Abhanga 427

A single careless moment can undo years of careful living, but crying out honestly to God, who already knows your heart, brings help running and clears away past suffering.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A Hari-nāma-cry-saves-bhakta abhang. Six claims:

1. घडी मोडी हेळामात्रें पापपुण्यसंचिता — भवदुःख कोण वारी तुजवांचुनि चिंता — ghaḍī breaks by hēḷā-mātra — pāpa-puṇya-sañcita — who removes bhava-duḥkha besides You? The opening-claim: a singleghaḍī(moment, ~24 minutes) of hēḷā-mātra (slight-carelessness) breaks the pāpa-puṇya-sañcita (the accumulated karmic-ledger);who else removes the bhava-duḥkha (suffering of existence) besides You?Karmic-ledger fragile; only deva-rescue.

2. धर्म गा जागो तुझा तूं चि कृपाळू राजा — जाणसी जीवींचें गा न सांगतां सहजा — let dharma keep awake — You kṛpāḷu rājā — know the heart without telling, by sahaja. The deva-knows-without-telling claim: let yourdharma(right-acting) keep awake; You arekṛpāḷu rājā(compassionate king); You know the heart's content without my telling, bysahaja(natural-state). No need to articulate to Him.

3. न देखे दुसरें गा जाली अदृश्यदृष्टी — वोळला प्रेमदाता केली अमृतवृष्टी — sees no second — adṛśya-dṛṣṭi has come — prema-dātā — amṛta-vṛṣṭi. The vision-and-shower image: (I) see no second; theadṛśya-dṛṣṭi(invisible-vision) has come; theprema-dātā(love-giver) — has pouredamṛta-vṛṣṭi(rain-of-immortal-nectar). (Compare 426 adṛśya tē ci jālē — dṛśya jē hōtē; same advaita-shift register.)

4. घातली लोळणी गा हरिनाम बोभाटे — पावला त्याकारणें धांव घातली नेटें — rolled-prostrated, Hari-nāma cried out — He came running for that reason. The cry-and-rescue mechanism: I rolled in prostration; cried out the Hari-nāma loudly; He came running for that reason. The cry triggers the run.

5. मागील सोसिलें तें ना भीं म्हणे गोपाळा — पावला त्याकारणें लाज राखिली कळा — past sufferings — na bhī — Gopāla says — lāja, kaḷā preserved. The deva-consoles claim: the past sufferings —Gopālasays:na bhī(don't fear); for that reason He came running — preservinglāja(honor) andkaḷā(mark / dignity). Past-suffering cleared by deva's-don't-fear.

6. आपपर तें ही नाहीं बंधुवर्ग सज्जना — तुकया ते चि परी जाली पावें नारायणा — no āpa-para — bandhuvarga, sajjana — Tuka, this way — Nārāyaṇa reached. The closing-claim: noāpa-para(own-other distinction) — bandhuvarga (kin) andsajjana(good-folk); Tuka, this is the way —Nārāyaṇais reached. Beyond own-other; Nārāyaṇa-reach.

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram opens by admitting that a single careless moment can undo a lifetime's careful balance of good and bad deeds, and that only God can lift the suffering that comes with being alive. He trusts that God already knows what is in his heart without needing to be told, because that closeness comes naturally between them. When he throws himself down and cries out God's name out loud, he says God comes running for exactly that reason, as if the cry itself is what moves God to act. God's reassurance, don't be afraid, clears away past suffering and lets Tukaram keep his dignity intact. In the end, Tukaram says the real destination is beyond all sense of mine versus other, and that this is how one truly reaches God.

मराठी: तुकाराम सुरुवातीलाच कबूल करतात की एक क्षणाचा हलगर्जीपणा वर्षानुवर्षे जपलेल्या पापपुण्याच्या हिशोबाला उलटवू शकतो, आणि जगण्यातलं दुःख दूर करणारा देवाशिवाय दुसरा कोणी नाही. आपल्या मनातलं काहीही न सांगता देव आधीच जाणतो, यावर त्यांचा पूर्ण भरवसा आहे, कारण ही जवळीक सहजच आहे. जेव्हा ते स्वतःला जमिनीवर टाकून मोठ्याने हरिनामाचा घोष करतात, तेव्हा नेमक्या याच कारणासाठी देव धावत येतो, जणू ती हाकच देवाला हलवते. भिऊ नकोस असं देवाचं आश्वासन जुनं दुःख पुसून टाकतं आणि तुकारामांची अब्रू राखली जाते. शेवटी तुकाराम सांगतात की खरं गंतव्य माझं आणि परकं या भेदाच्या पलीकडे आहे, आणि तिथेच खऱ्या अर्थाने देव गाठता येतो.

Where this applies

• Karmic-ledger fragile. Trust deva-rescue.
• Deva knows without telling. Sahaja.
• Adṛśya-dṛṣṭi,amṛta-vṛṣṭi. Bhakti-experience.
• Roll-cry — He runs. Mechanism.
• Na bhī clears past-suffering. Don't-fear.
• Beyond āpa-para — Nārāyaṇa. Closing-reach.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2467 — What looks like your whole world, like a fig to the insect living inside it, is only a tin
• 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 4497 — Tukaram describes a life so soaked in devotion that Krishna's presence fills every ordinar