Abhanga 1012

You don't need deep knowledge to be devoted, only a steady mind fixed on God, trusting the compassionate Lord to take care of you.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A tatva-jñāna-not-known-mati-dull-but-meditate-on-lotus-feet-no-āgama-distinctions-time-pushed-by-cintana-call-myself-dāsa-let-his-pride-be-on-him-samsāra-path-left-world-pushed-with-one-blow-past-attachment-cut-mind-held-in-one-place-O-Rakhumā-dēvī-varā-bhakta-karuṇākara-take-care abhang. Bhakta-karuṇākara-take-care register. Six claims:

1. तत्व-ज्ञान-नाहीं — मूढ-मती — चरण-कमळ-ध्यातों. No-tatva-jñāna-but-meditate-claim. Tatva-jñāna is not known;my mati is mūḍha (dull);but I dhyātō (meditate-on) the caraṇa-kamaḷa in chittī (heart).

2. आगम-भेद-न — काळ-चिंतनें-सारी. Time-pushed-by-cintana-claim. Whatāgama-bhēda (distinctions of scripture) do I know?;the kāḷa I sāra (push-away, get-through) by cintana.

3. दास-म्हणवितों — त्याचा-अभिमान-त्यास. Call-myself-dāsa-his-pride-on-him-claim. I know nothing — but I make-myself-be-calleddāsa;let his abhimāna fall on him. (If I claim to be his servant, the responsibility-and-pride-of-protecting-his-name falls on him.)

4. संसार-सोय-मारग-सांडिला — जग-घायें-दुराविलें. World-pushed-with-one-blow-claim. Thesamsāra-sōya path is left;the world is durāvilē (pushed-away) with one ghāya (blow). (One stroke of decisive renunciation.)

5. लाग-खंडण — मन-एका-एकीं. Past-attachment-cut-mind-held-in-one-place-claim. Of the pastlāga (attachment, pull), (I) made khaṇḍaṇa (cutting-off);the mana is held ēkā-ēkīm (suddenly, all-at-once, in one place).

6. Tuka: Rakhumā-dēvी-वर — भक्त-करुणाकर — सांभाळ. Bhakta-karuṇākara-take-care-claim. Tuka says: ORakhumā-dēvī-varā (Lord of Rukmiṇī = Vitthal), bhakta-karuṇākara (one-who-pours-karuṇā-on-bhaktas);take sāmbhāḷa (care).

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For someone today

You don't have to understand deep philosophy or scripture to be devoted. Tukaram admits his own mind is dull and he knows none of that, yet he still keeps the image of God's feet in his heart and gets through each day simply by holding God in his thoughts. He calls himself God's servant even though he knows so little, trusting that once he makes that claim, the responsibility of looking after him belongs to God. He describes cutting off his old attachments in one decisive stroke, and now that his mind rests steady in one place, he simply asks the compassionate Lord to take care of him.

मराठी: भक्त होण्यासाठी तत्त्वज्ञान किंवा शास्त्र समजायची गरज नाही. तुकाराम स्वतः सांगतात की त्यांची बुद्धी मंद आहे आणि त्यांना काहीच कळत नाही, तरीही ते मनात विठ्ठलाच्या चरण-कमळांचं ध्यान करत राहतात आणि नुसतं देवाचं चिंतन करत दिवस काढतात. काहीच माहीत नसतानाही ते स्वतःला देवाचा दास म्हणवतात, कारण एकदा असं म्हटलं की आपली काळजी घेण्याची जबाबदारी देवावर येते असा त्यांचा विश्वास आहे. एका क्षणात त्यांनी जुनी आसक्ती तोडून टाकली आहे, आणि आता मन एका जागी स्थिर झाल्यावर ते फक्त करुणाकर देवाला विनवतात की त्याने त्यांची काळजी घ्यावी.

Where this applies

• Meditate-anyway. Mūḍha-mati.
• Cintana-only. Āgama-bhēda.
• Servant-shifts-pride. Dāsa.
• One-blow. Ghāya.
• Mind-held. Ēkā-ēkīm.
• Take-care. Bhakta-karuṇākara.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2374 — Rather than scattering devotion among many lesser deities who demand offerings, Tukaram sa
• Abhanga 2377 — This detailed meditation on Vitthal standing on a brick at Pandharpur, out of love for his
• Abhanga 2387 — Accept whatever life brings with reverence, and place the burden on God rather than carryi
• Abhanga 2402 — For today: happily take rebirths — IF among the Paṇḍharī-Vārkarīs ; Hari-dāsas' company is