Abhanga 2099
Devotion is meant to be danced and sung aloud, and God tenderly cherishes those who take shelter in him, a truth already handed down by the saints.
The verse
आम्ही नाचों तेणें सुखें । वाऊं टाळी गातों मुखें ॥१॥ देव कृपेचा कोंवळा । शरणागता पाळी लळा ॥ध्रु.॥ आम्हां जाला हा निर्धार । मागें तारिलें अपार ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे संतीं । वर्म दिलें आम्हां हातीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
We dance with that sukha — clap tāḷī, sing with mouth. Deva is tender of compassion — cherishes the śaraṇāgata's laḷa. This is our certainty — saved many before. Tuka says: by the saints — the secret was placed in our hand.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आम्ही नाचों तेणें सुखें | "we dance with that sukha" |
| वाऊं टाळी गातों मुखें | "clap tāḷī, sing with mouth" |
| देव कृपेचा कोंवळा | "Deva is tender of compassion" |
| शरणागता पाळी लळा | "cherishes the śaraṇāgata's laḷa" |
| आम्हां जाला हा निर्धार | "this is our certainty" |
| मागें तारिलें अपार | "(he) saved many before" |
| तुका म्हणे संतीं | "Tuka says — by the saints" |
| वर्म दिलें आम्हां हातीं | "the secret was placed in our hand" |
What it means
We-dance-with-sukha + saints-placed-varma-in-our-hand abhang.
The opening — dance: āmhī nāchōm tēṇē sukhē — vāūm ṭāḷī gātōm mukhē — we dance with that sukha — clap tāḷī, sing with mouth. We dance-with-sukha; clap-tāḷī and-sing.
The tender-Deva: Dēva kṛpēchā kōmvaḷā — śaraṇāgatā pāḷī laḷā — Deva is tender of compassion — cherishes the śaraṇāgata's laḷa. Kōmvaḷā = tender, soft. Laḷa = the cherished pet-(behavior). Deva is-tender-of-compassion; cherishes-the-śaraṇāgata's-fondness.
The certainty-by-precedent: āmhām jālā hā nirdhāra — māgē tārilē apāra — this is our certainty — (he) saved many before. Our-certainty: he-has-saved-countless-before.
The closing — saints'-gift: Tukā mhaṇē santīm — varma dilē āmhām hātīm — Tuka says: by the saints — the secret was placed in our hand. The saints-placed-the-varma in-our-hand — the secret-of-bhakti is-handed-down.
[T]
For someone today
For today: we dance with that sukha — clap tāḷī, sing with mouth; Deva is tender of compassion — cherishes the śaraṇāgata's laḷa; this is our certainty — saved many before; Tuka says — by the saints — the secret was placed in our hand.
Where this applies
- When you feel embarrassed to express devotion or joy openly, with your body and voice, not just quietly in your head
- When you feel too flawed or needy to be loved, and forget that tenderness is exactly what shelter-seekers receive
- When you doubt whether this path actually works and need the reassurance that others before you were carried through
- When you think you have to discover the way on your own instead of trusting what elders and teachers have already handed you