Abhanga 1420
Do the work life has given you, but keep your heart's devotion quietly resting at God's feet underneath all of it.
The verse
आला भागासी तो करीं वेवसाव । परि राहो भाव तुझ्या पायीं ॥१॥ काय चाले तुम्हीं बांधलें दातारा । वाहिलिया भारा उसंतितों ॥ध्रु.॥ शरीर तें करी शरीराचे धर्म । नको देऊं वर्म चुकों मना ॥२॥ चळण फिरवी ठाव बहुवस । न घडो आळस चिंतनाचा ॥३॥ इंद्रियें करोत आपुले व्यापार । आवडीसी थार देई पायीं ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे नको देऊं काळा हातीं । येतों काकुलती म्हणऊनि ॥५॥
Literal translation
What came to (my) bhāga — I'll do that vēvasāya — but let bhāva stay at your feet. What works when you, Dātāra, have bound (it)? — I'll keep unloading the load. Let the body do body's dharma — don't give the varma — let the mana not slip. Motion turns the ṭhāva much — let no āḷasa of cintana occur. Let the indriyas do their own vyāpāra — give āvaḍī station at (your) feet. Tuka says: don't give (me) to Kāḷa's hand — I come entreating, saying so.
मराठी: आला — भागासी — तो — करीं — वेवसाव; — परि — राहो — भाव — तुझ्या — पायीं. काय — चाले — तुम्हीं — बांधलें — दातारा? — वाहिलिया — भारा — उसंतितों. शरीर — तें — करी — शरीराचे — धर्म; — नको — देऊं — वर्म — चुकों — मना. चळण — फिरवी — ठाव — बहुवस; — न — घडो — आळस — चिंतनाचा. इंद्रियें — करोत — आपुले — व्यापार; — आवडीसी — थार — देई — पायीं. Tukā म्हणे — नको — देऊं — काळा — हातीं; — येतों — काकुलती — म्हणऊनि.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आला भागासी तो करीं वेवसाव | "what came (ālā) — to (my) bhāga (share) — that I'll do (karīm) — vēvasāya (= business / work)" |
| परि राहो भाव तुझ्या पायीं | "but (parī) — let bhāva — stay (rāhō) — at your feet" |
| काय चाले तुम्हीं बांधलें दातारा | "what works (cālē) — when you — have bound (bāndhalēm) — Dātārā (giver)?" |
| वाहिलिया भारा उसंतितों | "the load you've made me carry (vāhiliyā bhārā) — I'll keep usantitōm (= unloading / unburdening)" |
| शरीर तें करी शरीराचे धर्म | "the body — let it do (karī) — body's dharma" |
| नको देऊं वर्म चुकों मना | "don't give (dē'ūm) — varma (= vital point); — let the mana — not slip (cukōm)" |
| चळण फिरवी ठाव बहुवस | "caḷaṇa (motion) — turns (phiravī) — the ṭhāva (place) — bahuvasa (much)" |
| न घडो आळस चिंतनाचा | "let not occur (na ghaḍō) — āḷasa (sloth) — of cintana (contemplation)" |
| इंद्रियें करोत आपुले व्यापार | "let the indriyas — do (karōta) — their own vyāpāra (commerce)" |
| आवडीसी थार देई पायीं | "to āvaḍī (love) — give thāra (= station / seat) — at (your) feet" |
| तुका म्हणे नको देऊं काळा हातीं | "Tuka says — don't give (dē'ūm) — into Kāḷa's hand" |
| येतों काकुलती म्हणऊनि | "I come (yētōm) — kākulatī (= entreatingly / pitifully) — saying so (mhaṇa'ūnī)" |
What it means
Do-your-share-but-bhāva-at-feet abhang. A householder-bhakti manifesto. The opening: ālā bhāgāsī tō karīm vēvasāva — parī rāhō bhāva tujhyā pāyīm — what came to (my)bhāga— I'll do thatvēvasāya; — but — letbhāva— stay at your feet. The gṛhastha-bhakta's great formula: do the work that came to your share — but the bhāva must stay at Hari's feet. (= Bhagavad-Gītā 6.14: yuktāhāra-vihārasya yuktaceṣṭasya karmasu — disciplined-action-with-mind-on-Bhagavan.)
The bound-load: kāya cālē tumhīm bāndhalēm dātārā — vāhiliyā bhārā usantitōm — whatworks— (when) you have bound (it)?,Dātāra; — the load you've made me carry — I keep unloading. The bhakta accepts that Hari has bound the load (= prārabdha is yours-given), and the only-thing to do is unload it as it comes.
The body-and-mind: śarīra tēm karī śarīrācē dharma — nakō dē'ūm varma cukōm manā — let the body dobody's dharma; — don't give (it) thevarma(vital-point) — let themananot slip. The plea: I'll let the body run on its programme, but don't give the mana the vital-blow — don't let the mind slip.
The motion-and-cintana: caḷaṇa phiravī ṭhāva bahuvasa — na ghaḍō āḷasa cintanācā — motion (caḷaṇa) turns theṭhāva(place) much; — let noāḷasa(= sloth) ofcintana(contemplation) occur. The world-motion changes places-frequently; let the contemplation never become slothful through that.
The indriyas: indriyēm karōta āpulē vyāpāra — āvaḍīsī thāra dē'ī pāyīm — let the indriyas do their ownvyāpāra(commerce); — giveāvaḍī(love) —thāra(station) — at thepāya(feet). The indriyas run on their own; the āvaḍī (love) finds its station at the feet.
The closing: nakō dē'ūm kāḷā hātīm — yētōm kākulatī mhaṇa'ūnī — don't give (me) intoKāḷa's hand; — I comekākulatī(= entreatingly / pitifully). The bhakta's plea: don't surrender me to Kāḷa — that's what I'm coming entreating about. (Compare 1416's avaghā ākāra grāsiyēlā kāḷē — all-form-swallowed-by-Time; here Tuka begs to be the exception.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: do the work that came to your share — but bhāva stays at his feet; let body do body's dharma, indriyas do their commerce — but love finds station at the feet; don't surrender me to Time, Hari — I come entreating.
Where this applies
- When you feel guilty for having a job and family instead of a purely spiritual life
- When the pressures of daily work make you forget to pause and remember what matters most
- When you are busy with chores or errands and worry that this means you have drifted from devotion
- When you feel afraid and unprotected thinking about death or old age