Abhanga 1851

Don't let supernatural powers, favors, or public displays of piety substitute for the real thing — keep your word honestly in your heart, even if the final reward is delayed.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

Anti-ṛddhi-siddhi + Lord-obstructs abhang. Part of the 1848-1857 cluster.

The opening: cukaliyā āmhām karitasām daṇḍa — hākāsī kām khaṇḍa Pāṇḍurangā — for our errors, you punish — why call (us) into pieces, Pāṇḍuranga?. Don't-break-us-into-pieces-for-our-errors.

The anti-ṛddhi-siddhi line: cāḷavilīm ēkē ṛddhi-siddhī-varī — taisā mī bhikārī navhē devā — some have been deceived by ṛddhi-siddhi — I am not such a beggar, deva. Ṛddhi-siddhi = the eight yogic supernatural powers. Some bhaktas have-been-bought-off with ṛddhi-siddhi (= consolation-prizes); I-am-not-that-kind-of-beggar — I-want-only-you, not-the-powers.

The anti-dambha line: kām mī yēthē guntōm māṇḍūni pasārā — māgutā dātārā dambhā-sāṭīm — why should I get caught here, setting up a show — again, dātāra, for the sake of dambha?. Pasārā = show, display; dambha = hypocrisy, pretentious-display. I'm-not-going-to-get-tangled-up here in-fake-displays for-the-sake-of-dambha.

The kept-word: kēlē myām jatana āpulē vacana — ṭhāyīñcē dharūn hōtōm pōṭīm — I have kept my own word — holding it from the start in the heart. I have kept-my-vow firmly-from-the-beginning, in-the-heart.

The closing-charge: Tukā mhaṇē tāḷa ghātalā āḍākhīm — ṭhāvē hōtē sēkīm āḍavisī — Tuka says: put the tally into account — was knowing — but in the end you obstruct. Tāḷa = the tally / accounts-balance; āḍākhī = into-the-account-book; āḍavisī = you obstruct. I kept-the-tally; I-knew the count; but-in-the-end you obstruct (the settlement).

The implicit-position: I refuse the ṛddhi-siddhi-bait; I won't-engage-in-dambha; I've-kept-my-vow; only-the-Lord-obstructs the final-settlement. Pure-bhakti standing-against the consolation-prizes.

[T]

For someone today

For today: for our errors you punish — why call (us) into pieces, Pāṇḍuranga?; some have been deceived by ṛddhi-siddhi — I am not such a beggar, deva; why should I get caught here, setting up a show, for the sake of dambha?; I have kept my own word — holding it from the start in the heart; Tuka says — put the tally into account — was knowing — but in the end, you obstruct.

Where this applies

• When you're tempted by shortcuts, special favors, or perks instead of the real goal you're pursuing
• When you feel pressure to perform devotion or virtue publicly just to look impressive
• When you've quietly kept a promise or commitment without needing anyone to notice
• When you've done everything right and still feel blocked from the outcome you were promised

Related verses

• Abhanga 3795 — Let everything else burn away — cleverness, reputation, cold reasoning, even the body — an
• Abhanga 3918 — Tukaram says wearing the outward signs of renunciation means nothing if you still crave fi
• Abhanga 4273 — If your time, money, and attention flow easily to everything except God and genuine goodne
• Abhanga 4387 — Some things are sacred precisely because they cannot be sold, and turning devotion into a