Bhakti · ≈1608–1650
Sant Tukaram
Varkari movement · Maharashtra · The Abhangas of Tukaram
A simple merchant who composed verses by the river and said: holiness cannot be bought, it is born from within.
The essence of the teaching: The heart of the path is devotion and surrender to God. Holiness is not attained by outer means and rites; it grows only from inner love and purity of heart.
Transmission
Tukaram was no learned brahmin – he kept a shop, went bankrupt, lost his loved ones, and in his grief turned with his whole heart to the God Vitthal. His verses, the abhangas, were born right in the midst of life, among cares and need, and so there is not a drop of falseness in them. He said: you do not become a saint for show, holiness cannot be bought with money or fasting – it comes when you give yourself without remainder. Sing the Name, serve people, do not chase after honour, and love itself will do what effort cannot.
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