Abhanga 1786
A devotee who trusts God completely ends up freer than God, unburdened by feeding the world, judging right and wrong, or running the universe, and left mostly with ease and love.
The verse
देवासी लागे सकळांसी पोसावें । आम्हां न लगे खावें काय चिंता ॥१॥ देवा विचारावें लागे पापपुण्य । आम्हासी हे जन अवघें भलें ॥ध्रु.॥ देवासी उत्पत्ति लागला संहार । आम्हां नाहीं फार थोडें काहीं ॥२॥ देवासी काम लागला धंदा । आम्हासी ते सदा रिकामीक ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे आम्ही भले देवाहून । विचारितां गुण सर्वभावें ॥४॥
Literal translation
To deva, to feed everyone — to us, no need to eat — what worry? To deva, to consider pāpa-puṇya — to us, all people are good. To deva, creation, destruction clings — to us, no much, little something. To deva, kāma, the business clings — to us, that is always leisure. Tuka says: we are better than deva — when considering the qualities, with all-bhāva.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देवासी लागे सकळांसी पोसावें | "to deva — it falls — to feed everyone" |
| आम्हां न लगे खावें काय चिंता | "to us — no need — to-eat — what worry" |
| देवा विचारावें लागे पापपुण्य | "to deva — it falls — to consider — pāpa-puṇya" |
| आम्हासी हे जन अवघें भलें | "to us — the people — all are good" |
| देवासी उत्पत्ति लागला संहार | "to deva — creation — clings — destruction" |
| आम्हां नाहीं फार थोडें काहीं | "to us — no much — little something" |
| देवासी काम लागला धंदा | "to deva — kāma (= work / desire) — clings — the dhandā (business)" |
| आम्हासी ते सदा रिकामीक | "to us — that — always — rikāmīka (= empty-of-business / leisure)" |
| तुका म्हणे आम्ही भले देवाहून | "Tuka says — we are good — more than deva" |
| विचारितां गुण सर्वभावें | "when considering — the qualities — with all-bhāva" |
What it means
Bhakta-better-than-deva comic-superiority abhang. A characteristic-Tukaram comic-jest — the bhakta humorously claims-superiority-over-the-Lord because the bhakta has-no-burdens-while-the-Lord has-all-of-them.
Pair 1 — feeding-everyone vs. no-need-to-eat: dēvāsī lāgē sakaḷānsī pōsāvēm — āmhām na lagē khāvēm kāya cintā — to deva, the duty is to feed everyone — to us, no need to eat, what worry?. The Lord must-feed all-creatures; the bhakta has-no-eating-anxiety (because the Lord-feeds-him).
Pair 2 — judging-pāpa-puṇya vs. all-people-are-good: dēvā vicārāvēm lāgē pāpa-puṇya — āmhāsī hē jana avaghēm bhalēm — to deva, the duty is to judge pāpa-puṇya — to us, all people are good. The Lord must-do-cosmic-justice; the bhakta sees-all-as-Hari-and-good.
Pair 3 — creation-destruction vs. just-a-little: dēvāsī utpatti lāgalā samhāra — āmhām nāhīm phāra thōḍē kāhīm — to deva, creation-and-destruction clings — to us, no much, just-a-little something. The Lord runs the cosmic cycles; the bhakta has-just-the-little-everyday-tasks.
Pair 4 — kāma-business vs. always-leisure: dēvāsī kāma lāgalā dhandā — āmhāsī tē sadā rikāmīka — to deva, kāma, the business clings — to us, always leisure. The Lord runs the cosmic-business; the bhakta is-always-at-leisure (because his work is the Name only).
The conclusion: Tukā mhaṇē āmhī bhalē dēvāhūna — vicāritām guṇa sarva-bhāvē — Tuka says: we are better than deva — when considering the qualities with full-bhāva. Comic-claim of bhakta-superiority — we-are-better-than-the-Lord-when-you-do-the-accounting.
The humor and intimacy: this is the jīvan-mukta-bhakta who has-become-so-close-to-the-Lord that he can-tease-and-claim-superiority — not from arrogance, but from the bhakta-Lord-friendship that allows playful-banter. (Companion to other comic-superiority abhangs in the gatha.)
The implicit theology: the Lord-takes-all-the-work-on-himself; the bhakta-is-freed-of-all-anxiety. The bhakta's "superiority" is actually the Lord's-grace at-its-extreme.
[T]
For someone today
For today: to deva falls the duty to feed everyone — to us, no need to eat, what worry?; to deva falls the duty to judge pāpa-puṇya — to us, all people are good; to deva clings creation-and-destruction — to us, just a little something; to deva clings kāma's business — to us, always leisure; Tuka says — we are better than deva, when considering the qualities with full-bhāva.
Where this applies
- When you're anxious about providing for yourself and need reminding that you're not carrying that weight alone
- When you catch yourself harshly judging other people's flaws instead of seeing the good in them
- When you feel weighed down trying to control or fix everything happening around you
- When you want to tease someone you love and deeply trust, the way close friends do, instead of relating to them formally