Abhanga 346
God waits for you free of charge on the far shore of life's troubles, asking only sincere feeling, so live cheerfully but never give up compassion and forbearance.
The verse
भवसागर तरतां । कां रे करीतसां चिंता । पैल उभा दाता । कटीं कर ठेवुनियां ॥१॥ त्याचे पायीं घाला मिठी । मोल नेघे जगजेठी । भावा एका साठीं । खांदां वाहे आपुल्या ॥ध्रु.॥ सुखें करावा संसार । परि न संडावे दोन्ही वार । दया क्षमा घर । चोजवीत येतील ॥२॥ भुक्तिमुक्तिची चिंता । नाहीं दैन्य दरिद्रता । तुका म्हणे दाता । पांडुरंग वोळगिल्या ॥३॥
Literal translation
Crossing the bhava-sāgara — why are you worrying? On the (other) shore stands the dātā — hands on hips. Embrace His feet — Jagajeṭhī takes no price. For one bhāva — He carries (you) on His own shoulder. Do samsāra with sukha — but don't abandon two duties — dayā and kṣamā will come asking the way to your home. No worry of bhukti-mukti — no dainya-daridrata. Tuka says: the dātā — Pāṇḍuranga — when served.
मराठी: भवसागर तरतां — कां रे करीतसां चिंता — पैल उभा दाता — कटीं कर ठेवुनियां. त्याचे पायीं घाला मिठी — मोल नेघे जगजेठी — भावा एका साठीं — खांदां वाहे आपुल्या. सुखें करावा संसार — परि न संडावे दोन्ही वार — दया क्षमा घर — चोजवीत येतील. तुकाराम म्हणतां — भुक्तिमुक्तिची चिंता नाहीं — दैन्य-दरिद्रता — दाता पांडुरंग वोळगिल्या.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| भवसागर तरतां कां रे करीतसां चिंता | "crossing bhava-sāgara — why are you worrying?" |
| पैल उभा दाता कटीं कर ठेवुनियां | "on the (other) shore stands the dātā — hands on kaṭi (hips)" |
| त्याचे पायीं घाला मिठी | "embrace His feet" |
| मोल नेघे जगजेठी | "Jagajeṭhī takes no mōla (price)" |
| भावा एका साठीं खांदां वाहे आपुल्या | "for one bhāva — He carries (you) on His own shoulder" |
| सुखें करावा संसार | "do samsāra with sukha" |
| परि न संडावे दोन्ही वार | "but don't abandon — two duties / two-doors" |
| दया क्षमा घर चोजवीत येतील | "dayā and kṣamā — will come, asking the way to (your) home" |
| भुक्तिमुक्तिची चिंता नाहीं दैन्य दरिद्रता | "no worry of bhukti-mukti — no dainya-daridrata" |
| दाता पांडुरंग वोळगिल्या | "the dātā — Pāṇḍuranga — when served" |
What it means
A famous Viṭhobā-stands-with-hands-on-hips abhang. Four claims:
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भवसागर तरतां — पैल उभा दाता — कटीं कर ठेवुनियां — crossing the bhava-sāgara — on the (other) shore stands the dātā — hands on hips. The iconic Viṭhobā image: standing on the brick (vīṭa), hands on hips (kaṭīm kara ṭhēvūniyām). The dātā is on the other shore; He stands waiting. Why worry about crossing?
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त्याचे पायीं घाला मिठी — मोल नेघे जगजेठी — भावा एका साठीं — खांदां वाहे आपुल्या — embrace His feet — Jagajeṭhī takes no price — for one bhāva He carries (you) on His shoulder. The radical-cheapness: no price (mōla nēghē). For one bhāva alone, He carries you on His own shoulder. The bhāva is the entire payment.
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सुखें करावा संसार — परि न संडावे दोन्ही वार — दया क्षमा घर — चोजवीत येतील — do samsāra with sukha — but don't abandon two duties — dayā and kṣamā will come asking the way home. The householder-bhakti rule: do samsāra in sukha (cheerfully), but don't abandon dayā (compassion) and kṣamā (forbearance) — these two duties (dōnhī vāra=two doors / two duties). If you keep these, they will come asking your home's way — they (the deva, the saints, the good) will find you.
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भुक्तिमुक्तिची चिंता नाहीं — दैन्य दरिद्रता — दाता पांडुरंग वोळगिल्या — no worry of bhukti-mukti — no dainya-daridrata — when Pāṇḍuranga is served. The closing-claim: whenPāṇḍurangaisvōḷagilyā(served / made-favorable), no worry of bhukti (enjoyment) or mukti (liberation), no dainya-daridrata (poverty).
[T]
For someone today
Why worry about crossing the ocean of worldly troubles? God stands waiting on the far shore, hands resting on his hips, ready to receive you. Embrace his feet and you'll find he asks no price at all — for the sake of sincere feeling alone, he will carry you on his own shoulder. Go about your household life cheerfully, but never let go of two things: compassion and forbearance, for these are what will draw grace to your door. When you have truly served Pandurang, worries about worldly enjoyment or liberation simply fall away, and no poverty or want remains.
मराठी: भवसागर पार करण्याची चिंता कशाला? देव पैलतीरावर कमरेवर हात ठेवून वाट पाहत उभा आहे. त्याच्या चरणी मिठी घाला, तो काहीच किंमत मागत नाही हे तुम्हाला दिसेल — फक्त खऱ्या भावासाठी तो तुम्हाला स्वतःच्या खांद्यावर वाहून नेतो. संसार आनंदाने करा, पण दोन गोष्टी कधीही सोडू नका — दया आणि क्षमा, कारण याच गोष्टी कृपेला तुमच्या दारापर्यंत घेऊन येतात. एकदा पांडुरंगाची खरी सेवा घडली, की भोग किंवा मोक्षाची चिंता आपोआप मिटते, आणि कसलीच दैन्य-दारिद्र्य उरत नाही.
Where this applies
- Dātā stands on the (other) shore. Stop worrying.
- One bhāva — He carries on shoulder. No price.
- Samsāra with sukha; dayā-kṣamā not abandoned. Two-doors rule.
- No bhukti-mukti worry when Pāṇḍuranga is served. Service-mechanism.