Abhanga 262
The infinite becomes intimate through devotion, and letting go of hope for rewards is what makes a devotee truly strong.
The verse
चवदा भुवनें जयाचिये पोटीं । तो चि आम्हीं कंठीं साठविला ॥१॥ काय एक उणें आमुचिये घरीं । वोळगती द्वारीं रिद्धिसिद्धी ॥ध्रु.॥ असुर जयानें घातले तोडरीं । तो आम्हांसि जोडी कर दोन्ही ॥२॥ रूप नाहीं रेखा जयासि आकार । आम्हीं तो साकार भक्तीं केला ॥३॥ अनंत ब्रम्हांडें जयाचिये अंगीं । समान तो मुंगी आम्हासाठीं ॥४॥ रिद्धिसिद्धी सुखें हाणितल्या लाता । तेथें या प्राकृता कोण मानी ॥५॥ तुका म्हणे आम्ही देवाहूनि बळी । जालों हे निराळी ठेवुनि आशा ॥६॥
Literal translation
(He) whose belly contains the fourteen worlds — we have stored him at the throat. What is missing in our house? — riddhi-siddhi waits at the door. (He) who threw the asuras into bondage — joins both his hands to us. (He) who has no form, no line, no shape — we made him saakara by bhakti. (He) with infinite cosmoses in his body — equal-to-an-ant for our sake. We have kicked-away riddhi-siddhi in joy — who there counts the prākṛta? Tuka says: we became stronger than the deva — became nirāḷī, abandoning hope.
मराठी: चवदा भुवनें जयाचिये पोटीं — तो चि आम्हीं कंठीं साठविला. काय एक उणें आमुचिये घरीं — वोळगती द्वारीं रिद्धिसिद्धी. असुर जयानें घातले तोडरीं — तो आम्हांसि जोडी कर दोन्ही. रूप नाहीं रेखा जयासि आकार — आम्हीं तो साकार भक्तीं केला. अनंत ब्रम्हांडें जयाचिये अंगीं — समान तो मुंगी आम्हासाठीं. रिद्धिसिद्धी सुखें हाणितल्या लाता — तेथें या प्राकृता कोण मानी. तुकाराम म्हणतात — आम्ही देवाहूनि बळी — जालों हे निराळी ठेवुनि आशा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| चवदा भुवनें जयाचिये पोटीं | "(he) whose belly contains the fourteen worlds" |
| तो चि आम्हीं कंठीं साठविला | "we have stored him at the throat" |
| काय एक उणें आमुचिये घरीं | "what is missing in our house?" |
| वोळगती द्वारीं रिद्धिसिद्धी | "riddhi-siddhi waits at the door" |
| असुर जयानें घातले तोडरीं | "(he) who threw the asuras into bondage" |
| तो आम्हांसि जोडी कर दोन्ही | "he joins both his hands to us" |
| रूप नाहीं रेखा जयासि आकार | "(he) who has no form, no line, no shape" |
| आम्हीं तो साकार भक्तीं केला | "we made him saakara (with-form) by bhakti" |
| अनंत ब्रम्हांडें जयाचिये अंगीं | "(he) with infinite brahmāṇḍas in his body" |
| समान तो मुंगी आम्हासाठीं | "equal-to-an-ant for our sake" |
| रिद्धिसिद्धी सुखें हाणितल्या लाता | "riddhi-siddhi we have kicked-away in joy" |
| तेथें या प्राकृता कोण मानी | "there, who counts the prākṛta (ordinary)?" |
| आम्ही देवाहूनि बळी | "we became stronger than the deva" |
| जालों हे निराळी ठेवुनि आशा | "became nirāḷī (separate / distinct), abandoning hope" |
What it means
A bhakta-stronger-than-deva abhang. Six bold claims, each pairing cosmic-deity-status with bhakta-relation-trump:
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Cosmic: 14 worlds in his belly. Bhakta-trump: stored at the throat. The deity who-contains-all is contained at the bhakta's throat — easily-accessible, intimate, in-everyday-place.
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Cosmic: riddhi-siddhi (occult-powers) are at the door. Bhakta-claim: nothing is missing in our house. The occult-powers wait at the door — not at the throat. The throat-position is for the deity; the door-position is for the powers. (Compare 215's adhika-tired; here, what we have is enough.)
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Cosmic: defeated all asuras. Bhakta-trump: joins both his hands to us in greeting. The cosmic-warrior — bows to the bhaktas. (Compare 220's master runs without laziness.)
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Cosmic: formless. Bhakta-claim: we made him saakara by bhakti. The radical claim. The formless-deity is given form by the bhaktas' bhakti. The bhakti is what shapes the formless into the form. (Compare 223's deva became the bhakta's child by bhāvārtha.)
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Cosmic: infinite cosmoses in his body. Bhakta-trump: equal-with-an-ant for our sake. The infinite-deity is equal-to-an-ant in the bhakta's-relation. Both infinity and ant-ness are simultaneously his. (Compare 176's cosmic-domestic paradox.)
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Closing: kicked-away riddhi-siddhi; became stronger than the deva. The riddhi-siddhi (occult-powers, prakriti-prizes) are kicked-away in joy; the bhakta is not interested. And the summary-claim: आम्ही देवाहूनि बळी — we became stronger than the deva. By abandoning hope (= not seeking riddhi-siddhi-prizes), the bhakta became nirāḷī (separate, distinct, set-apart) — and stronger than the deva himself.
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For someone today
The god who holds all fourteen worlds within him — Tukaram keeps that vastness close, right at his own throat, like a favorite name he sings all day. Miraculous powers and worldly rewards may wait at the door, but they never get to take that intimate place; nothing is truly missing when your heart is full. It's devotion itself that gives form to the formless — through bhakti, the shapeless divine becomes someone you can meet face to face, and that same infinite being becomes as small and dear as an ant for your sake. And by letting go of any hope for rewards or powers, the devotee needs nothing from anyone — which, Tukaram says, makes him stronger even than God.
मराठी: चौदा भुवनांना पोटात सामावणारा देव तुकाराम आपल्या कंठाशी, नित्य गाईल्या जाणाऱ्या नामाइतका जवळ ठेवतात. ऋद्धिसिद्धी आणि ऐहिक वैभव दारातच थांबते, त्या जवळिकीच्या जागी त्यांना कधी थारा मिळत नाही — मन भरलेले असले की काही उणे वाटत नाही. निराकार देवाला आकार देणारी भक्तीच असते — भक्तीमुळे तोच निराकार देव समोरासमोर भेटण्याजोगा साकार होतो, आणि तोच अनंत देव भक्तासाठी मुंगीइतका लहान व प्रिय बनतो. आणि कुठल्याही फळाची किंवा सिद्धीची आशा सोडल्यामुळे भक्ताला कुणाचीच गरज उरत नाही — त्यामुळेच, तुकाराम म्हणतात, तो देवाहूनही बलवान ठरतो.
Where this applies
- Cosmic-deity at your throat. Intimate, not distant.
- Riddhi-siddhi at the door, not the throat. Don't let prizes take the position.
- Bhakti shapes the formless. Bhakta's shaping-power.
- Equal-with-ant for your sake. Infinity-and-ant-ness simultaneous.
- No-hope = bhakta-strength. Structural, not arrogant.