Abhanga 284
Tukaram takes refuge in Hanuman, calling out to him twice for emphasis as Rama's faithful messenger, and asks him plainly to show the paths of devotion — because Hanuman, more than almost anyone, has already walked that path completely. What makes Hanuman the model devotee is a pairing of two qualities that don't always come together: he is brave and he is patient, and he carries out whatever his master asks of him with genuine, wholehearted care rather than mere obedience. Bravery without patience turns reckless; patience without bravery turns passive — Hanuman shows what it looks like to hold both at once, fully devoted to Rama's purpose. Tukaram closes by naming him further, as Rudra himself, son of Anjani, honoring him as the complete example any devotee can turn to for guidance.
The verse
शरण शरण जी हनुमंता । तुज आलों रामदूता ॥१॥ काय भक्तीच्या त्या वाटा । मज दावाव्या सुभटा ॥ध्रु.॥ शूर आणि धीर । स्वामिकाजीं तूं सादर ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे रुद्रा । अंजनीचिया कुमरा ॥३॥
Literal translation
Saraṇa, saraṇa, jī Hanumantā — I have come (to you), Rāma-dūta. What bhakti-paths — show me, subhaṭa? Śūra and dhīra — in the svāmi-kāja, you are sādara. Tuka says: Rudra — Anjanī's kumāra.
मराठी: शरण शरण जी हनुमंता — तुज आलों रामदूता. काय भक्तीच्या त्या वाटा — मज दावाव्या सुभटा. शूर आणि धीर — स्वामिकाजीं तूं सादर. तुकाराम म्हणतात — रुद्रा — अंजनीचिया कुमरा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| शरण शरण जी हनुमंता | "saraṇa, saraṇa, jī Hanumantā" |
| तुज आलों रामदूता | "I have come (to you) — Rāma-dūta" |
| काय भक्तीच्या त्या वाटा | "what (paths) of bhakti" |
| मज दावाव्या सुभटा | "show me,subhaṭa(good-warrior)" |
| शूर आणि धीर | "śūra (brave) and dhīra (patient)" |
| स्वामिकाजीं तूं सादर | "in thesvāmi-kāja— you aresādara(attentive / caring)" |
| तुका म्हणे रुद्रा | "Tuka says: Rudra" |
| अंजनीचिया कुमरा | "Anjanī's kumāra (son)" |
What it means
A Hanumat-saraṇa abhang. Three claims:
-
शरण शरण जी हनुमंता — तुज आलों रामदूता — saraṇa, saraṇa, jī Hanumantā — I have come, Rāma-dūta. The saraṇa-form. Saraṇa (twice — for emphasis). Jī — respectful-address. Rāma-dūta — Rāma's messenger / envoy — Hanuman's classical-epithet (he carried Rāma's message to Sītā in Lankā).
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काय भक्तीच्या त्या वाटा — मज दावाव्या सुभटा — what bhakti-paths — show me, subhaṭa. The bhakti-instruction-petition. Subhaṭa — good-warrior. The bhakta asks Hanuman (= the great bhakta-warrior) to show the bhakti-paths. Why Hanuman? Because Hanuman is the paradigmatic bhakta in classical-tradition — fully-devoted to Rāma.
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शूर आणि धीर — स्वामिकाजीं तूं सादर — śūra and dhīra — in master's-cause, you are sādara. Two virtues: śūra (brave) and dhīra (patient). Both are Hanuman's marks. Sādara in the svāmi-kāja — attentive / caring in the master's-cause. (Note the combination: brave-and-patient-and-attentive-to-master's-cause — these three together characterize the real bhakta-warrior.)
-
तुका म्हणे रुद्रा — अंजनीचिया कुमरा — Tuka says: Rudra — Anjanī's kumāra. The closing-naming. Rudra — Hanuman as a Rudrāvatāra (incarnation of Shiva); Anjanī's kumāra — son of Anjanā (Hanuman's mother).
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram takes refuge in Hanuman, calling out to him twice for emphasis as Rama's faithful messenger, and asks him plainly to show the paths of devotion — because Hanuman, more than almost anyone, has already walked that path completely. What makes Hanuman the model devotee is a pairing of two qualities that don't always come together: he is brave and he is patient, and he carries out whatever his master asks of him with genuine, wholehearted care rather than mere obedience. Bravery without patience turns reckless; patience without bravery turns passive — Hanuman shows what it looks like to hold both at once, fully devoted to Rama's purpose. Tukaram closes by naming him further, as Rudra himself, son of Anjani, honoring him as the complete example any devotee can turn to for guidance.
मराठी: तुकाराम हनुमंताला शरण जातात, आदराने दोनदा शरण-शरण म्हणतात, रामाचा निष्ठावंत दूत म्हणून, आणि त्यांना थेट विचारतात की भक्तीचे मार्ग मला दाखवा — कारण हनुमंताने तो मार्ग जवळजवळ पूर्णपणे चालून पाहिलेला आहे. हनुमंताला आदर्श भक्त बनवणारी गोष्ट म्हणजे दोन गुणांचा मिलाफ जो नेहमी एकत्र आढळत नाही — तो शूर आहे आणि धीरही आहे, आणि आपल्या स्वामीने जे सांगितले ते केवळ आज्ञापालन म्हणून नव्हे, तर खऱ्या मनापासून काळजीने पूर्ण करतो. धीराशिवाय शौर्य बेभानपणात बदलते; शौर्याशिवाय धीर निष्क्रियतेत बदलतो — हनुमंत दाखवतो की दोन्ही एकाच वेळी जपत, रामाच्या कार्याशी पूर्ण एकनिष्ठ राहणे कसे असते. तुकाराम शेवटी त्यांना आणखी नावाने ओळखवतात, खुद्द रुद्र, अंजनीचा पुत्र, आणि प्रत्येक भक्ताला मार्गदर्शनासाठी वळता येईल असा परिपूर्ण आदर्श म्हणून त्यांचा गौरव करतात.
Where this applies
- Saraṇa to Hanuman = path-asking from paradigmatic-bhakta.
- Śūra-and-dhīra = brave-and-patient. Both required.
- Sādara in master's-cause. Attentive-care, not blind-obedience.
- Hanumat-template = dāsa-bhakti template.