Abhanga 1990

For today: our sādhanas are bearers of the order — the servant's proof is the Master's authority; it lit the world with its own light — sun unattached by karma-juice; what one says, one doesn't do oneself — speech-without-price has become hindrance; Tuka says — we have capital in hand — who eats the rounds-of-samsāra?

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

Sādhana-bears-svāmi-ājñā + sun-unattached-by-karma abhang.

The opening: sādhanē āmuchīm ājñēchīm dhārakē — pramāṇa sēvakē svāmi-sattā — our sādhanas are bearers of the order — the servant's proof is the Master's authority. Tukārām's-position: our spiritual-practices are the Master's-orders being-carried-out; the servant's-authority comes-from the-Master's-authority. The Lord-orders, the bhakta-executes.

The sun-image: prakāśilē jaga āpulyā prakāśē — ravi karma-rasē alipta tyā — it lit the world with its own light — the sun unattached by karma-juice. The sun lights-the-world but-is-unattached by-the-karma (= the consequences); similarly the bhakta acts but-stays-unattached.

The hypocrisy-warning: sāngaṇē tē tē nāhīm karaṇē āpaṇa — mōlahī vachana bādha jālē — what one says, one doesn't do — speech-without-price has become hindrance. Speech-without-practice is-hindrance (= Tukārām's perennial concern with hypocrisy).

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē āmhām bhāṇḍavala hātīm — yērajhārā khātī kēvaḍhiyē — Tuka says: we have capital in hand — who eats the rounds-of-samsāra?. We-have-capital (= the Name) in-hand; who-needs the samsāra-rounds?.

[T]

For someone today

For today: our sādhanas are bearers of the order — the servant's proof is the Master's authority; it lit the world with its own light — sun unattached by karma-juice; what one says, one doesn't do oneself — speech-without-price has become hindrance; Tuka says — we have capital in hand — who eats the rounds-of-samsāra?

Where this applies

• When you're proud of your discipline and forget that real practice comes from surrender, not self-assertion
• When you promise something to someone and then fail to follow through, and it costs you trust
• When you're helping others or working hard and want to avoid getting entangled in the credit or consequences
• When you feel stuck repeating the same cycles and wonder what inner resource you actually have to break free

Related verses

• 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
• Abhanga 4555 — A true encounter with God proves that plain, steady closeness to him outweighs any amount