his home all the poems, bound them together, tied a big syone round the bundle, and threw it into the river. Tukaram’s traducers, who were jealous of him, were greatly pleased. Tukaram did not mind their taunts, but he was worried. Here he was, merely singing the praise of God in his poems, and that was not the monopoly only of the Vedas and the Srutis. Moreover, he had been commanded by Panduranga Himself to spread Bhakti among the people through the poems.
Tukaram then sat on the bank of the river Indrayani in constant prayer to Pandurang to show him the correct path. For thirteen days he thus sat unmoved, without water, food or sleep. On the last day, one of Tukaram’s followers, in a dream, saw Pandurang coming to him and telling him, “Go to the river; there you will find the poems of Tukaram floating on the surface intact”. At once the man went to the river and brought to the bank the bundle of poems. Tukaram was moved by the mercy of god and delivered five poems blaming himself for doubting the world of God and for putting Him to so much trouble of having to preserve the poems in water for thirteen days. This, however, was not sufficient for Tukaram who always held the word of a Brahmin as worthly of respect as that of the Holy Scriptures and he had the orders of Rameshwar Shastri not to make poems any more.
Soon after this event, Rameshwar one day passed through the village of Vagholi and came to a village where a Muslim Fakir by name Anagadshah was staying. In Anagadshah’s compound, there was a big fountain throwing cool water all round. Rameashwar, seeing that fountain, was tempted to take a bath in the waters. Anagadshah was annoyed to see a stranger trespassing into his compound and cursed him that all his body should feel a burning sensation inwardly. Immediately Rameshwar began to suffer from the effects of the curse. The disciples, that accompanied Rameshwarbhat, suggested him that he may beg parden of Angadshah so that he will suggest a remedy to get rid of the trouble, but the ego of Rameshwarbhat was so strong that he being a person of a high caste, he was not ready to bow down before a "Yawan".
All other efforts to make his body cool failed, and in despair, unable to bear the pangs, he went to Alandi and sat before the Samadhi of Jnaneshwar and prayed to him to relieve him of the burning sensation in his body. At night he saw Jnaneshwar in a dream. Jnaneshwar addressed him: “You entertain hatred in your mind towards Tukaram, who is the greatest devotee of Vithoba. Go and surrender to Tukaram; all your bodily pains will vanish”. Rameshwar, however, was afraid to go in person to Tukaram. He knew by that time all that had taken place at Dehu and he had come to recognize the greatness of Tukaram and therefore was afraid that Tukaram might curse him. So he sent a letter to Tukaram apologizing and asking for forgiveness. Tukaram had nothing but supreme love towards everybody, towards even his persecutors. On receiving the letter, he sent a reply to Rameshwar in the following verse:
“If the mind is pure, even your enemies become your friends; you have no danger from cruel animals like tigers or serpents. Even poison becomes as beneficial to you as the nectar of heaven. All unhappiness will be converted into happiness and even suffering due to the burning of the body will vanish. You will come to love all creatures as you love yourself; you will entertain equal towards all. Tuka says, ‘Narayan has showered His mercy on me. That is why I feel like this towards all beings’.”
As Rameshwar read the reply and came to the words, “and even suffering due to the burning of the body will vanish”, his body became free of all suffering and thus it was firmly impressed on him that he had done great injustice to Tukaram. From that time Rameshwar became a great admirer and an ardent follower of Tukaram.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Rameshwar+Bhatt
Family Life
- Tukaram was born in 1608, in the small village of Dehu in the West Indian state of Maharashtra to Bolhoba and Kanakai a couple.Despite their lower class status the family was well to do and enjoyed good social standing in the village.
- Tukaram was the second of three brothers, the names of the other two being Savji and Kanhoba. Savji had no worldly ambitions and the father was religiously inclined and thus the family burden fell on Tukaram when he was just thirteen years old.Shortly thereafter, both his parents died.
- Tukaram lost his first wife, Rakhumabai and three childrens, during a disease related to famine .
- His second wife was Jijabai (also called Avali). He had three sons, named Santu or Mahadev, Vithoba and Narayana. Narayana was considerably younger than Mahadev and Vithoba, and was a great bhakta like his father.
- After his father died, Tukaram waived loans that poor owed to him. He is said to have destroyed the loan records.
Initation / Who
Tukaram was initiated without any intermediaries as the other saints usually were. He dreamt that he was initiated by the Lord Hari himself dressed as a Brahman.
http://chaitanyainfo.blogspot.com/
http://chaitanyainfo.blogspot.com/
Climactic point of the Bhāgawat tradition
Tukaram is considered as the climactic point of the Bhāgawat tradition, which began in Maharashtra with Nāmdev. Dnyāneshwar, Nāmdev, Climactic point of the Bhāgawat traditionJanābai, Eknāth
Basic Tenets of His Message
- Make God the Center of your life. Walk the Path of Love. Serve mankind, and thus see God in all.
- Cast away your clothes of traditions that you have inherited, for often those can restrain you from growing in the Love of God.
- Tukaram did not favour elaborate rituals, displays of asceticism or preoccupation with austerities. He would say, "even dogs come in saffron colour and bears have matted fur. If living in caves is being spiritual then rats who inhabit caves must be doing sadhana (or, spiritual practice)."
- He was opposed to the acquiring of siddhis (or spiritual attainments) as these were obstructions to authentic sadhana.
- Faith in Nature was crucial to sadhana. He believed that He who facilitates the milk from the breast for the infant and the One who permits the bursting of foliage from the branches will certainly take care of me.
- Most important of all was the Privilege of being a Bhakta and to exercise in life, nama japa. He would say that even God does not know the value of His Name. Even God is not aware of the power of His Name. How can He be? The lotus cannot smell its own fragrance, only the bee can. The cow knows not the sweetness of its milk, only the calf can. The oyster knows not the value of its pearl, only the jeweler can.
Mantra Geetā
Mantra Geetā, a Marathi translation in abhang form of the Sanskrit Bhagavad Geetā, is also attributed to him. It is an interpretation of Geeta from a Bhakti (भक्ती) --devotional—perspective
Greatest poet in the Marathi language
Tukaram is the greatest poet in the Marathi language. Tukaram's genius partly lies in his ability to transform the external world into its spiritual analogue. Tukaram's stature in Marathi literature is comparable to that of Shakespeare in English or Goethe in German. He could be called the quintessential Marathi poet reflecting the genius or the language as well as its characteristic literary culture. There is no other Marathi writer who has so deeply and widely influenced Marathi literary culture since. Poetry is incomplete without Tukaram. A collection of 4,500 abhang known as the Gāthā is attributed to Tukaram.
Words
Tuka Mhane (तुका म्हणे) or "Tuka Says"
आम्हां घरी धन शब्दांचीच रत्नें शब्दांचीच शस्त्रें यत्न करुं
शब्द चि आमुच्या जीवांचे जीवन शब्दें वांटूं धन जनलोकां
तुका म्हणे पाहा शब्द चि हा देव शब्द चि गौरव पूजा करुं
Translation (by Dilip Chitre, the renowned Marathi poet):
Words are the only Jewels I possess
Words are the only Clothes that I wear
Words are the only food That sustains my life
Words are the only wealth I distribute among people
Says Tuka Witness the Word He is God
I worship Him With my words
Translation (by OZYMANDIAS,a blogger):
If you open my jewel-box, you will only find words
If you raid my castle, only my words will defend me
All I need to live upon, is the magic of words
All my charity is done through my words
Behold The Word: The Word is my only God
Worship It: it is the beginning, it is the end
आम्हां घरी धन शब्दांचीच रत्नें शब्दांचीच शस्त्रें यत्न करुं
शब्द चि आमुच्या जीवांचे जीवन शब्दें वांटूं धन जनलोकां
तुका म्हणे पाहा शब्द चि हा देव शब्द चि गौरव पूजा करुं
Translation (by Dilip Chitre, the renowned Marathi poet):
Words are the only Jewels I possess
Words are the only Clothes that I wear
Words are the only food That sustains my life
Words are the only wealth I distribute among people
Says Tuka Witness the Word He is God
I worship Him With my words
Translation (by OZYMANDIAS,a blogger):
If you open my jewel-box, you will only find words
If you raid my castle, only my words will defend me
All I need to live upon, is the magic of words
All my charity is done through my words
Behold The Word: The Word is my only God
Worship It: it is the beginning, it is the end
Guru Granth Sahib
Sant Tukaram's compositions are found in Guru Granth Sahib. According to Sikhism, when a person reaches a state of enlightenment, God speaks through that person. That person doesn't speak for himself, God speaks through him. Sikh gurus recognized the state of enlightenment of Tukaram and hence Tukaram's poetry was included in Guru Granth Sahib which, in addition to six Sikh guru's compositions
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