Abhanga 1865

Journey together toward God, tell him your joys and sorrows, hand him your burdens, and rest as a cared-for child close to his feet.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

Let's-go-to-deva's-village + we-are-his-laḍivāḷē-children abhang. Closes the 1858-1865 cluster with collective-pilgrimage-mood.

Verse 1 — let's-go: jā'ūm devācyā gāmvām — deva dē'īla visāmvā — let's go to deva's village — deva will give visāmvā. Visāmvā = rest, repose. The collective-Vārkarī-mood: let's-go-to-Pandhari (deva's village); rest will be granted there.

Verse 2 — sukha-duḥkha: devā sāngōm sukha-duḥkha — deva nivārīla bhūka — let's tell deva sukha-duḥkha — deva will remove the hunger. Tell-the-deva-our-sukha-duḥkha; he-will-remove-our-hunger.

Verse 3 — place-burden: ghālūm devāsī chi bhāra — deva sukhācā sāgara — let's place the burden on deva alone — deva is the sāgara of sukha. Sāgara = ocean. Place-the-burden on-deva-alone; he is the ocean-of-sukha.

Verse 4 — stay-near: rāhōm javaḷī devāpāśīm — ātām jaḍōni pāyāmsī — let's stay near beside deva — now fastened to (his) feet. Jaḍōni = fastened, joined. Let's-stay-fastened to-the-feet.

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē āmhī bāḷē — yā devācīm laḍivāḷē — Tuka says: we are children — of this deva — the laḍivāḷē. Laḍivāḷē = sweethearts, pampered-darlings, beloved-children. We are this deva's beloved-pampered-children.

This abhang closes-the-cluster on the most-tender note — the bhakta-as-pampered-child of the deva-as-loving-parent. The collective "let's-go" register suggests the Vārī, the pilgrimage-procession, where Vārkarīs sing-this-together.

[T]

For someone today

For today: let's go to deva's village — deva will give rest; let's tell deva our sukha-duḥkha — deva will remove the hunger; let's place the burden on deva alone — deva is the ocean of sukha; let's stay near, beside deva — now fastened to (his) feet; Tuka says — we are children of this deva — the pampered-sweethearts.

Where this applies

• When you feel exhausted and need permission to simply rest instead of carrying on alone
• When you have both good news and bad news and want to share both without editing yourself
• When you are carrying a burden that feels too heavy and need to hand it to someone bigger than you
• When you feel embarrassed about needing comfort and forget it is natural to be cared for like a child

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