Abhanga 489

Fearlessness given by the saints brings peace, and even humble, imperfect words are enough to worship God sincerely.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A saints-gave-abhaya-prema-rasa-no-khaṇḍana-bobaḍā-singing abhang. Four claims:

1. अभय उत्तर संतीं केलें दान — जालें समाधान चित्त तेणें — saints made abhaya-uttara-dāna — citta became samādhāna. The opening-claim: the saints have given me theabhaya-uttara-dāna(the gift of fearlessness-answer); thereby mycittahas becomesamādhāna(peaceful). Saints' fearlessness-gift = citta-peace.

2. आतां प्रेमरसें न घडे खंडण — द्यावें कृपादान नारायणा — now in prema-rasa, no khaṇḍana — give kṛpā-dāna, Nārāyaṇa. The prema-rasa-protection petition: now, let nokhaṇḍana(breaking) fall on theprema-rasa; givekṛpā-dāna(grace-gift),Nārāyaṇa. Protection-of-prema-rasa.

3. आलें जें उचित देहविभागासी — तेणें पायांपासीं उभी असों — what came as ucita to deha-vibhāga — by that stand near feet. The body-portion-stand-at-feet claim: whatever came asucita(proper / given-share) to thedeha-vibhāga(the body-section / one's bodily-portion); by that, (I) stand near the feet. Take whatever is given to the body, but stand near the feet.

4. तुका म्हणे करी पूजन वैखरी — बोबडा उत्तरीं गातों गीत — Tuka says: vaikharī does pūjā — with bobaḍā-uttarīm sing the song. The closing-self-image: Tuka says: thevaikharī(gross-articulate-speech, the lowest-of-the-four-speech-levels —parā, paśyantī, madhyamā, vaikharī) does thepūjā; I sing the song withbobaḍā-uttarīm(stammered-utterances). Imperfect-speech doing the worship.

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For someone today

Tukaram says the saints gave him the gift of fearlessness, and that gift settled his restless heart into peace. Now that a sweet love has grown in him, he prays to God not to let anything break or interrupt it, asking for continued grace. Whatever comes to him as his rightful share in life, he accepts, but he still chooses to stand close to God's feet no matter what he is given. He ends with a humble image of himself worshiping with plain, even stammering words, showing that imperfect, halting devotion is enough for real worship.

मराठी: तुकाराम सांगतात की संतांनी त्यांना निर्भयतेची देणगी दिली, आणि त्या देणगीने त्यांचे अस्वस्थ मन शांत झाले. आता त्यांच्यात जो प्रेमरस निर्माण झाला आहे, त्यात कोणताही खंड पडू नये म्हणून ते देवाकडे कृपेची याचना करतात. जीवनात जे काही त्यांच्या वाट्याला योग्य असे येते ते ते स्वीकारतात, तरीही जे काही मिळो, ते देवाच्या पायाजवळच उभे राहणे पसंत करतात. शेवटी ते स्वतःचे नम्र चित्र रेखाटतात, साध्या, अडखळणाऱ्या शब्दांत पूजा करताना, आणि दाखवतात की अपूर्ण, अडखळती भक्तीसुद्धा खऱ्या पूजेसाठी पुरेशी असते.

Where this applies

• Saints' abhaya-uttara gives samādhāna. Seek assurance.
• Protect prema-rasa from khaṇḍana. Petition.
• Body's ucita; stand near feet. Acceptance + posture.
• Vaikharī-pūjā withbobaḍā singing. Imperfect-sufficient.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2464 — For today: Pāṇḍuranga is sukha-rūpa ; no wandering, no shaving, no sādhana-pressure ; Chan
• Abhanga 2490 — The divine is most reachable through the living presence of a true saint, not through a di
• Abhanga 2494 — Living in devotion turns an ordinary day into a festival and removes the fear of birth and
• Abhanga 4481 — Tukaram promises that sincerely calling on the Lord's name, knowingly or unknowingly, with