Abhanga 2294
Tukārām pictures a devotee so intimately bonded with God, carried and held like a child and never truly separate, that remembering God's name happens naturally in every moment, even while eating.
The verse
आम्ही हरिचे सवंगडे जुने ठायींचे वेडे बागडे । हातीं धरुनी कडे पाठीसवें वागविलों ॥१॥ म्हणोनि भिन्न भेद नाहीं देवा आम्हां एकदेहीं । नाहीं जालों कहीं एका एक वेगळे ॥ध्रु.॥ निद्रा करितां होतों पायीं सवें चि लंका घेतली तई । वान्नरें गोवळ गाईं सवें चारित फिरतसों ॥२॥ आम्हां नामाचें चिंतन राम कृष्ण नारायण। तुका म्हणे क्षण खातां जेवितां न विसंभों ॥३॥
Literal translation
We are Hari's companions — fools-and-dolts from the old place — holding-by-the-hand at the side, side-by-side with the back — he carried us. Therefore — no separation, no bhēda — Deva and we — one-bodied — never have we become separate, one from one. While doing nidrā at the feet — Lankā was taken with us then — with monkeys, the gōvaḷa-cowherds, the cows — we wandered grazing. Our Name-chintana — Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa — Tukā says — for a kṣaṇa, eating or dining, we don't forget.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आम्ही हरिचे सवंगडे जुने ठायींचे वेडे बागडे | "we are Hari's companions — fools-and-dolts from the old place" |
| हातीं धरुनी कडे पाठीसवें वागविलों | "holding-by-the-hand at the side, side-by-side with the back — he carried us" |
| म्हणोनि भिन्न भेद नाहीं देवा आम्हां एकदेहीं | "therefore no separation, no bhēda — Deva and we — one-bodied" |
| नाहीं जालों कहीं एका एक वेगळे | "never have we become separate, one from one" |
| निद्रा करितां होतों पायीं सवें चि लंका घेतली तई | "while doing nidrā at the feet — Lankā was taken with us then" |
| वान्नरें गोवळ गाईं सवें चारित फिरतसों | "with monkeys, the gōvaḷa-cowherds, the cows — we wandered grazing" |
| आम्हां नामाचें चिंतन राम कृष्ण नारायण | "our Name-chintana — Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa" |
| तुका म्हणे क्षण खातां जेवितां न विसंभों | "Tukā says — for a kṣaṇa, eating or dining, we don't forget" |
What it means
THE WE-ARE-HARI'S-OLD-COMPANIONS-ACROSS-AVATĀRAS ABHANG. We-are-Hari's-old-companions + Lankā-and-Vṛndāvana-shared + don't-forget-for-a-kṣaṇa abhang.
THE OPENING — old-companions: āmhī Hari-chē savangaḍē junē ṭhāyīñchē vēḍē bāgaḍē — hātīm dharunī kaḍē pāṭhīsavē vāgavilōm — we are Hari's companions — fools-and-dolts from the old place — holding-by-the-hand at the side, side-by-side with the back — he carried us. Savangaḍa = companion, play-mate. Vēḍē bāgaḍē = fools-and-dolts. We are-Hari's-companions (savangaḍē); fools-and-dolts (vēḍē bāgaḍē) from-the-old-place (junē ṭhāyīñchē); he-carried-us holding-by-the-hand and-with-the-back. A beautiful child-like image — the bhakta as-Hari's-old-companion, carried-by-the-Lord like-a-child.
The no-separation: mhaṇōni bhinna bhēda nāhīm Dēvā āmhām ēka-dēhīm — nāhīm jālōm kahīm ēka ēka vēgaḷē — therefore no separation, no bhēda — Deva and we — one-bodied — never have we become separate, one from one. No-separation, no-bhēda; we-and-the-Deva are-one-bodied (ēka-dēhīm); never have-we-become-separate.
THE AVATĀRA-COMPANIONSHIP CLAIM: nidrā karitām hōtōm pāyīm savē chi Lankā ghētalī ta'ī — vānnarē gōvaḷa gā'īm savē chārita phiratasōm — while doing nidrā at the feet — Lankā was taken with us then — with monkeys, the gōvaḷa-cowherds, the cows — we wandered grazing. While-doing-nidrā at-the-feet — Lankā-was-taken-with-us-then (during-the-Rāma-avatāra); with-the-monkeys (vānaras), the-gōvaḷa-cowherds, the-cows — we-wandered-grazing (during-the-Kṛṣṇa-avatāra). An extraordinary-claim: the bhakta-Tukārām declares-himself to-have-been Hari's-companion across-all-the-avatāras — fought-at-Lankā with-the-vānaras, grazed-the-cows with-Kṛṣṇa-and-the-gōvaḷas.
The closing — Name-chintana, no-forgetting-for-a-kṣaṇa: āmhām nāmāchē chintana Rāma Kṛṣṇa Nārāyaṇa — Tukā mhaṇē kṣaṇa khātām jēvitām na visambhōm — our Name-chintana — Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa — Tukā says — for a kṣaṇa, eating or dining, we don't forget. The Name-chintana is-Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-Nārāyaṇa; for-a-kṣaṇa, eating-or-dining, we-don't-forget.
[T]
For someone today
For today: we are Hari's companions — fools-and-dolts from the old place — carried by his back-and-hand; no separation, no bhēda — never separate; while at the feet — Lankā was taken with us — with monkeys, cowherds, cows we wandered; our Name-chintana — Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa — Tukā says — for a kṣaṇa we don't forget.
Where this applies
- When you feel distant from God and need reminding that closeness, not separation, is the truer relationship
- When ordinary daily acts like eating feel cut off from your spiritual life and you want remembrance woven into them
- When you long for a sense of belonging deeper than a formal, distant relationship with the divine
- When you doubt whether you deserve closeness with God and need the image of being carried and held like a child