Abhanga 1457
Tukaram tells God he wants no liberation and no paradise, only the loving company of devotees and the living joy of chanting God's name here and now.
The verse
देवा ऐकें हे विनंती । मज नको रे हे मुक्ति । तया इच्छा गति । हें चि सुख आगळें ॥१॥ या वैष्णवांचे घरीं । प्रेमसुख इच्छा करी । रिद्धिसिद्धी द्वारीं । कर जोडूनि उभ्या ॥ध्रु.॥ नको वैकुंठींचा वास । असे तया सुखा नास । अद्भुत हा रस । कथाकाळीं नामाचा ॥२॥ तुझ्या नामाचा महिमा । तुज न कळे रे मेघशामा । तुका म्हणे आम्हां । जन्म गोड यासाटीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Deva, hear this vinanti — to me, don't this mukti — tayā icchā gati — this very sukha is āgaḷē. In the home of these Vaiṣṇavas — I desire prēma-sukha — ṛddhi-siddhī at the door — folded hands standing. Don't want Vaikuṇṭha-vāsa — that sukha has nāśa — adbhuta is this rasa — at kathā-kāḷa of nāma. Your nāma's mahima — you don't know, Mēgha-śyāma — Tuka says: to us — birth is gōḍa for this.
मराठी: देवा — ऐकें — हे — विनंती; — मज — नको — रे — हे — मुक्ति; — तया — इच्छा — गति; — हें — चि — सुख — आगळें. या — वैष्णवांचे — घरीं; — प्रेम-सुख — इच्छा — करी; — रिद्धि-सिद्धी — द्वारीं; — कर — जोडूनि — उभ्या. नको — वैकुंठींचा — वास; — असे — तया — सुखा — नास; — अद्भुत — हा — रस; — कथा-काळीं — नामाचा. तुझ्या — नामाचा — महिमा; — तुज — न — कळे — रे — मेघ-शामा; — Tukā म्हणे — आम्हां; — जन्म — गोड — यासाटीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देवा ऐकें हे विनंती | "Deva — hear (aikēm) — this vinanti (request)" |
| मज नको रे हे मुक्ति | "to me — don't (nakō) — re (vocative) — this mukti" |
| तया इच्छा गति | "tayā icchā gati — (the gati (way / fate) of his / your wish)" |
| हें चि सुख आगळें | "this very (hēm chi) — sukha — set-apart (āgaḷē)" |
| या वैष्णवांचे घरीं | "in the home (gharīm) — of these Vaiṣṇavas" |
| प्रेमसुख इच्छा करी | "prēma-sukha — I desire (icchā karī)" |
| रिद्धिसिद्धी द्वारीं | "ṛddhi-siddhi (= prosperity-and-powers) — at the dvāra (door)" |
| कर जोडूनि उभ्या | "kara jōḍūnī (folded-hands) — standing (ubhyā)" |
| नको वैकुंठींचा वास | "don't want — of Vaikuṇṭha — vāsa (dwelling)" |
| असे तया सुखा नास | "is — to that sukha — nāśa (destruction)" |
| अद्भुत हा रस | "adbhuta (wonderful) — this rasa" |
| कथाकाळीं नामाचा | "at the kathā-kāḷa (= kīrtana-time) — of the nāma" |
| तुझ्या नामाचा महिमा | "the mahima (greatness) — of your — nāma" |
| तुज न कळे रे मेघशामा | "to you (tuja) — does not (na) — know (kaḷē) — re — Mēgha-śyāma (= cloud-dark-Hari)" |
| तुका म्हणे आम्हां | "Tuka says — to us (āmhām)" |
| जन्म गोड यासाटीं | "janma (birth) — gōḍa (sweet) — for this sake (yā-sāṭīm)" |
What it means
Don't-want-mukti-want-prema-sukha-at-vaiṣṇava-home abhang. One of Tukaram's most beloved abhangs — quoted in every warkari kīrtana. The opening request: Devā aikēm hē vinanti — maja nakō rē hē mukti — tayā icchā gati — hēm chi sukha āgaḷē — Deva, hear thisvinanti(request); — to me —don't (give) this mukti; —the gati (state) of your (his) wish (i.e., 'whatever you wish for me'); —this very—sukha—set-apart. The classic bhakti-rejects-mukti line: I don't want mukti; just whatever your-wish is, that's the special sukha.
The Vaiṣṇava-home request: yā Vaiṣṇavāñcē gharīm — prēma-sukha icchā karī — ṛddhi-siddhī dvārīm — kara jōḍūnī ubhyā — in the home of theseVaiṣṇavas — I desireprēma-sukha; —ṛddhi-siddhi— at the door —kara jōḍūnī(with folded hands) — standing. The vaiṣṇava-house image: bhakta wants to be inside the Vaiṣṇavas' home tasting prēma-sukha; meanwhile ṛddhi-siddhi (= worldly-prosperity and yogic-powers) — normally chased after — stand at the door with folded hands waiting (= they have no entry, they wait outside humbly). (One of the most charming images in the Gatha — the worldly powers stand humble at the door of the bhakti-home.)
The Vaikuṇṭha-rejection: nakō Vaikuṇṭhīñcā vāsa — asē tayā sukhā nāsa — adbhuta hā rasa — kathā-kāḷīm nāmācā — don't want —Vaikuṇṭha'svāsa(dwelling); — to thatsukha— there isnāśa(destruction); —adbhuta(wonderful) — thisrasa— at thekathā-kāḷa(= kīrtana-time) — of thenāma. Vaikuṇṭha-vāsa (= dwelling-in-paradise) — that sukha eventually ends; — but the kathā-kīrtana-rasa right here, right now, is adbhuta and undying. (= the bhakti-here-and-now is greater than paradise-after-death. Striking. Compare 1416's avaghā-ākāra-grāsiyēlā-kāḷē — all-form-swallowed-by-Time; even Vaikuṇṭha-sukha is in time-domain.)
The closing-claim: tujhyā nāmācā mahima — tuja na kaḷē rē Mēgha-śyāmā — Tukā mhaṇē āmhām — janma gōḍa yā-sāṭīm — themahimaof yournāma—you yourself don't know, OMēgha-śyāma(= cloud-dark, Hari); — Tuka says — to us —birthisgōḍa(sweet) — for this sake. Two famous lines: (1) even Hari doesn't know his own nāma's greatness (= the nāma is bigger than the named); (2) birth is sweet for this — bhakta wants more births to keep tasting this nāma-rasa. (The birth-is-sweet line is a spiritual-paradox: bhakta seeks rebirth (= the opposite of the standard mokṣa-goal); for the kathā-rasa-of-nāma. Compare Bhāgavata-Purāṇa's bhava-bhayāhāriṇam — Hari, who removes birth-fear; here Tuka embraces birth.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: Hari, don't give me mukti — whatever your wish is, that's the sukha set-apart; in vaiṣṇavas' home I desire prēma-sukha — even ṛddhi-siddhi stand humble at the door; don't want Vaikuṇṭha — that sukha ends; this kathā-time-rasa is wonderful; even Hari doesn't know his name's greatness — birth itself is sweet for this.
Where this applies
- When you realize that being with loving, warm-hearted people matters more to you than any personal achievement or escape
- When wealth, status, or special powers come your way but you find you don't actually crave them
- When you catch yourself chasing some future paradise instead of appreciating the joy already present in this moment
- When singing, chanting, or simply being present with something you love feels more satisfying than any distant reward