Abhanga 978
A plain, single-minded devotion held by steady trust is enough, and sometimes all that is asked of you is to stand quietly and stay present.
The verse
माझी भक्ती भोळी । एकविध भावबळी ॥१॥ मी कां पडेन निराळा । ऐसा सांडूनि सोहळा ॥ध्रु.॥ आतां अनारिसा । येथं न व्हावें सहसा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जोडुनि पाय । पुढें उगा उभा राहें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Bhakti — bhōḷī — eka-vidha bhāva-baḷī. Nirāḷā — sōhaḷā. Anārisā — sahasā. Tuka says: jōḍuni pāya — uga ubhā.
मराठी: माझी भक्ती भोळी — एक-विध, भाव-बळी. मी कां पडेन निराळा — ऐसा सांडूनि सोहळा?. आतां अनारिसा — येथें न व्हावें सहसा. Tuka म्हणे: जोडुनि पाय — पुढें उगा उभा राहें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| माझी भक्ती भोळी | "bhakti — bhōḷī" |
| एकविध भावबळी | "eka-vidha — bhāva-baḷī" |
| मी कां पडेन निराळा | "nirāḷā" |
| ऐसा सांडूनि सोहळा | "sōhaḷā" |
| आतां अनारिसा | "anārisā" |
| येथं न व्हावें सहसा | "sahasā" |
| जोडुनि पाय | "jōḍuni pāya" |
| पुढें उगा उभा राहें | "uga ubhā" |
What it means
A my-bhakti-simple-single-mode-by-bhāva-strength-why-fall-apart-abandoning-festival-don't-become-different-stand-with-folded-hands-still abhang. Just-stand-with-folded-hands register. Three claims:
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भक्ति-भोळी — एक-विध-भाव-बळी — निराळा-कां — सोहळा-सांडूनि. Bhōḷī-single-mode-claim. Mybhaktiisbhōḷī,eka-vidha, bhāva-baḷī; why should I benirāḷā, abandoning such asōhaḷā?
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अनारिसा-न-हावें — सहसा. Don't-become-different-claim. (You) shouldn't becomeanārisā— not on any account. Don't-deviate-from-Your-character.
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Tuka: पाय-जोडुनि — उभा-राहें-उगा. Stand-still-with-folded-hands-claim. Tuka says: withjōḍuni pāya; stand uga ubhā. Just-stand-with-folded-hands. (Bhakta's-position: hands-folded, standing-still in-front-of-Hari.)
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For someone today
Tukaram says his devotion is plain and simple, not clever or elaborate, held together by nothing more than steady, single-minded trust. He asks why he would ever pull away from something this joyful, abandoning a celebration like this one. He also asks God to stay consistent, to never become someone different from who he has always been. And in the end, what is needed from Tukaram himself is small: just to stand quietly, hands folded, present and waiting.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की माझी भक्ती साधी आणि सरळ आहे, हुशारीने किंवा गुंतागुंतीने भरलेली नाही, फक्त एका स्थिर, एकनिष्ठ श्रद्धेवर टिकलेली आहे. ते विचारतात, इतक्या आनंदाच्या सोहळ्याला सोडून मी वेगळा का व्हावे? ते देवालाही विनंती करतात की तू सतत तसाच रहा, जसा नेहमी आहेस तसाच, कधीही वेगळा होऊ नकोस. आणि शेवटी, तुकारामाकडून जे हवे आहे ते फार छोटे आहे: नुसते हात जोडून, शांतपणे, समोर उभे राहणे.
Where this applies
- Simple-bhakti. Bhōḷī.
- Stay-true. Don't-deviate.
- Just-stand. Folded-hands.