संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2415 of 4582

Abhanga 2415

Real devotion is an exchange, not a one-way offering, and even imperfect effort still counts as devotion.

When you have poured genuine feeling into something and hope it is met with the same feeling in return.

When you cannot explain why things unfold as they do and have to trust anyway.

When you know your practice is imperfect but you keep putting in the effort regardless.

The verse

आम्ही जालों एकविध । सुद्या सुदें असावें ॥१॥ यावरी तुमचा मोळा । तो गोपाळा अकळ ॥ध्रु.॥ घेतलें तें उसणें द्यावें । कांहीं भावें विशेषें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे क्रियानष्ट । तरी कष्ट घेतसां ॥३॥

Literal translation

We became one-kind — pure-to-pure should be. Beyond this, your custom — Gōpāḷa, inscrutable. What was taken on loan, give back — with special bhāva. Tuka says: kriyā-naṣṭa — then takes pains.

What it means

THE RETURN-THE-LOAN ABHANG.

The one-kind: āmhī jālōm ēkavidha — sudyā sudē asāvē — we became one-kind — pure-to-pure should be. We-became one-kind (= committed-to-bhakti); pure-to-pure should-be (= our-purity to-your-purity).

THE LOAN-RETURN: ghētalē tē usaṇē dyāvē — kāmhīm bhāvē viśēṣē — what was taken on loan, give back — with special bhāva. What-was-taken on-loan (= our-bhakti, prayers, vows) — give-back, with-special-bhāva. The bhakta's-claim: I have-deposited bhakti-with-you; now-please-give-back the-promised-darshan.

[T]

For someone today

For today: we are one-kind — pure to pure; Gōpāḷa is inscrutable; return what was taken on loan — with special bhāva .

Where this applies

When you have given your heart and effort to someone or something and are quietly hoping for something back in return
When you cannot make sense of why things are happening the way they are and have to accept that some things stay unexplained
When you feel you have fallen short of doing things properly but you keep showing up anyway
When a relationship feels one-sided and you want to name that you need reciprocity, not just routine

Bhakti