Abhanga 411

Tukaram admits that keeping company with many people has brought him real embarrassment and trouble. He trusts that Krishna, like a loving parent, exposes those who acted falsely and sets things right. His companions talk big and stir up quarrels involving him, but the moment real trouble arrives, they vanish. In the end, he simply keeps calling out to God as a child calls to its mother and father, again and again, because that call is the one thing that never fails him.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A short bhakti-community-disgrace and Nanda-bāḷa's-blackening-the-false abhang. Three claims:

1. बहुतांचे संगती — बहु पावलों फजिती — with many samgatī, much phajiti suffered. The opening-claim: muchphajiti(disgrace) was suffered with manysamgatī(companions). Many-companions cause much-disgrace.

2. बरें केलें नंदबाळें — मागिलांचें तोंड काळें — well done by Nanda-bāḷa — turned the previous-ones' faces black. The Krishna-vindication claim: Nanda-bāḷa did well — He turned themāgilāñcē tōṇḍa(the previous-ones' faces) black. Krishna exposed the false-companions. (Tōṇḍa-kāḷē kelē — to expose / shame.)

3. माझा करितील तंटा — लपती आलिया बोभाटा — they will quarrel about me — hide when uproar comes. The bhakti-companions-flee-in-trouble claim: they will start quarrels about me; (but) hide whenbōbhāṭa(uproar) comes. The bhakti-companions are loud-but-cowardly.

4. तुका म्हणे काई — किती म्हणों बाप आई — Tuka says: how often to call bāpa-āī? The closing-resignation: how often must I callbāpa-āī(mother-father, the deva-as-parent)? Repeated-call to the deva-parent for help against the bhakti-community-trouble.

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram admits that keeping company with many people has brought him real embarrassment and trouble. He trusts that Krishna, like a loving parent, exposes those who acted falsely and sets things right. His companions talk big and stir up quarrels involving him, but the moment real trouble arrives, they vanish. In the end, he simply keeps calling out to God as a child calls to its mother and father, again and again, because that call is the one thing that never fails him.

मराठी: तुकाराम इथे कबूल करतात की अनेकांच्या संगतीमुळे त्यांना खरोखर लाज आणि त्रास सहन करावा लागला आहे. तरीही त्यांना विश्वास आहे की कृष्ण, आई-वडिलांप्रमाणे, खोटेपणा उघड करतो आणि गोष्टी नीट करतो. त्यांचे सोबती मोठमोठ्या गप्पा मारतात आणि त्यांच्याबद्दल भांडणे उकरून काढतात, पण खरा त्रास आला की तेच लोक गायब होतात. शेवटी तुकाराम फक्त एकच करतात, लहान मूल जसे आई-वडिलांना हाक मारते तसे ते वारंवार देवाला हाक मारत राहतात, कारण तीच हाक कधीही निष्फळ जात नाही.

Where this applies

• Many-companions, much-phajiti. Don't romanticize community.
• Krishna exposes false-ones. Trust exposure.
• Companions hide in trouble. Don't expect support.
• Repeatedly call bāpa-āī. Deva-parent as constant-help.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2481 — Pandharpur surpasses even the greatest pilgrimage cities because people there set aside pr
• 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 4483 — Tukaram tells of the gopis whose all-consuming secret longing for Krishna, hidden beneath