God u Love: Sant Tukaram

Sant Tukaram

Sant Tukaram

Tukaram, also referred to as Sant Tukaram, Bhakta Tukaram, Tukaram Maharaj, Tukoba and Tukobaraya, was a 17th-century Hindu poet and sant of the Bhakti movement in Maharashtra, India. He was part of the egalitarian, personalized Varkari devotionalism tradition.Tukaram is best known for his devotional poetry called Abhanga and community-oriented worship with spiritual songs known as kirtans. His poetry was devoted to Vitthala or Vithoba, an avatar of Hindu god Vishnu.

The year of birth and death of sant 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.

Sant Tukaram was born to Kanakar and Bolhoba Ambile and scholars consider his family to belong to the Kunbi caste. Despite being from a caste traditionally believed to be the laborers and tilling service providers, Tukaram's family owned a retailing and money-lending business as well as were engaged in agriculture and trade. His parents were devotees of Vithoba, an avatar of Hindu deity Vishnu (Vaishnavas). Both his parents died when Tukaram was a teenager.

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) and later wrote he "had discussions with my own self". Tukaram married again, and his second wife was Avalai Jija Bai. He spent most of his later years in devotional worship, community kirtans (group prayers with singing) and composing Abhanga poetry.

According to RD Ranade, Tukaram's spiritual teacher was Babaji Chaitanya, who himself was fourth generation disciple of the 13th-century scholar Jnanadeva. In his work of Abhangas, Tukarama repeatedly refers to four other persons who had a primary influence on his spiritual development, namely the earlier Bhakti Sants Namdev, Dnyaneshwar, Kabir and Eknath.

According to some scholars, Tukaram met Shivaji – a leader who challenged the Mughal Empire and founded the Maratha kingdom; Tukaram introduced Shivaji to Ramdas for his spiritual education.Their continued interaction is the subject of legends. Eleanor Zelliot states that Bhakti movement poets including Tukaram were influential in Shivaji's rise to power.

Tukaram died in 1649 or 1650.
Important Places associated with Tukaramji in Dehu that exist today are:

Tukaram Maharaj Janm Sthan Temple, Dehu – place where Tukaramji was born, around which a temple was built later
Sant Tukaram Vaikunthstan Temple, Dehu – from where Tukaramji ascended to Vaikunth in his mortal form; there is a nice ghat behind this temple along the Indrayani river
Sant Tukaram Maharaj Gatha Mandir, Dehu – modern structure; massive building housing a big statue of Tukaram; In the Gatha temple, about 4,000 abhangs (verses) created by Tukaram maharaj were carved on the walls

Sant Tukaram composed Abhanga poetry, a Marathi genre of literature which is metrical (traditionally the ovi meter), simple, direct, and it fuses folk stories with deeper spiritual themes.

I could not lie anymore,
so I started to call my dog "God".

First he looked confused,
then he started smiling, then he even danced.

I kept at it, now he doesn't even bite,
I am wondering if this might work on people.