Tukaram was a 17th-century Marathi poet, Hindu saint, and ardent follower of Lord Shri Vitthal, also known in Maharashtra as Tuka, Tuko Baraya, and Tukoba. In Maharashtra, India, he was a Saint of the Varkari sampradaya (Marathi-Vaishnav tradition). Tukaram's poetry is often regarded as the pinnacle of the Bhagawat tradition that began with Namdev. This article will explain Tukaram which will be helpful in Indian Art and Culture preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

Tukaram (1608-1650)

• Tukaram was born in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Tukaram Bolhoba Ambile was his full name.
• The year of Saint Tukaram's birth and death has been the subject of investigation and debate among twentieth-century researchers.
• His parents were followers of Vithoba, a manifestation of the Hindu deity Vishnu (Vaishnavas). Tukaram's parents both died while he was a teenager.
• His master was Saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu of the Bhakti movement.
• A 17th-century poet-saint who lived with Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj and saints such as Eknath and Ramdas.
• His poetry was dedicated to Vithoba or Vitthala, an avatar of Vishnu, the Hindu God.
• He is most known for his Marathi Abangas (dohas), which are a rich inheritance of Gatha - devotional poetry, and he was also crucial for laying the groundwork for Maratha nationalism.
• He emphasized community-based worship through spiritual melodies known as Kirtans. He promoted the virtues of piety, forgiveness, and inner tranquility.
• He was a vocal critic of caste and gender injustice.
• Tukaram opposed mechanical rites, rituals, sacrifices, and vows, favoring a direct type of bhakti instead.
• While being held in Yerwada Central Jail by the British colonial government for his nonviolent movement in the early twentieth century, Mahatma Gandhi read and translated Tukaram's poetry, as well as Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and poems by other Bhakti movement poet-saints.

Tukaram

Kirtan

• Tukaram promoted kirtan as a music-infused, community-oriented form of bhakti singing and dancing.
• Kirtan, he believed, was not only a way to learn about Bhakti, but Bhakti itself. According to Tukaram, the greatest value of kirtan is that it not only provides a spiritual road for the devotee, but it also assists in the creation of a spiritual path for others.
• Kirtan is a Sanskrit word that refers to the "narrating, reciting, recounting, and describing" of an idea or story in Indian religions.
• It also refers to a religious performance art genre unique to the Indian subcontinent, denoting a musical type of narration or shared recitation, notably of spiritual or religious beliefs.

Bhakti

• Tukaram is considered to be the pinnacle of the Bhagawat tradition, which began with Namdev.
• Tukaram's abhangas largely cover mythology, saints' biographies, Shri Pandurang's panegyric, laudatory descriptions of Pandharpur, autobiography, and self-criticism, moral education, personal explanation, and defense of his religious views.
• Rather than ceremonies and sacrifices, he emphasized emancipation through love to God and loving service to mankind.
• He was not a fan of complex ceremonies, asceticism, or a fixation on austerities, stating, "Bears have matted fur, and even dogs come in a saffron tint. If living in caves is spiritual, then cave rats must be practicing sadhana (spiritual discipline)."
• Tukaram was against the acquisition of siddhis (spiritual abilities), seeing them as impediments to true sadhana.
• He urged his audience to throw off the "clothing of traditions," which he claimed often hindered a devotee's growth in God's love.
• He urged his followers to see God in everything and to put God at the center of their lives.

Vedanta

• Tukaram refers to four additional people who had a significant influence on his spiritual development in his work Abhang, namely the earlier Bhakti Saints Namdev, Dnyaneshwar, Kabir, and Eknath.
• Tukaram saw his teachings as Vedanta-based but lacking in a comprehensive theme.
• Tukaram's abhang opposes monism and advocates the dualistic Vedanta theory of Indian scholars Madhvacharya and Ramanuja.

Literary works

• Tukaram wrote Abhanga poetry, a Marathi literary genre that is metrical, simple, and straightforward, fusing folk stories with deeper spiritual themes.
• Tukaram's work is noted for informal poems of euphoric abandon in folksy style, produced in common language, as opposed to his predecessors, such as Dnyandeva or Namdev, who are known for combining similar depth of thought with the grace of style.
• Tukaram defined himself as a "fool, confused, lost, loving solitude because I am tired of the world, worshipping Vitthal (Vishnu) just like my predecessors were doing but I lack their faith and devotion, and there is nothing holy about me" in one of his poems.
• Tukaram Gatha is a Marathi language collection of his works that was most likely written between 1632 and 1650.
• The Indian tradition thinks it contains approximately 4,500 abhang and is also known as Abhanga Gatha.
• The authentic poems span a wide spectrum of human emotions and life events, some of which are autobiographical, and set them in a spiritual framework.
• Tukaram is credited with writing the Mantra Gita, an abhang translation of the Bhagavad Gita. It is a Bhakti-inspired interpretation of the Gita.
• Tukaram's vocabulary was primitive, but stunning and effective, and he frequently admonished his audience.
• Critics have labeled his language as "harsh," "indecent," and "vulgar," yet his sincerity and motivation are undeniable.
• Tukaram was convinced that his verse was not his own creation and that his tongue was only a vehicle for God.

Varkari sampradaya

• Varkari is a sampradaya (religious movement) under Hinduism's bhakti spiritual tradition, geographically linked to the Indian state of Maharashtra.
• Vitthal (also known as Vithoba), the presiding god of Pandharpur and a form of Krishna, is worshipped by varkaris.
• The group strictly prohibits the use of alcohol and tobacco. Vari participates in unique events on their annual journey.
• Varkaris in the Vari transport the saints' padukas in palkhis from Samadhi to Pandharpur. During the pilgrimage, the events Ringan and Dhava are held.
• Jnaneshvar, Namdev, Eknath, and Tukaram are prominent members of this sect.

Conclusion

Tukaram's abhangs are well-known throughout Maharashtra. It became ingrained in the state's culture. His poetry is well-known in rural Maharashtra, and its popularity is growing. Tukaram was a follower of Vithoba (Vitthala), an avatar of God Vishnu who was synchronous with Krishna but had regional characteristics and style. Tukaram's literary efforts, together with those of saints Dnyandev, Namdev, and Eknath, are credited with propelling the Varkari tradition into pan-Indian Bhakti literature.