संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2387 of 4582

Abhanga 2387

Accept whatever life brings with reverence, and place the burden on God rather than carrying it alone, because a truly compassionate, all-powerful God can bear anything.

When hardship arrives and you choose calm acceptance over panic or resistance

When you consciously hand a burden you have been carrying alone over to something bigger than yourself

When fear and sorrow are piling up and you decide to seek real refuge instead of isolating

The verse

आलिया भोगासी असावें सादर । देवावरी भार घालूनियां ॥१॥ मग तो कृपासिंधु निवारी सांकडें । येर तें बापुडें काय रंके ॥ध्रु.॥ भयाचिये पोटीं दुःखाचिया रासी । शरण देवासी जातां भले ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नव्हे काय त्या करितां । चिंतावा तो आतां विश्वंभर ॥३॥

Literal translation

Accept the bhōga that comes — with reverence — placing the burden on Dēva. Then the kṛpā-ocean removes the trap — what use are other poor-helpers. In fear's belly, piles of duḥkha — going for śaraṇa to Dēva is good. Tuka says: what cannot he do — contemplate that Viśvambhara now.

What it means

THE MOST-CITED TUKĀRĀM LINE ON EQUANIMITY-IN-SUFFERING. Universally-quoted in Marathi cultural-discourse to this day.

THE FAMOUS OPENING: āliyā bhōgāsī asāvē sādara — Dēvāvarī bhāra ghālūniyām — accept the bhōga that comes — with reverence — placing the burden on Dēva. Āliyā bhōgāsī = to-the-coming-bhōga (suffering, experience). Sādara = with-reverence, attentively. Bhāra = burden, weight. Accept-the-bhōga-that-comes WITH-REVERENCE; placing-the-burden on-Dēva.

HISTORICAL-CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: This is THE most-quoted Tukārām-line on equanimity-in-suffering — used in countless Marathi-contexts: at deaths-and-funerals, in-stoic-acceptance-of-misfortune, in-political-defeat, in-personal-tragedy. The line has become proverbial in Marathi-culture, often cited without-attribution as common-wisdom. It encapsulates the Vārkarī-theological-position: don't-resist what-comes, accept-it reverently, but-simultaneously surrender-the-burden to-the-Lord (= you-don't-have-to-bear-it-yourself).

The kṛpā-sindhu: maga tō kṛpā-sindhu nivārī sānkaḍē — yēra tē bāpuḍē kāya rankē — then the kṛpā-ocean removes the trap — what use are other poor-helpers. The kṛpā-sindhu (compassion-ocean) removes-the-trap; what-use other-poor-helpers.

The fear-and-duḥkha: bhayāchiyē pōṭīm duḥkhāchiyā rāsī — śaraṇa Dēvāsī jātām bhalē — in fear's belly, piles of duḥkha — going for śaraṇa to Dēva is good. In-fear's-belly are-piles-of-duḥkha; going-for-śaraṇa-to-Dēva is-good.

The Viśvambhara: Tukā mhaṇē navhē kāya tyā karitām — chintāvā tō ātām Viśvambhara — Tuka says: what cannot he do — contemplate that Viśvambhara now. What-cannot-he-do (= Viśvambhara is omnipotent); contemplate-him now.

THE PARADOX: Accept-reverently + place-the-burden-on-Dēva — both-at-once. The bhakta accepts-life-as-given but-does-not-have-to-bear-it-alone.

[T]

For someone today

For today: accept the bhōga that comes with reverence — placing the burden on Dēva; the kṛpā-ocean removes the trap; in fear's belly, duḥkha-piles — śaraṇa is good; contemplate Viśvambhara, who can do all.

Where this applies

When hardship arrives and you are tempted to fight or deny it instead of accepting it with calm dignity
When you are carrying a burden alone and need to remember you can hand some of it over to something bigger than you
When fear and sorrow pile up and you are deciding whether to isolate or seek real support
When you are comforted by trusting that whatever you are facing, there is nothing that cannot ultimately be handled

Bhakti Surrender (śaraṇāgati)