Abhanga 1792

Nature's wish-fulfillers give freely and lose nothing by giving, so Tukaram argues God can surely remove one small difficulty without hesitation.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

Parisa-kalpa-taru-cintāmaṇi-candana-shame-on-you-deva-if-you-can't-do-this abhang. A devotional-shaming-tactic: Tuka uses the canonical-wish-fulfillers (parisa, kalpa-taru, cintāmaṇi, candana) to shame the deva into-acting.

Image 1 — Parisa: parisa kāya dhātu — phēḍitō nibhrāntu lōha-pāngu — parisa, what kind of metal? — removes iron-lameness without doubt. Lōha-pāngu = iron-lameness (= the lame / defective state of iron); phēḍitō nibhrāntu = removes without doubt. Parisa transforms-iron-into-gold without-discrimination.

The shame-line: kāya tayāhūni jālāsī bāpuḍē — phēḍitām sānkaḍē mājhē ēka — more than that, have you (deva) become helpless? — to remove my one tightness?. Brilliant-shame: the parisa, an inanimate-stone, removes-iron-lameness without doubt — have you, the Lord, become more-helpless than parisa? — to remove just-one-tightness of mine?. (Devotional-pressuring through unfavorable-comparison.)

Image 2 — Kalpa-taru & cintāmaṇi: kalpa-taru kōḍa puravitō rōkaḍā — cintāmaṇi khaḍā cintilē tē — kalpa-taru fulfills longing right-now — cintāmaṇi-khaḍā gives what is thought. Kalpa-taru = the wish-tree of svarga (fulfills any-desire); cintāmaṇi-khaḍā = the thought-jewel (gives whatever-is-thought-of); rōkaḍā = cash, on-the-spot. These wish-fulfillers respond-instantly.

Image 3 — Candana: candanāñcyā vāsē vasatām candana — hōtī kāṣṭha āna vṛkṣa-yātī — by candana's fragrance, by residing — wood of other tree-species becomes candana. Candana (sandalwood) is so-fragrant that any-other-wood that dwells-near-it absorbs the fragrance. (= mere-association with the saintly-substance is enough-for-transformation.)

The closing-shame: kāya tyācēm uṇē jālēm tyāsī dētām — vicārīm Anantā Tukā mhaṇē — what loss occurred to him by giving? — consider, Anantā, Tuka says. Uṇē = loss, deficit. The deva loses-nothing by giving — so why-not-give?.

This abhang is one of the gatha's playful-pressure abhangs — Tuka uses the cosmology of wish-fulfillers (parisa, kalpa-taru, cintāmaṇi, candana) to argue: even-inanimate-objects do this; surely-the-Lord can-do-more.

[T]

For someone today

For today: parisa, what kind of metal? — removes iron-lameness without doubt; more than that, have you (deva) become helpless? — to remove my one tightness?; kalpa-taru fulfills longing right-now — cintāmaṇi-khaḍā gives what is thought; by candana's fragrance, other wood becomes candana; what loss occurred to him by giving? — consider, Anantā, Tuka says.

Where this applies

• When you feel embarrassed to ask for help again because you assume you're asking too much
• When you're waiting on someone powerful or capable and start doubting whether they'll bother to act
• When you need reassurance that giving doesn't diminish the giver, so you can ask without guilt
• When you're comparing how easily others give freely and wondering why the one you need seems slow

Related verses

• Abhanga 2467 — What looks like your whole world, like a fig to the insect living inside it, is only a tin
• Abhanga 4481 — Tukaram promises that sincerely calling on the Lord's name, knowingly or unknowingly, with
• Abhanga 4482 — Tukaram teaches that no ritual equals sincerely speaking the Lord's name, that self-center
• Abhanga 4497 — Tukaram describes a life so soaked in devotion that Krishna's presence fills every ordinar