Abhanga 1692
No one who comes to God in surrender has ever been turned away, and no fault of yours is powerful enough to change that.
The verse
उपेक्षिला येणें कोणी शरणागत । ऐसी नाहीं मात आईंकिली ॥१॥ आतां काय ब्रीद सांडील आपुलें । ठायींचें धरिलें जाणोनियां ॥ध्रु.॥ माझ्या दोषासाटीं होइल पाठमोरा । ऐसा कोण पुरा भोग बळी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे रूप आमुच्या कैवारें । धरिलें गोजिरें चतुर्भुज ॥३॥
Literal translation
No śaraṇāgata has been neglected by him — such a story has not been heard. Now, will he abandon his own birda? — knowing the original-place-held. For my doṣa's sake, will he become back-turned? — what powerful bhōga-baḷī is so? Tuka says: the form has been held as our partisan-defense — the lovely four-armed.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| उपेक्षिला येणें कोणी शरणागत | "neglected — by him — any śaraṇāgata" |
| ऐसी नाहीं मात आईंकिली | "such story — not heard" |
| आतां काय ब्रीद सांडील आपुलें | "now — will abandon — his own birda" |
| ठायींचें धरिलें जाणोनियां | "original-place-held — knowing" |
| माझ्या दोषासाटीं होइल पाठमोरा | "for my doṣa-sake — will become — back-turned" |
| ऐसा कोण पुरा भोग बळी | "what powerful — bhōga-baḷī — is so" |
| तुका म्हणे रूप आमुच्या कैवारें | "Tuka says — the form — as our partisan-defense" |
| धरिलें गोजिरें चतुर्भुज | "has been held — the lovely four-armed" |
What it means
No-śaraṇāgata-neglected + form-as-partisan-defense abhang.
The historical-claim: upēkṣilā yēṇē kōṇī śaraṇāgata — aisī nāhīm māta ā'imkilī — no śaraṇāgata has been neglected by him — such story not heard. Throughout-tradition, no story exists of this Lord neglecting any refuge-seeker.
The birda-question: ātām kāya brīda sāṇḍīla āpulēm — ṭhāyīñcēm dharilēm jāṇōniyām — will he now abandon his own birda — knowing the original-place-held? Birda = honorific-title; ṭhāyīñcēm dharilēm = the original-place-held (= the original-position-of-being-bhakta-vatsala). Will he now abandon his own title (= dīna-nātha, patita-pāvana, bhakta-vatsala)?
The doṣa-question: mājhyā dōṣā-sāṭīm hō'īla pāṭha-mōrā — aisā kōṇa purā bhōga baḷī — for my doṣa-sake, will he become back-turned? — what powerful bhōga-baḷī is so? Bhōga-baḷī = one strong-enough by his bhōga-account. What sin of mine is so-powerful that he would turn his back? (= no doṣa is strong-enough to overpower the Lord's biruda.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē rūpa āmucyā kaivārē — dharilēm gōjirēm catur-bhuja — Tuka says: the form has been held as our partisan-defense — the lovely four-armed. Catur-bhuja-rūpa = the four-armed Vaiṣṇava form; kaivāra = partisan-defense. The Lord has taken on the four-armed-form specifically as our partisan-defense — the form-itself is the bhakta's-shield.
[T]
For someone today
For today: no refuge-seeker has ever been neglected by him — such a story has not been heard; will he now abandon his own title? — knowing his original-promise; for my fault's-sake, will he turn his back? — what sin is powerful enough?; Tuka says — the form has been held as our very partisan-defense — the lovely four-armed.
Where this applies
- When you feel too flawed or sinful to deserve God's attention
- When you worry that one more mistake will finally push away the divine
- When you need reassurance that showing up in surrender is enough
- When you doubt whether a protector's promise still holds after you've failed