Abhanga 1289
Hand your burden over to the divine, let go of pride and false attachments, and joy will appear on its own.
The verse
देवाचिये माथां घालुनियां भार । सांडीं किळवर ओंवाळूनि ॥१ ॥ नाथिला हा छंद अभिमान अंगीं । निमित्याचे वेगीं सारीं ओझें ॥ध्रु.॥ करुणावचनीं लाहो एकसरें । नेदावें दुसरें आड येऊं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे सांडीं लटिक्याचा संग । आनंद तो मग प्रगटेल ॥३॥
Literal translation
Place the bhāra on Deva's māthā — abandon the kiḷavara by ōmvāḷaṇa. This fancy of abhimāna on the anga — at the speed of nimitta, push the load aside. Take the lāhō of karuṇā-vacanas once-for-all — don't let any other come in the way. Tuka says: abandon the sanga of laṭika — then ānanda will appear.
मराठी: देवाच्या माथ्यावर भार घालून — किळवर (देह) ओवाळून सांडावा. ह्या नाथलेल्या (फंद) अभिमानाला अंगापासून — निमित्ताच्या वेगानेंच — ओझें सारून दे. करुणा-वचनांत — लाहो एकसरें घ्यावी — दुसरें आड येऊं देऊं नये. Tukā म्हणे — लटिक्याचा संग सांडून दे — मग आनंद प्रगटेल.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देवाचिये माथां घालुनियां भार | "place the bhāra (load) on Deva's māthā (head)" |
| सांडीं किळवर ओंवाळूनि | "abandon (sāṇḍī) the kiḷavara (foundation / wall = the body) — by ōmvāḷaṇa (waving-aside, ārati-gesture)" |
| नाथिला हा छंद अभिमान अंगीं | "this nāthilā (fastened) fancy (chanda) — abhimāna on the body (anga)" |
| निमित्याचे वेगीं सारीं ओझें | "at the speed (vēgīm) of nimitta — push (sārīm) the ōjhē (load) (aside)" |
| करुणावचनीं लाहो एकसरें | "in karuṇā-vacanas — take the lāhō (profit) once-for-all (ēka-sarē)" |
| नेदावें दुसरें आड येऊं | "don't let dusarē (other) come āḍa (in the way)" |
| सांडीं लटिक्याचा संग | "abandon — the sanga of laṭika (the false)" |
| आनंद तो मग प्रगटेल | "ānanda — then — will appear (prakaṭēla)" |
What it means
Place-the-load-on-Hari's-head abhang. The image is precise: Devāciyē māthām ghālūniyām bhāra — placing the load on Deva's head. The Marathi idiom is exactly the formal I-pass-this-back-to-you (cf. 1252 tujhē mastakīm). The body's bhāra now goes to Deva's mastaka.
The remarkable verb is ōmvāḷūnī — by ōmvāḷaṇa (= āratī's circular flame-waving gesture). The body (kiḷavara) is to be waved-aside the way one waves the āratī flame in offering. The ārati's verb is precisely waving-and-then-letting-go. The body becomes ārati's sacrificial wave.
Nāthilā hā chanda abhimāna angīm — this nāthilā (fastened-down, tied-on) fancy of abhimāna on the body — abhimāna is the ego-pride that is attached to (nāthilā) the body. Nimitya-cē vēgīm sārīm ōjhē — at the speed (urgency) of the nimitta, push the load. Nimitta (the immediate occasion / the imminent moment) is the trigger; act fast.
Karuṇā-vacanīm lāhō ēka-sarē — take the lāhō (profit) of karuṇā-vacanas (Hari's compassionate words) once-for-all. The karuṇā-vacanas are Hari's promises (e.g., Patita-pāvana, Anātha-rakṣaka); take them as your single profit-source.
The closing: sāṇḍī laṭikyācā sanga — ānanda tō maga prakaṭēla — abandon the sanga of laṭika (the false) — then ānanda will appear. Prakaṭēla (will-appear) is conditional on sāṇḍī (abandoning).
[T]
For someone today
For today: place the load on Hari's head; wave the body aside the way you'd wave the āratī flame; take the karuṇā-vacanas once-for-all; abandon laṭika-sanga and ānanda appears.
Where this applies
- When you're exhausted from trying to control and carry everything yourself
- When your ego or pride keeps weighing you down
- When you keep chasing shallow comforts instead of trusting real promises
- When you wonder why joy feels distant even though you're trying hard