Abhanga 368

Tukaram's own initiation came as unearned grace, caught mid-errand and confirmed in a dream, showing that a life-changing spiritual gift can arrive before you've done anything to deserve it.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

This is the famous biographical-abhang of Tukaram's dream-initiation by Bābājī Caitanya (also known as Bābājī Caitanya, of the Rāghava-Keśava-Caitanya lineage). Six biographical-claims:

1. सद्ग‍ुरायें कृपा मज केली — परी नाहीं घडली सेवा कांहीं — the sad-guru showed me kṛpā — but no sevā had been done. The unmerited-grace claim: the sad-guru's kṛpā came without prior service. Grace, not earning.

2. सांपडविलें वाटे जातां गंगास्नाना — मस्तकीं तो जाणा ठेविला कर — caught me on the way to Gangā-snāna — placed his hand on the head. The catch-on-the-way image: Tukaram was on his way to a Gangā-bath; the sad-guru caught him there and placed his hand on the head. (Hand-on-head is the initiation-mudrā / blessing-sign.)

3. भोजना मागती तूप पावशेर — पडिला विसर स्वप्नामाजी — asked for pāva-śēra of ghee for bhojana — fell into forgetting in the dream. The dream-context explicit: the sad-guru asked Tukaram for a paushera (~250g) of ghee for the bhojana; fell into forgetting (perhaps Tukaram forgot to bring it / forgot the meal). The dream-initiation involved a small-but-significant ritual-element.

4. कांहीं कळहे उपजला अंतराय — म्हणोनियां काय त्वरा जाली — some clash of antarāya arose — therefore tvarā came. Some obstacle arose; therefore haste came (in the initiation). The initiation was hastened by some antarāya (obstruction).

5. राघवचैतन्य कैशवचैतन्य — सांगितली खुण मळिकेची — Rāghava-Caitanya, Keśava-Caitanya — the lineage-sign told. The guru-paramparā transmission: Bābājī Caitanya names his predecessors — Rāghava-Caitanya, Keśava-Caitanya. The lineage-sign (maḷikē kī khūṇa) is what authenticates the initiation. (This is the established Caitanya-paramparā in Maharashtra.)

6. बाबाजी आपलें सांगितलें नाम — मंत्र दिला राम कृष्ण हरि — माघाशुद्ध दशमी पाहुनि गुरुवार — केला अंगीकार — Bābājī said his own name — gave the mantra Rāma Kṛṣṇa Hari — Māgha-śuddha daśamī, gurū-vāra — accepted (me). The date-sealed initiation: Bābājī gave his own name; gave the mantra Rāma Kṛṣṇa Hari; on Māgha-śuddha daśamī, gurū-vāra (Thursday); accepted Tukaram. (Māgha-śuddha-daśamī gurū-vāra — the bright-tenth of Māgha, on a Thursday — the calendrical-date of Tukaram's initiation. The mantra Rāma Kṛṣṇa Hari is the Vaiṣṇava mahā-mantra in this paramparā.)

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For someone today

This abhang recounts Tukaram's own dream-initiation by his guru, Babaji Chaitanya. He is careful to note that this grace came to him unearned — he had done no special service to deserve it. On his way to bathe in the river, the guru caught him and placed a hand on his head in blessing; the whole encounter unfolded within a dream, with small vivid details like a request for ghee for a meal. The guru named his own teachers in the lineage, Raghava Chaitanya and Keshava Chaitanya, giving the transmission its authenticity, and gave Tukaram the mantra Rama Krishna Hari. Tukaram records the exact date of his acceptance — the tenth day of the bright half of Magha, a Thursday — treating this dream-initiation as every bit as real and binding as any waking ceremony.

मराठी: ही ओवी तुकारामांना त्यांचे गुरू बाबाजी चैतन्य यांच्याकडून स्वप्नात मिळालेल्या दीक्षेची हकीकत सांगते. ते आवर्जून सांगतात की ही कृपा त्यांना कोणतीही विशेष सेवा न करता, विनामूल्य मिळाली. गंगास्नानाला जात असताना गुरूंनी त्यांना वाटेत गाठले आणि मस्तकावर आशीर्वादाचा हात ठेवला; हा सगळा प्रसंग स्वप्नात घडला, त्यात भोजनासाठी तुपाची मागणी यांसारखे बारीक तपशीलही होते. गुरूंनी आपल्या गुरुपरंपरेतील राघवचैतन्य आणि केशवचैतन्य यांची नावे सांगून या दीक्षेला अधिकृतता दिली, आणि तुकारामांना 'राम कृष्ण हरि' हा मंत्र दिला. तुकाराम या स्वीकाराची नेमकी तारीखही नोंदवतात — माघ शुद्ध दशमी, गुरुवार — आणि हे स्वप्नातील दीक्षास्थळ कोणत्याही जागृत विधीइतकेच खरे आणि बंधनकारक मानतात.

Where this applies

• Grace antecedent to sevā. Unmerited-grace.
• Sad-guru catches on the way. Disciple-is-found.
• Dream-initiation is real. Don't dismiss.
• Paramparā-sign authenticates. Maḷikē-kī-khūṇa.
• Mantra: Rāma Kṛṣṇa Hari. Vārkarī mahā-mantra.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2374 — Rather than scattering devotion among many lesser deities who demand offerings, Tukaram sa
• Abhanga 2377 — This detailed meditation on Vitthal standing on a brick at Pandharpur, out of love for his
• Abhanga 2387 — Accept whatever life brings with reverence, and place the burden on God rather than carryi
• Abhanga 2402 — For today: happily take rebirths — IF among the Paṇḍharī-Vārkarīs ; Hari-dāsas' company is