HELL ON EARTH

Anti-Worldly Attitudes and World-Transcending Strategies in the Poetry of Tukaram and Mirabai

Abstract

This abstract explores the anti-worldly sentiments and world-transcending strategies found in the devotional poetry of two prominent medieval North Indian saints: Tukaram of Maharashtra and Mirabai from North India. Their poems, abhangas and padas respectively, depict the conventional world as brutal, meaningless, and illusory, aligning with a broader Hindu philosophical view that posits a higher, more satisfying spiritual reality.

The article highlights how both saints, having experienced divine presence, express a profound detachment from the material world, viewing it as temporary, an abode of illusion, a prison of the senses, and a cycle of endless rebirth (karma-samsara). They also criticize worldly people as "fools" consumed by mundane concerns. For Mirabai, a world without God is a "hell on earth." The abstract then delves into their practical strategies for transcendence, including a loss of appetite for worldly pleasures, a deliberate separation from worldly society, and an unconcern for societal censure. Their writings offer insight into the psychological nuances of mystic life and the power of their spiritual witness for centuries of devotees.