Abhanga 371

Once you drop fear, shame, and doubt and commit yourself completely, someone else's guarantee of that bond makes your resolve unshakable.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A firm-vow-after-saints-give-the-hāvāla abhang in the sad-guru-grace cluster (cf. 367 colophon, 368-370). Five claims:

1. माझिये मनींचा जाणा हा निर्धार — जिवासि उदार जालों आतां — know the nirdhāra of my mana — I have become udāra toward jīva now. The opening-self-claim: the firm resolve in my mind — I have becomeudāra(generous, willing-to-give-up) toward the jīva (the bodily-life). The jīva is no longer hoarded.

2. तुजविण दुजें न धरीं आणिका — भय लज्जा शंका टाकियेली — apart from You — I won't hold another — bhaya, lajjā, śankā thrown off. The clearance-claim: no other to hold besides You; the three obstacles — bhaya (fear), lajjā (shame), śankā (doubt) — thrown off. (Compare 365 no gonvā at kāḷa-pāśa; same clearance register.)

3. ठायींचा संबंध तुज मज होता — विशेष अनंता केला संतीं — the original sambandha between You and me was — made viśeṣa by the saints. The original-relation made special by saints: there was already an original sambandha between You and me; the saints made it viśeṣa (special, distinguished). The saints' role is to elevate the latent sambandha to the active-relationship.

4. जीवभाव तुझ्या ठेवियेला पायीं — हें चि आतां नाही लाज तुम्हां — jīva-bhāva placed at Your feet — this itself — now no lāja for You. The challenge-claim: jīva-bhāva is placed at Your feet; now there is nolāja(honor / responsibility) for You — meaning, You bear the responsibility now. Tukaram challenges Viṭhṭhala: I have given You my whole jīva-bhāva; now You can't refuse.

5. तुका म्हणे संतीं घातला हावाला — न सोडीं विठ्ठला पाय आतां — Tuka says: saints have placed the hāvāla — I won't release Viṭhṭhala's feet now. The closing-vow: the saints have placed thehāvāla(charge / pledge / guarantee); I won't release Viṭhṭhala's feet now. (Hāvāla — the act of giving-into-charge / pledging-as-guarantor. The saints have guaranteed Tukaram to Viṭhṭhala; the bhakta therefore holds the feet unshakably.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram declares his mind is made up: he has become generous enough to let go of clinging to his own life, and he will not hold on to anyone or anything except Vitthal. He throws off fear, shame, and doubt all at once, saying there was already a bond between them, but the saints made that bond real and special. He places his whole inner being at Vitthal's feet and says, in effect, now the responsibility is yours, because the saints have vouched for me and guaranteed this bond, so I will never let go of your feet.

मराठी: तुकाराम स्पष्ट सांगतात की त्यांचा निर्धार पक्का झाला आहे, ते आता आपल्या जीवाबद्दल उदार झाले आहेत आणि विठ्ठलाशिवाय दुसरं कोणीही धरून ठेवणार नाहीत. ते भीती, लाज आणि शंका एकाच वेळी झुगारून देतात आणि सांगतात की त्यांचं आणि विठ्ठलाचं नातं आधीपासूनच होतं, पण संतांनी ते नातं खरं आणि विशेष केलं. ते आपला पूर्ण जीवभाव विठ्ठलाच्या पायाशी ठेवतात आणि म्हणतात, आता जबाबदारी तुझी आहे, कारण संतांनी माझ्यासाठी हमी दिली आहे, त्यामुळे मी तुझे पाय आता कधीच सोडणार नाही.

Where this applies

• Udāratowardjīva. Anti-hoarding.
• Bhaya-lajjā-śankā thrown off. Three obstacles cleared.
• Saints make original-sambandha special. Activation-role.
• Saints' hāvāla underlies the firm vow. Pledge-mechanism.

Related verses

• Abhanga 4481 — Tukaram promises that sincerely calling on the Lord's name, knowingly or unknowingly, with
• Abhanga 4482 — Tukaram teaches that no ritual equals sincerely speaking the Lord's name, that self-center
• Abhanga 3902 — God himself takes joy in kirtana and walks alongside whoever sings his praise, as Narada's
• Abhanga 4273 — If your time, money, and attention flow easily to everything except God and genuine goodne