Abhanga 1008

When you have no credentials, no pedigree, and no achievements to show, honestly admitting that emptiness is itself an offering worth making.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A such-is-my-burden-of-social-shame-I-the-famous-name-went-in-vain-no-genuine-service-or-power-no-pure-caste-or-clean-family-karma-no-tapas-or-dāna-dharma-no-strength-became-earth's-burden-don't-know-what-decision-will-happen abhang. Earth's-burden-don't-know register. Five claims:

1. भीड-भार — नांव-वांयां. Burden-of-shame-name-went-in-vain-claim. Such is mybhīḍa-bhāra (burden of-social-shame, the weight-of-keeping-up-appearances);I, the nāvācā (famous-name, the one-of-(empty)-name), went very vāyām (in-vain). (Tuka has anamebut the name isempty.)

2. सेवा-रुजू — सत्ता-बळ — राऊळ-कृपा. No-genuine-service-or-power-claim. Whatsēvā-rujū (genuine, in-order service) is there?;what sattā-baḷa (authority-strength)?;that the rāūḷa (Vitthal's temple — i.e. Pāṇḍuranga himself) should do kṛpā?

3. याती-शुद्ध — कुळ-कर्म — वर्म-तुझ्या-ठायीं. No-pure-caste-or-clean-family-karma-claim. Whatyāti-śuddha, kuḷa-karma?;by which the varma (secret-key) would fall in your ṭhāyīm (place)?

4. तपो-निधि — दान-धर्म — बळ-सत्ता. No-tapas-or-dāna-claim. Whichtapō-nidhi (treasure-of-tapas), dāna-dharma-śīla (giver-of-charity-righteous)?;what one baḷa-sattā in (my) body?

5. Tuka: भूमी-भार — विचार-नेणों. Earth's-burden-don't-know-claim. Tuka says: I have gonevāyām, (became) the bhūmī-bhāra (earth's-burden — a useless creature only weighing-down the earth);I don't know what vicāra (decision, deliberation) will happen. (Whatever you decide.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram confesses that his reputation has become an empty burden, and that his well-known name has been wasted on nothing real. He asks what genuine service or authority he could possibly claim, that God's temple should show him grace. He has no pure lineage or spotless family history to secure a place in God's eyes, no treasury of austerity, charity, or discipline, and no personal strength to speak of. Tuka says he has simply become a useless weight on the earth, with no idea what will be decided about him — and he offers even this honest confession of emptiness up to God.

मराठी: तुकाराम कबूल करतात की त्यांची कीर्ती एक पोकळ ओझे बनली आहे, आणि त्यांचे प्रसिद्ध नाव व्यर्थ गेले आहे. ते विचारतात की देवाच्या देवळाने त्यांच्यावर कृपा करावी इतकी खरी सेवा किंवा सत्ता त्यांच्याकडे काय आहे? देवाच्या दृष्टीने स्थान मिळवण्याइतके शुद्ध कुळ किंवा निष्कलंक कौटुंबिक इतिहास त्यांच्याकडे नाही, तपश्चर्येचा, दानधर्माचा किंवा शिस्तीचा खजिना नाही, आणि स्वतःचे असे कोणतेही सामर्थ्य नाही. तुका म्हणतात की ते फक्त पृथ्वीवरचे निरुपयोगी ओझे बनले आहेत, त्यांच्याबद्दल काय निर्णय होईल हे त्यांना माहीत नाही - आणि हीच रिकामपणाची प्रामाणिक कबुली ते देवाला अर्पण करतात.

Where this applies

• Empty-name. Bhīḍa-bhāra.
• No-service-no-power. Sēvā-rujū.
• No-pedigree. Yāti-kuḷa.
• No-discipline. Tapas-dāna.
• Earth's-burden-don't-know. Bhūmī-bhāra.

Related verses

• Abhanga 4356 — Repeating the Name in ordinary moments like eating and drinking water replaces every elabo
• Abhanga 1479 — For today: brahmacārī recites the akṣara; gṛhastha does ṣaṭ-karma; vānaprastha disengages
• Abhanga 4482 — Tukaram teaches that no ritual equals sincerely speaking the Lord's name, that self-center
• Abhanga 2381 — For today: Name has no-price; just two letters — Rāma Rāma; no caste, no religion, no jāti