Abhanga 643
Tukaram begs God never to let go of him, admitting he cannot save himself and asking only for the courage to stay firm against the pull of worldly attachment and mockery.
The verse
हातींचें न संडावें देवें । शरण आलों जीवें भावें । आपुलें ऐसें म्हणावें । करितों जीवें निंबलोण ॥१॥ बैसतां संतांचे पंगती । कळों आलें कमळापती । आपुलीं कोणी च नव्हती । निश्चय चित्तीं दृढ जाला ॥ध्रु.॥ येती तुझिया भजना आड । दाविती प्रपंचाचें कोड । कनिष्ठीं रुचि ठेऊनि गोड । देखत नाड कळतसे ॥२॥ मरती मेलीं नेणों किती । तो चि लाभ तयाचे संगती । म्हणोनि येतों काकुलती । धीर तो चित्ति दृढ द्यावा ॥३॥ सुखें निंदोत हे जन । न करीं तयांशीं वचन । आदिपिता तूं नारायण । जोडी चरण तुमचे तें ॥४॥ आपलें आपण न करूं हित । करूं हें प्रमाण संचित । तरी मी नष्ट चि पतित । तुका म्हणे मज संत हांसती ॥५॥
Literal translation
Don't release — śaraṇa jīva-bhāva — call-Yours — jīva nimba-lōṇa. Saint-pańkti — Kamaḷā-pati known — none-of-mine — niścaya firm. Obstruct bhajana — prapañca-kōḍa — kaniṣṭha ruci — naḍa felt. How-many died — lābha of sanga — come kākulati — dhīra firm. Jana nimdōta — won't speak — ādi-pitā Nārāyaṇa — jōḍī feet. Won't do good myself — prārabdha-samcita — naṣṭa-patita — Tuka says: saints laugh at me.
मराठी: हातींचें न संडावें देवें — शरण आलों जीवें भावें — आपुलें ऐसें म्हणावें — करितों जीवें निंबलोण. बैसतां संतांचे पंगती — कळों आलें कमळापती — आपुलीं कोणी च नव्हती — निश्चय चित्तीं दृढ जाला. येती तुझिया भजना आड — दाविती प्रपंचाचें कोड — कनिष्ठीं रुचि ठेऊनि गोड — देखत नाड कळतसे. मरती मेलीं नेणों किती — तो चि लाभ तयाचे संगती — म्हणोनि येतों काकुलती — धीर तो चित्ति दृढ द्यावा. सुखें निंदोत हे जन — न करीं तयांशीं वचन — आदिपिता तूं नारायण — जोडी चरण तुमचे तें. तुकाराम म्हणतां — आपलें आपण न करूं हित — करूं हें प्रमाण संचित — तरी मी नष्ट चि पतित — मज संत हांसती.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| हातींचें न संडावें देवें | "don't release what's-in-hand" |
| शरण आलों जीवें भावें | "śaraṇa by jīva-bhāva" |
| आपुलें ऐसें म्हणावें | "call me-Yours" |
| करितों जीवें निंबलोण | "by jīva — nimba-lōṇa" |
| बैसतां संतांचे पंगती | "saint-pańkti sitting" |
| कळों आलें कमळापती | "Kamaḷā-pati — known" |
| आपुलीं कोणी च नव्हती | "none of-mine" |
| निश्चय चित्तीं दृढ जाला | "niścaya — firm in citta" |
| येती तुझिया भजना आड | "obstructing Your bhajana" |
| दाविती प्रपंचाचें कोड | "prapañca-kōḍa" |
| कनिष्ठीं रुचि ठेऊनि गोड | "kaniṣṭha ruci" |
| देखत नाड कळतसे | "naḍa — felt" |
| मरती मेलीं नेणों किती | "how-many died" |
| तो चि लाभ तयाचे संगती | "lābha of sangati" |
| येतों काकुलती | "come kākulati" |
| धीर तो चित्ति दृढ द्यावा | "dhīra in citta firmly" |
| सुखें निंदोत हे जन | "jana freely nimdōta" |
| न करीं तयांशीं वचन | "won't speak to them" |
| आदिपिता तूं नारायण | "ādi-pitā Nārāyaṇa" |
| जोडी चरण तुमचे तें | "jōḍī of Your caraṇa" |
| आपलें आपण न करूं हित | "won't do my-good myself" |
| करूं हें प्रमाण संचित | "prārabdha-samcita" |
| तरी मी नष्ट चि पतित | "I — naṣṭa-patita" |
| मज संत हांसती | "saints laugh at me" |
What it means
A don't-release-saint-pańkti-no-mine-saints-laugh abhang. Five-verse petition with self-confession-and-saint-recognition register. Five claims:
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हातींचें न संडावें देवें — opening-don't-release: don't-release-what's-in-hand; śaraṇa by jīva-bhāva; call me-Yours; by jīva, do nimba-lōṇa (auspicious-circling). Hand-grip-petition.
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बैसतां संतांचे पंगती — saint-pańkti-knowledge: sitting in saint-pańkti; Kamaḷā-pati known; none of-mine; niścaya firm in citta. Saint-table-realization.
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येती तुझिया भजना आड — bhajan-obstructed: come-obstructing bhajan; prapañca-kōḍa; kaniṣṭha-ruci; naḍa-felt. Bhajan-obstruction-by-prapañca.
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मरती मेलीं नेणों किती — many-died-of-prapañca-sanga: how-many died — that's-the-lābha of their sangati; therefore kākulati; dhīra firm. Don't-die-by-prapañca-sanga.
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सुखें निंदोत हे जन and closing — jana-may-revile-saints-laugh: jana freely nimdōta; won't speak to them; ādi-pitā Nārāyaṇa; jōḍī of feet; won't do good myself; prārabdha-samcita; I'm naṣṭa-patita; saints laugh at me. Jana-revile-saints-laugh-self-acknowledged.
[T]
For someone today
This abhang is a plea for God to never let go, because you have surrendered with your whole being. Sitting among saints, you come to realize that nothing and no one in this world is really yours to hold onto. People will try to pull you away from your devotion by dangling the sweetness of worldly life in front of you, but if you look closely you can feel the deceit in it. Countless people have died caught in that same attachment, so you beg for the courage to stay firm rather than follow them. Even if others mock you and the saints laugh at your failures, you keep holding on to God's feet instead of arguing back or trying to fix yourself on your own strength.
मराठी: हा अभंग देवाला कधीही सोडून न देण्याची विनवणी आहे, कारण आपण संपूर्ण मनाने आणि जीवाने शरण आलो आहोत. संतांच्या पंगतीत बसताना कळते की या जगात खरेच आपले कोणीच नाही. लोक तुम्हाला भजनापासून दूर नेण्यासाठी संसाराचे गोडवे दाखवतात, पण नीट पाहिलं तर त्यात फसवणूक जाणवते. याच आसक्तीत अडकून कितीतरी लोक मरून गेले, म्हणून आपण देवाकडे धैर्य ठाम राहावे म्हणून याचना करतो. लोक निंदा करोत, संत हसोत, तरीही आपण त्यांच्याशी वाद न घालता देवाच्या चरणांना धरून राहतो, स्वतःच्या बळावर स्वतःचे भले करण्याचा दावा न करता.
Where this applies
- Don't-release. Hand-grip.
- Saint-pańkti — none-mine. Realization.
- Jana revile. Don't-engage.
- Saints laugh at me. Self-acknowledged.