Abhanga 1761
When life's suffering from every direction has worn you down, ask plainly for grace, let love actually enter your heart, and trust you can be cared for like a child by a parent.
The verse
मागता भिकारी जालों तुझे द्वारीं । देई मज हरी कृपादान ॥१॥ प्रेम प्रीति नाम उचित करावें । भावें संचरावें हृदयामाजी ॥ध्रु.॥ सर्वभावें शरण आलों पांडुरंगा । कृपाळु तूं जगामाजी एक ॥२॥ तापत्रयें माझी तापविली काया । शीतळ व्हावया पाय तुझे ॥३॥ संबंधीं जनवाद पीडलों परोपरी । अंतरलों दुरी तुजसी तेणें ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे आतां तुझा शरणागता । करावें सनाथ मायबापा ॥५॥
Literal translation
I have become a beggar-asker at your door — give me, Harī, kṛpā-dāna. Make prema-prīti-nāma as fitting — with bhāva enter into the heart. With whole-bhāva I have come śaraṇa, Pāṇḍuranga — you the one kṛpāḷu in jagat. Tāpa-traya have heated my body — for becoming śītaḷa, your feet. By relations and people-talk, I have been pīḍa-multiplied many ways — distanced far from you thereby. Tuka says: now your śaraṇāgata — make sa-nātha, māya-bāpā.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मागता भिकारी जालों तुझे द्वारीं | "beggar-asker — become — at your door" |
| देई मज हरी कृपादान | "give me, Harī — kṛpā-dāna" |
| प्रेम प्रीति नाम उचित करावें | "prema-prīti-nāma — make as fitting" |
| भावें संचरावें हृदयामाजी | "with bhāva — enter — into heart" |
| सर्वभावें शरण आलों पांडुरंगा | "with whole-bhāva — I have come śaraṇa, Pāṇḍuranga" |
| कृपाळु तूं जगामाजी एक | "kṛpāḷu — you, the one — in jagat" |
| तापत्रयें माझी तापविली काया | "tāpa-traya — have heated my body" |
| शीतळ व्हावया पाय तुझे | "for becoming śītaḷa — your feet" |
| संबंधीं जनवाद पीडलों परोपरी | "by relations and people-talk — pīḍa-multiplied" |
| अंतरलों दुरी तुजसी तेणें | "distanced far — from you — thereby" |
| तुका म्हणे आतां तुझा शरणागता | "Tuka says — now — your śaraṇāgata" |
| करावें सनाथ मायबापा | "make sa-nātha — māya-bāpā" |
What it means
Beggar-at-Lord's-door + tāpa-traya-heated-cool-by-feet + relations-distanced abhang.
The opening: māgatā bhikārī jālōm tujhē dvārīm — dē'ī maja Harī kṛpā-dāna — I have become a beggar-asker at your door — give me, Harī, kṛpā-dāna. The bhakta-as-beggar at Lord's-door.
The prema-prīti-entering: prēma prīti nāma uciṭa karāvēm — bhāvē samcarāvēm hṛdayāmājī — make prema-prīti-nāma fitting — with bhāva enter into the heart.
The whole-bhāva-śaraṇa: sarva-bhāvē śaraṇa ālōm Pāṇḍurangā — kṛpāḷu tūm jagā-mājī ēka — with whole-bhāva I have come śaraṇa — you the one kṛpāḷu in jagat.
The tāpa-traya: tāpa-trayē mājhī tāpavilī kāyā — śītaḷa vhāvayā pāya tujhē — tāpa-traya have heated my body — your feet for śītaḷa. Tāpa-traya = the three-fold suffering: ādhyātmika (self-caused), ādhibhautika (caused-by-other-creatures), ādhidaivika (caused-by-divine/cosmic-forces). Lord's-feet are the cooling.
The relations-distancing: sambandhīm jana-vāda pīḍalōm parōparī — antaralōm durī tujasī tēṇē — by relations and people-talk pīḍa-multiplied — distanced far from you. Relations and people's-talk distance the bhakta from the Lord.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē ātām tujhā śaraṇāgatā — karāvēm sa-nātha māya-bāpā — Tuka says: now your śaraṇāgata — make sa-nātha, māya-bāpā. Make-me-not-orphaned, you-as-māyabāpa.
[T]
For someone today
For today: I have become a beggar at your door — give me, Harī, the gift of grace; make prema-prīti-nāma as fitting — with bhāva, enter into my heart; with my whole-bhāva I have come for refuge, Pāṇḍuranga — you are the one compassionate-one in this world; the three tāpas have heated my body — your feet are for becoming cool; relations and people's-talk have multiplied my pain in many ways — distanced me far from you thereby; Tuka says — now I am your refuge-seeker — make me not-orphaned, mother-and-father.
Where this applies
- When you feel worn down by stress that comes from your own mind, from other people, and from things completely outside your control
- When your prayers or affirmations feel like words on your lips rather than something felt in your heart
- When family obligations and other people's opinions have quietly pulled you away from what matters most to you
- When you feel alone and just want to be looked after, the way a parent looks after a child