Abhanga 2757
True companions on the spiritual path are more precious than heaven itself, and simply keeping company with people who chant God's name, however imperfectly, is enough to be counted among them.
The verse
हरिभक्त माझे जिवलग सोइरे । हृदयीं पाउले धरिन त्यांचे ॥१॥
अंतकाळीं येती माझ्या सोडवणे । मस्तक बैसणें देइन त्यांसी ॥ध्रु.॥
आणिक सोइरे सज्जन वो कोणी । वैष्णवांवांचोनि नाहीं मज ॥२॥
देइन आळिंगण धरीन चरण । संवसारसीण नासे तेणें ॥३॥
कंठीं तुळशीमाळा नामाचे धारक । ते माझे तारक भवनदीचे ॥४॥
तयांचे चरणीं घालीन मी मिठी । चाड हे वैकुंठीं नाहीं मज ॥५॥
अळसें दंभें भावें हरिचें नाम गाती । ते माझे सांगाती परलोकींचे ॥६॥
कायावाचामनें देइन क्षेम त्यासी । चाड जीवित्वासी नाहीं मज ॥७॥
हरिचें नाम मज म्हणविती कोणी । तया सुखा धणी धणी वरी ॥८॥
तुका म्हणे तया उपकारें बांधलों । म्हणऊनि आलों शरण संतां ॥९॥
Literal translation
Hari-bhakta māze jīvalaga sōyarē — Hari-bhaktas are myjīvalaga-sōyarē(dearest-kinsmen); hrdayīm pā'ule dharīna tyāñce — I will hold theirpā'ule(feet-steps) in (my) heart. Antakāḷīm yētī mājhyā soḍavaṇē — atantakāḷa(end-time), they come for mysoḍavaṇa(release); mastaka baisaṇē dē'īna tyāmsī — I will give them my head to sit on (mastaka-baisaṇē). Āṇika sōyarē sajjana vō kōṇī — other kinsmen-and-friends, who?; Vaiṣṇavām-vāmchōnī nāhī maja — besides Vaiṣṇavas, I have none. Dē'īna ālingaṇa dharīna charaṇa — I will giveālingaṇa(embrace), hold (their) feet; samvasāra-sīṇa nāsē tēṇē — samsāra-struggle is destroyed by that. Kaṇṭhīm tuḷasī-māḷā nāmāñce dhāraka — those wearingtuḷasī-māḷā(tulasī-rosary) in the neck,nāma-dhāraka(Name-keepers); tē māze tāraka bhava-nadīñce — they are mytāraka(savers, crossers) of thebhava-nadī(existence-river). Tayāñce charaṇī ghālīna mī miṭhī — I will clasp their feet; chāḍa hē vaikuṇṭhīm nāhī maja — I have nochāḍa(concern, desire) for vaikuṇṭha. Aḷasē dambhē bhāvē Harīñce nāma gātī — (those who, whether) byaḷasa(laziness/effort), bydambha(show), bybhāva— sing Hari's Name; tē māze sāngātī para-lōkīñce — they are mysāngātī(companions) inpara-loka(other-world). Kāyā-vāchā-manē dē'īna kṣēma tyāsī — body-voice-mind, I will givekṣēma(well-being) to them; chāḍa jīvitvāsī nāhī maja — I have no concern forjīvitva(living). Harīñce nāma maja mhaṇavitī kōṇī — those whomhaṇavitī(cause me to say) Hari's Name; tayā sukhā dhaṇī dhaṇī varī — the fullness-of-happiness flowsvarī(upward, abundantly). Tukā says: tayā upakārē bāndhalōm — bound by theirupakāra(favor, benefit); mhaṇa'ūnī ālōm śaraṇa santām — therefore I came for refuge to the sants.
What it means
This 9-verse abhang is one of Tukārām's most-recited sant-bhakti prayers — a celebration of Hari-bhaktas as one's true-kinsmen. The structure is built around nine canonical-claims.
The opening claim — Hari-bhakta māze jīvalaga sōyarē — hrdayīm pā'ule dharīna tyāñce — Hari-bhaktas are my dearest kinsmen — I will hold their feet in my heart. Jīvalaga-sōyarē — dearest, life-attached kinsmen — the most-intimate kinship-word. The feet are held in the heart, not just touched-with-the-hand.
The antakāḷa-claim — antakāḷīm yētī mājhyā soḍavaṇē — mastaka baisaṇē dē'īna tyāmsī — at the end-time they come for my release; I will give them my head to sit on. The Hari-bhaktas have the antakāḷa (death-time) function: they come to soḍavaṇa (release) the bhakta from samsāra-bondage. In gratitude, the bhakta offers his mastaka (head) for them to sit-on — the most-extreme respect-gesture.
The exclusivity-claim — āṇika sōyarē sajjana vō kōṇī — Vaiṣṇavām-vāmchōnī nāhī maja — other kinsmen-and-friends, who? Besides Vaiṣṇavas, I have none. The Hari-bhaktas are the only kinsmen-and-friends; no others matter.
The mechanism — dē'īna ālingaṇa dharīna charaṇa — samvasāra-sīṇa nāsē tēṇē — I will give embrace, hold the feet — samsāra-struggle is destroyed by that. Ālingaṇa (embrace) and charaṇa-dharaṇa (foot-holding) — these two acts destroy samsāra-struggle. The mechanism is specified.
The operational-markers — kaṇṭhīm tuḷasī-māḷā nāmāñce dhāraka — tē māze tāraka bhava-nadīñce — those wearing tulasī-rosary, Name-keepers — they are my bhava-river-savers. Two visible-markers identify the real Vaiṣṇava: tuḷasī-māḷā (the tulasī-bead-necklace) and Nāma-dhāraka (Name-keeping). These are tāraka (savers) of the bhava-nadī (existence-river).
The vaikuṇṭha-rejection — tayāñce charaṇī ghālīna mī miṭhī — chāḍa hē vaikuṇṭhīm nāhī maja — I will clasp their feet — I have no concern for vaikuṇṭha. The radical Vārkarī-position: sants' feet are preferred over vaikuṇṭha. (Compare 2624's what mokṣa, my entanglement is in your darśana.)
The generous-inclusion — aḷasē dambhē bhāvē Harīñce nāma gātī — tē māze sāngātī para-lōkīñce — those who sing Hari's Name with effort, with show, with bhāva — are my companions in the other-world. The generosity is striking: even those who sing with dambha (ostentation, show) — they too are companions. The Name-singing itself qualifies, regardless of the motivation. This is one of Tukārām's most-inclusive lines.
The sacrifice — kāyā-vāchā-manē dē'īna kṣēma tyāsī — chāḍa jīvitvāsī nāhī maja — body-voice-mind, I will give them well-being; I have no concern for living. The complete-offering: even living (jīvitva) is offered for the well-being (kṣēma) of the Hari-bhaktas.
The fullness — Harīñce nāma maja mhaṇavitī kōṇī — tayā sukhā dhaṇī dhaṇī varī — those who cause me to say Hari's Name — the fullness-of-happiness flows abundantly. The special-recognition: those who make-you-say the Name are the conduits of sukha-dhaṇī (fullness-of-happiness, satiety).
The seal — tayā upakārē bāndhalōm — mhaṇa'ūnī ālōm śaraṇa santām — bound by their upakāra, therefore I came for refuge to the sants. The closing-recognition: the bhakta is upakāra-bāndhalōm (bound-by-favor) — and therefore came for refuge to the sants. The gratitude is the source-of-the-refuge.
For someone today
The verse is one of the most-recited Vārkarī sant-bhakti prayers, daily-celebrated. Hari-bhaktas are my dearest kinsmen; I hold their feet in my heart; at death they come to release me — I give them my head to sit on; besides Vaiṣṇavas, I have no other kinsman-friend; embrace + foot-holding destroys samsāra-struggle; tulasī-māḷā-wearers + Name-keepers are my bhava-river-savers; I clasp their feet — I have no concern for vaikuṇṭha; even those who sing the Name with effort, show, or bhāva — are my companions in the other-world; for their well-being, I give my body-voice-mind — no concern for living; those who cause me to say the Name produce fullness-of-happiness; bound by their upakāra, I came for refuge to the sants.
The most-radical claim: sants' feet are preferred over vaikuṇṭha. The most-generous claim: even those who sing the Name with dambha (show) are companions. The most-grateful claim: upakāra-bound, I came to sants.
Where this applies
- When you value the company of people pursuing the same spiritual path over status or comfort
- When you're tempted to judge someone's devotion as fake because it looks showy or half-hearted
- When you feel gratitude toward people who supported your inner growth, even in small ways
- When you're choosing between chasing a distant reward and staying close to people who ground you