Abhanga 478

Real devotion includes the right to complain honestly to God when hardship turns into humiliation, without that being a loss of faith.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A Your-dāsa-begs-from-others-this-shames-You-too abhang. Tukaram's dignified-complaint register, addressing Pandhari-rāyā with sharp-but-loving accountability. Four claims:

1. तुझें दास्य करूं आणिका मागों खावया — धिग् जालें जिणें माझें पंढरीराया — do Your dāsya, beg from others for food — dhig my life, Pandharī-rāyā. The opening-shame: I do Yourdāsya(servitude / service); yet I have to beg from others for food; shame on my life,Pandharī-rāyā!.Tukaram complains that the deva's-servant has to beg-from-others for sustenance.

2. काय गा विठोबा तुज म्हणावें — थोराच्या दैवें गोड शुभअशुभ — what should you be called, Viṭhobā — for the great-fortunate, śubha-aśubha is gōḍa. The philosophical-aside: what should I call you, Viṭhobā? — for the great-fortunate (= devotees of the great-deity), evenśubha-aśubha(good-and-bad) is sweet. The bhakta accepts both, but the question of the deva's-name remains.

3. संसाराचा धाक निरंतर आम्हांसी — मरण भलें परि काय अवकळा तैसी — samsāra's fear constant — death is good, but not such avakaḷā. The death-preferable-to-disgrace claim: the constant fear ofsamsārais upon us; death is good — but not suchavakaḷā(disgrace). Death is preferable to begging-disgrace.

4. तुझे शरणागत शरण जाऊं आणिकांसी — तुका म्हणे कवणा लाज हें कां नेणसी — Your śaraṇāgata having to go to others for śaraṇa — Tuka says: for whom is the lāja — don't You know? The closing-challenge: Yourśaraṇāgata(the one already-surrendered to You) — has to takeśaraṇa(refuge) from others; Tuka says: for whom is thelāja(shame)? — do You not know that this shames You too? The deva's-honor is at stake.

[T]

For someone today

Here Tukaram voices an honest complaint straight to Vitthal. He says it's shameful that someone who serves God has to beg others for food, and he calls that a disgrace, both his and God's. He wonders aloud what to even call a god who lets this happen, though he admits that for someone truly devoted, both fortune and misfortune can taste sweet. Still, he says the constant anxiety of worldly struggle is hard to bear, and while death itself would be acceptable, this particular indignity is not. He closes by pointing out that when someone who has already surrendered to God has to go begging elsewhere for help, the shame belongs to God too, and he asks pointedly whether God even notices.

मराठी: या ओवीत तुकाराम विठ्ठलाला थेट, प्रामाणिक तक्रार करतात. ते म्हणतात की देवाची सेवा करणाऱ्याला इतरांकडे भीक मागावी लागणं ही लाजिरवाणी गोष्ट आहे, आणि ही लाज त्यांची आणि देवाचीही आहे. असं होऊ देणाऱ्या देवाला काय म्हणावं असा प्रश्न ते विचारतात, तरी कबूल करतात की खऱ्या भक्ताला चांगलं-वाईट दोन्ही गोड लागतं. तरीही संसाराची सतत असणारी चिंता सहन करणं कठीण आहे, असं ते म्हणतात - मरण स्वीकारार्ह आहे, पण ही विशिष्ट अवहेलना नाही. शेवटी ते सांगतात की जो आधीच देवाला शरण गेला आहे त्याला दुसऱ्याकडे मदतीसाठी जावं लागणं ही देवाचीही लाज आहे, आणि विचारतात की देवाला हे लक्षातही येतं का.

Where this applies

• Begging while Your-dāsa is shared shame. Don't accept silently.
• Great-fortunate accept śubha-aśubha. Equal-acceptance.
• Death preferable to avakaḷā. Honor-over-life.
• For-whom-is-the-lāja? Hold deva accountable.

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 4273 — If your time, money, and attention flow easily to everything except God and genuine goodne
• Abhanga 4467 — Devotion is proven by conduct, not display: without compassion and dharma behind it, no re