संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 510 of 4582

Abhanga 510

This is a small, charming confession about not being able to leave. Tukaram tells Vitthal, half in jest, that each of them will go home for the night, God to the inner shrine and the devotee to his own house, and he asks only that the affection between them keep going even after they part. He says his mind stays doing seva even as his body sets off toward his own village. But then he admits the truth: he lost his way, turned around, and ended up right back at God's feet. In other words, he never really managed to leave at all.

When the bhakta tries to leave but cannot — and you have to recognize this register

When let the lōbha be — we are at Your feet — and you accept this clinging-stance

When the diśā is lost and the feet pull back — and you receive this inability-to-leave

The verse

तुम्हीं जावें निजमंदिरा । आम्ही जातों आपुल्या घरा ॥१॥ विठोबा लोभ असों देई । आम्ही असों तुमचें पाई ॥ध्रु.॥ चित्त करी सेवा । आम्ही जातों आपुल्या गावां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे दिशा भुलों । फिरोन पायापाशीं आलों ॥३॥

Literal translation

You go to nija-mandira — we go to our ghara. Viṭhōbā — let the lōbha be — we are at Your feet. Mind does sēvā — we go to our own gāva. Tuka says: I lost the diśā — turning back, I came to the feet.

मराठी: तुम्हीं जावें निजमंदिरा — आम्ही जातों आपुल्या घरा. विठोबा लोभ असों देई — आम्ही असों तुमचें पाई. चित्त करी सेवा — आम्ही जातों आपुल्या गावां. तुकाराम म्हणतां — दिशा भुलों — फिरोन पायापाशीं आलों.

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
तुम्हीं जावें निजमंदिरा	"You go — nija-mandira"
आम्ही जातों आपुल्या घरा	"we go — to our ghara"
विठोबा लोभ असों देई	"Viṭhōbā — let the lōbha be"
आम्ही असों तुमचें पाई	"we are — at Your pāī"
चित्त करी सेवा	"mind does sēvā"
आम्ही जातों आपुल्या गावां	"we go to our own gāva"
दिशा भुलों	"I lost the diśā"
फिरोन पायापाशीं आलों	"turning back — came to the feet"

What it means

A try-to-leave-but-come-back-to-feet abhang. Continues the night-departure register but with a charming-twist: the bhakta tries to depart but his diśā is lost — he turns back to the feet. Four claims:

तुम्हीं जावें निजमंदिरा — आम्ही जातों आपुल्या घरा — You go to nija-mandira — we go to our ghara. The parting-call: You (the deva) go tonija-mandira(own-temple, the inner-shrine); we (the bhaktas) go to ourghara(home). Both-have-their-own-home; the parting is mutual-and-equal.
विठोबा लोभ असों देई — आम्ही असों तुमचें पाई — Viṭhōbā — let the lōbha be — we are at Your feet. The clinging-claim: Viṭhōbā — let thelōbha(affection, fondness, attachment) be (= continue, persist); we are (we-stay) at Your feet. Bodily-departure-but-feet-stay. Lōbha-as-the-bond-that-doesn't-break.
चित्त करी सेवा — आम्ही जातों आपुल्या गावां — mind does sēvā — we go to our own gāva. The split-claim: thecitta(mind) does thesēvā (continues serving);we go to our own gāva (village).Body-leaves-mind-stays-in-sēvā.
तुका म्हणे दिशा भुलों — फिरोन पायापाशीं आलों — Tuka says: I lost the diśā — turning back, came to the feet. The closing-charm: Tuka says: Ibhulum(lost, forgot) thediśā(direction); turning back (phirōna) — I came to the feet. I-tried-to-leave-but-direction-lost-feet-pulled-me-back. The bhakta-cannot-actually-leave.

[T]

For someone today

मराठी: ही एक लहानशी, मोहक कबुली आहे की जाणे शक्यच होत नाही. तुकाराम विठोबाला जणू गंमतीने सांगतात की दोघेही रात्री आपापल्या घरी जातील, देव आपल्या मंदिरात आणि भक्त आपल्या घरी, आणि ते फक्त एवढीच विनंती करतात की दोघांमधला लोभ, ती आपुलकी, वेगळे झाल्यावरही टिकून राहावी. ते म्हणतात की त्यांचे मन सेवेत गुंतलेले राहते जरी शरीर आपल्या गावाकडे निघालेले असते. पण मग ते खरी गोष्ट कबूल करतात, ते वाट चुकले, वळून परत आले आणि थेट देवाच्या पायांशी येऊन पोहोचले. थोडक्यात, ते खरे तर कधी निघालेच नाहीत.

Where this applies

Equal parting; each to own. Symmetric.
Lōbha persists; feet stay. Bond-doesn't-break.
Mind in sēvā; body leaves. Split-attention.
Diśā lost; feet pull back. Charming-failure.

Bhakti Pāṇḍuranga / Viṭhṭhal