Praise of Hanuman, the burning of Lanka
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
हनुमंत महाबळी । रावणाची दाढी जाळी ॥१॥
तया माझा नमस्कार । वारंवार निरंतर ॥ध्रु.॥
करोनी उड्डाण । केलें लंकेचें दहन ॥२॥
जाळीयेली लंका । धन्य धन्य म्हणे तुका ॥३॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Hanuman, the supremely mighty, singed the beard of Ravana. To him I offer my salutations again and again, without end. Leaping into the sky, he set Lanka ablaze. Says Tuka, blessed, blessed is he who burned Lanka to the ground.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Hanuman, the mighty one, scorched Ravana's beard. To him I bow again and again, without end. He leaped into the sky and set Lanka on fire. He burned Lanka down. Tuka says: blessed, blessed is he.
What it means
Tukaram celebrates the moment Hanuman humbled Ravana and burned his city. The singed beard is the small, almost mocking detail of the demon-king's defeat, and the leap into the sky and the burning of Lanka are the larger act. Against this Tukaram sets his own response, salutations offered again and again without end, and the cry blessed, blessed. The abhanga is pure adoration: it does not argue or instruct, it simply bows before the deed and calls Hanuman fortunate beyond measure.
Sacred Stories
Abhangas drawing on mythological narratives to illuminate spiritual truths.
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