संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2354 of 4582

Abhanga 2354

Carrying both worldly duties and a hidden devotion to God is genuinely hard, but that rare meeting with the divine is worth the effort.

When you manage a household and family and still find secret time for prayer.

When you feel torn between your daily responsibilities and your longing for God.

When you keep your devotion quiet instead of announcing it to others.

The verse

धन्य बा ह्या ऐशा नारी । घरीं दारीं नांदती ॥१॥ चोरूनिया तुजपाशीं । येतां त्यांसी न कळतां ॥ध्रु.॥ दोन्हीं ठायीं समाधान । सम कठीण बहुतचि ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जीवासाठीं । दुर्लभ भेटी ते देवा ॥३॥

Literal translation

Blessed are these women — who run the household, the door. They come stealthily to you — without anyone knowing. Samādhāna in both places — equally difficult. Tuka says: for the jīva — that bhēṭī is rare, Dēvā.

What it means

THE GOPĪ-PRAISE ABHANG. Third of the gopikā-līlā cluster.

The opening — gopī-praise: Dhanya bā hyā aiśā nārī — gharīm dārīm nāndatī — blessed are these women — who run the household, the door. Blessed (dhanya) are-these-women — who-run the-household-and-the-door (= maintain-domestic-life).

The stealth-meeting: chōrūniyām tujapāśīm — yētām tyāmsī na kaḷatām — they come stealthily to you — without anyone knowing. They-come-stealthily to-you (the Lord), without-anyone-(their-husbands/family)-knowing.

The dual-samādhāna: dōnhīm ṭhāyīm samādhāna — sama kaṭhīṇa bahuta-chi — samādhāna in both places — equally difficult. Maintaining samādhāna in-both-(household-and-secret-tryst), equally-difficult.

The closing — rare bhēṭī: Tukā mhaṇē jīvāsāṭhīm — durlabha bhēṭī tē Dēvā — Tuka says: for the jīva — that bhēṭī is rare, Dēvā. For the jīva, that bhēṭī (with-the-Lord) is-rare (durlabha).

This continues the gopikā-līlā cluster — Tukārām praises the gopīs who-managed both-household-and-secret-tryst-with-Kṛṣṇa, as-the-ideal-bhakta-pattern.

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For someone today

For today: blessed are these women — household-and-door + stealth-meeting with the Lord — samādhāna in both places; Tuka says — for the jīva — that bhēṭī is rare.

Where this applies

When you run a full household and a job, yet still carve out quiet time for prayer or meditation.
When you feel torn between your duties to family and your own inner spiritual life.
When you keep your devotional practice private instead of making a show of it.
When you wonder whether ordinary responsibilities disqualify you from a deep spiritual life.

Krṣṇa-līlā Bhakti