संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1864 of 4582

Abhanga 1864

God is both intimately yours and the life within every being at once, near enough to satisfy your deepest longing and shield you from fear.

When you want to feel that the divine belongs to you personally, not just to everyone in general

When you sense a longing inside yourself that ordinary things cannot satisfy

When you are afraid of time, aging, or death and need a sense of being held and protected

The verse

देव आमचा आमचा । जीव सकळ जीवांचा ॥१॥ देव आहे देव आहे । जवळीं आम्हां अंतरबाहे ॥ध्रु.॥ देव गोड देव गोड । पुरवी कोडाचें ही कोड ॥२॥ देव आम्हां राखे राखे । घाली कळिकाळासी काखे ॥३॥ देव दयाळ देव दयाळ । करी तुक्याचा सांभाळ ॥४॥

Literal translation

Deva is ours, ours — the jīva of all jīvas. Deva is, deva is — near us, inside-and-outside. Deva is sweet, deva is sweet — fulfills the kōḍa of even kōḍa. Deva guards us, guards us — puts kalikāla under (his) armpit. Deva is dayāḷa, deva is dayāḷa — takes care of Tuka.

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
देव आमचा आमचा	"deva is ours, ours"
जीव सकळ जीवांचा	"the jīva of all jīvas"
देव आहे देव आहे	"deva is, deva is"
जवळीं आम्हां अंतरबाहे	"near us — inside-and-outside"
देव गोड देव गोड	"deva is sweet — (repeated)"
पुरवी कोडाचें ही कोड	"fulfills — the kōḍa (= longing) of even kōḍa"
देव आम्हां राखे राखे	"deva guards us — (repeated)"
घाली कळिकाळासी काखे	"puts kalikāla — under (his) armpit (kākha)"
देव दयाळ देव दयाळ	"deva is dayāḷa — (repeated)"
करी तुक्याचा सांभाळ	"takes care — of Tuka"

What it means

Deva-deva-litany — possessive-praise abhang. Continues 1858-1865 cluster.

Verse 1 — āmacā: deva is ours — jīva of all jīvas. (= both possessive (ours) and universal (jīva of all). The bhakti-paradox.)

Verse 2 — āhē: deva is — near us, inside-and-outside. Antara-bāhē = inside-and-outside. (= the deva-pervades both inner-and-outer.)

Verse 3 — gōḍa: deva is sweet — fulfills the kōḍa of even kōḍa. Kōḍa = longing, fond-desire. The deva fulfills the longing-of-the-longing-itself (= the bhakta's deepest-most-recursive desire).

Verse 4 — rākhē: deva guards us — puts kalikāla under his armpit. Kākha = armpit. Striking image: the deva tucks kalikāla (= the dark-age / death-time) under-his-armpit, neutralizing it. (= kalikāla is rendered-harmless under-the-deva's-protection.)

Verse 5 — dayāḷa: deva takes-care of Tuka (= protects Tuka personally).

The cluster's possessive register: deva is ours, near, sweet, guarding, takes-care-of-Tuka — the personal-possessive-bhakti-mood.

[T]

For someone today

For today: deva is ours, ours — the jīva of all jīvas; deva is, deva is — near us, inside-and-outside; deva is sweet, sweet — fulfills the kōḍa of even kōḍa; deva guards us, guards us — puts kalikāla under (his) armpit; deva is compassionate, compassionate — takes care of Tuka.

Where this applies

When you feel torn between wanting God or the sacred to feel personal to you and knowing it belongs equally to everyone
When you feel far from the divine and need reminding it is already near you, inside and out
When you carry a longing so deep you cannot even name it and wonder if it can ever be answered
When fear of death, aging, or hard times weighs on you and you need a sense of being protected