संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 667 of 4582

Abhanga 667

The only thing worth asking for is that God never grows distant from your heart, not powers, status, or a particular kind of life.

When one-request: no distance from Your feet — and you have to recognize this register
When no riddhi-siddhi-paraloka; only svāmī-sēvaka relation — and you accept this image
When You are the dāna-śūra; Tukyā-bandhu's mudra — and you receive this final petition

The verse

एक मागणें हृषीकेशी । चत्ति द्यावें सांगतों वचनासी । मज अंतर तुझ्या चरणासी । न पडे ऐसी कृपा करीं ॥१॥ नको दुजी बुद्धी आणीक । रिद्धीसिद्धी परलोक । तूं स्वामी मी सेवक । खंडणा नको करूं ऐसी ॥ध्रु.॥ मना येईल तो जन्म देई । भलते कुळीं भलते ठायीं । तें मी सांकडें घालीत नाहीं । हृदयींहुनीं तूं न वजें ॥२॥ इतुलें करीं भलत्या परी । भलत्या भावें तुझें द्वारीं । राहेन दास होऊनि कामारी । वदो वैखरी नित्य नाम ॥३॥ नको विचारूं दुसरें आतां । शरण आलों जी पंढरीनाथा । तुकयाबंधु म्हणे रे अच्युता । आहेसि तूं दाता दानशूर ॥४॥

Literal translation

One request, Hṛṣīkēśī — give attention to my spoken word — let no antara (distance) fall from Your caraṇa to me — do such kṛpā. No other buddhi — no riddhi-siddhi, no para-lōka — You — svāmī, I — sēvaka — don't break such (relation). Give whatever janma comes-to-mind — any clan, any place — I put-no-difficulty there — go-not from my heart. This-much do in any way — in any bhāva, at Your door — I will-stay being dāsa and kāmārī — let the vaikharī speak the nāma daily. Don't consider another now — I have come śaraṇa, Pandharī-nāth — Tukyā-bandhu says: O Acyuta — You are the dātādāna-śūra.

मराठी: एक मागणें Hṛṣīkēśī — vacana वर चित्त द्यावें — माझ्या-Your-चरणा-त अंतर न-पडे ऐसी कृपा कर. दुजी buddhi नको — riddhi-siddhi-paraloka नको — तूं svāmī, मी sevaka — खंडणा नको. जन्म-कोणताही दे — कोणत्या कुळी कोणत्या ठायीं — सांकडें नाही — फक्त हृदयांतून जाऊं नकोस. Itulē karī भलत्या परी — भलत्या भावें तुझ्या द्वारीं — दास-कामारी राहेन — vaikharī नित्य नाम बोल. दुसरें विचार करूं नको — शरण आलों, पंढरी-नाथ — Tukyā-bandhu म्हणे: रे Acyuta — तूं dātā-dāna-śūra.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
एक मागणें हृषीकेशी "one māgaṇēHṛṣīkēśa"
चत्ति द्यावें सांगतों वचनासी "give attention — to (my) vacana"
मज अंतर तुझ्या चरणासी न पडे "no antara falls — from Your caraṇa to me"
ऐसी कृपा करीं "do such kṛpā"
नको दुजी बुद्धी आणीक "no other buddhi"
रिद्धीसिद्धी परलोक "riddhi-siddhipara-lōka"
तूं स्वामी मी सेवक "You — svāmī; I — sēvaka"
खंडणा नको करूं ऐसी "don't khaṇḍana (break) — such (relation)"
मना येईल तो जन्म देई "give whatever janma comes-to-mana"
भलते कुळीं भलते ठायीं "any clan — any place"
तें मी सांकडें घालीत नाहीं "I put-no-sānkaḍa (difficulty) there"
हृदयींहुनीं तूं न वजें "from my heart — go-not"
इतुलें करीं भलत्या परी "this-much do — in any way"
भलत्या भावें तुझें द्वारीं "in any bhāva — at Your door"
राहेन दास होऊनि कामारी "I will-stay — dāsakāmārī"
वदो वैखरी नित्य नाम "let vaikharī — speak — nitya nāma"
शरण आलों जी पंढरीनाथा "I came śaraṇa, Pandharī-nāth"
तुकयाबंधु म्हणे रे अच्युता "Tukyā-bandhu — says — O Acyuta"
आहेसि तूं दाता दानशूर "You are dātādāna-śūra"

What it means

A eka-māgaṇē-no-distance-svāmī-sēvaka-Tukyā-bandhu-Acyuta-dāna-śūra abhang. One-request-petition register. Five claims:

  1. एक मागणें — चित्त — अंतर न पडे ऐसी कृपाeka māgaṇē — citta — no antara such kṛpā. The opening-one-request-claim: (I have) onemāgaṇē(request) ofHṛṣīkēśa; givecitta(attention) to myvacana; do thiskṛpā: that noantara(distance, separation) fall from Yourcaraṇato me. Single-request-no-distance-from-feet. (The petition narrows itself: not many things, one thing.)

  2. नको दुजी बुद्धी — riddhi-siddhi-paraloka नको — svāmī-sevaka — खंडणा नकोno dujī buddhi — no riddhi-siddhi-paraloka — svāmī-sēvaka — no khaṇḍana. The no-other-buddhi-claim: no otherbuddhi(mind-orientation); noriddhi-siddhi(powers / supernatural-attainments), nopara-lōka(after-world / heaven); You aresvāmī, I amsēvaka; don'tkhaṇḍana(break, sever) (this relation). Only-svāmī-sēvaka-relation-no-other-attainment.

  3. मना-आला तो जन्म दे — कुळ-ठाय कोणतेही — सांकडें नाही — हृदयांतून न-जाऊंwhatever janma — any clan-place — no sānkaḍa — heart no-go. The give-any-janma-only-don't-leave-heart-claim: give whateverjanma(birth) comes-to-mind; anykuḷa(clan), anyṭhāya(place) —I put-no-sānkaḍa (difficulty / hesitation) there;only — hṛdayīmhunīm tūm na vajēm (You go-not from my heart).Janma-doesn't-matter-only-don't-leave-the-heart. (This is profound: birth-and-station are bracketed; only the heart-presence matters.)

  4. Itulē karī — bhalatyā bhāvē tujhē dvārī — dāsa-kāmārī — vaikharī nitya nāmaitulē — bhalatyā bhāvē — dāsa-kāmārī — vaikharī nāma. The minimum-position-and-vaikharī-claim: do this-much in any way; in anybhāva(state) at Your door; I will-stay beingdāsa(servant) andkāmārī(female-servant); let thevaikharī(the speech-organ, the gross-speech) speak thenāmadaily. Minimum-position-at-Your-door-vaikharī-speaks-nāma. (The kāmārī role suggests an even-lower-position than dāsa — a servant-of-the-servants.)

  5. दुसरें नको — पंढरी-नाथ शरण — Tukyā-bandhu: Acyuta — दाता-दान-शूरno other — Pandharī-nāth śaraṇa — Tukyā-bandhu: Acyuta — dātā-dāna-śūra. The closing-Acyuta-dāna-śūra-claim: don't consider another now; I have comeśaraṇa, Pandharī-nāth; Tukyā-bandhu says: OAcyuta (un-fallen, the never-falling); āhēsi tūm dātā dāna-śūra (You are dātādāna-śūra, the generous-hero who is hero-in-giving).Acyuta-the-dātā-and-dāna-śūra; Tukyā-bandhu's-mudra.

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram brings God one single request: never let distance grow between us. He is not asking for supernatural powers or a comfortable afterlife, only that the bond of servant and master stay unbroken. He does not even ask for a particular kind of life; he will accept any birth, any family, any place, as long as God never leaves his heart. All he promises in return is that he will stand at God's door in whatever role is given to him, even the humblest, and keep saying the divine name every day. When you strip away every other wish and prayer, this is the one that remains: closeness, not comfort or status.

मराठी: तुकाराम देवाकडे एकच मागणे मागतात, ते म्हणजे आपल्या आणि देवाच्या चरणांमध्ये कधीही अंतर पडू नये. त्यांना कोणत्याही अद्भुत शक्ती किंवा सुखी परलोकाची अपेक्षा नाही, फक्त सेवक आणि स्वामी हे नाते अभंग राहावे इतकेच हवे आहे. कोणत्या कुळात, कोणत्या ठिकाणी जन्म मिळो, त्याची त्यांना पर्वा नाही, फक्त देवाने हृदयातून कधी जाऊ नये. बदल्यात ते इतकेच वचन देतात की देवाच्या दारी जी कोणतीही, अगदी सर्वात लहान सेवा मिळेल ती स्वीकारून रोज देवाचे नाम घेत राहतील. इतर सर्व इच्छा आणि मागण्या बाजूला केल्या की उरते तेच खरे मागणे, ऐश्वर्य किंवा दर्जा नव्हे तर केवळ जवळीक.

Where this applies

Related verses