Abhanga 2935
When grace or kindness arrives faster than you expected, meet it with humble wonder rather than assuming you have earned it.
The verse
काय पुण्य ऐसें आहे मजपाशीं । तांतडी धांवसी पांडुरंगा ॥१॥
काय ऐसा भक्त वांयां गेलों थोर । तूं मज समोर होसी वेगा ॥ध्रु.॥
काय कष्ट माझे देखिली चाकरी । तो तूं झडकरी पाचारिशी ॥२॥
कोण मी नांवाचा थोर गेलों मोटा । अपराधी करंटा नारायणा ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे नाहीं ठाउकें संचित । येणें जन्महित नाहीं केलें ॥४॥
Literal translation
Kāya puṇya aise āhe maja-pāśī — whatpuṇya(merit) is with me (such that); tāmtaḍī dhāvasī Pāṇḍurangā — you, Pāṇḍuranga, run quickly? Kāya aisā bhakta vāmyām gelōm thōra — what such-greatbhaktahave I become; tūm maja samōra hōsī vegā — (such) that you comevegā(quickly) in-front-of me. Kāya kaṣṭa mājhe dekhilī chākarī — whatkaṣṭa(suffering) of mine, whatchākarī(servitude) have (you) seen; tō tūm jhaḍakarī pāchāriśī — that you call (me) sojhaḍakarī(quickly)? Kōṇa mī nāvāñcā thōra gelōm mōṭā — who am I of (a) name? — gone from greatness; aparādhī karaṇṭā Nārāyaṇa — aparādhī(offender),karaṇṭā(unfortunate), Nārāyaṇa. Tukā says: nāhī ṭhāuke samchita — (I) don't know (my)samchita(accumulated-karma); yeṇe janma-hita nāhī kele — by this birth, nohita(welfare-work) has been done.
What it means
A 4-verse humble-surprise-at-Lord's-quick-arrival verse. Kāya puṇya aise āhe maja-pāśī — tāmtaḍī dhāvasī Pāṇḍurangā — what puṇya is with me — that you, Pāṇḍuranga, run so quickly? The opening-question: what-have-I-done to-deserve-this?
Kāya aisā bhakta vāmyām gelōm thōra — tūm maja samōra hōsī vegā — what such great-bhakta have I become — that you come quickly in front of me? The continued-wonder: what-have-I-done to-merit-this?
Kāya kaṣṭa mājhe dekhilī chākarī — tō tūm jhaḍakarī pāchāriśī — what suffering of mine, what servitude (of mine) you have seen — that you call (me) so quickly? The bhakta searches for the cause-of-the-grace.
Kōṇa mī nāvāñcā thōra gelōm mōṭā — aparādhī karaṇṭā Nārāyaṇa — who am I of the name? — gone from greatness — offender, unfortunate, Nārāyaṇa. The self-naming: I am offender-and-unfortunate. Yet the Lord came.
The close: Tukā mhaṇe nāhī ṭhāuke samchita — yeṇe janma-hita nāhī kele — I don't know my samchita — no hita-done by this birth. The confession: I don't know what samchita (past-merit) brought-this; I haven't-done-anything good in-this-life.
The verse is a humble-marvel-at-grace — recognizing-that-the-Lord-comes-quickly-without-deserving.
For someone today
What merit could I possibly have, Tukaram wonders, that you, Pandurang, come running to me so quickly? What kind of great devotee have I become that you hurry to stand right in front of me? What suffering of mine, what service have you even seen, that you call for me so fast? Who am I, really — a name that has fallen from any greatness, an offender, an unlucky soul, Narayana. Tukaram admits he doesn't even know what merit from his past could explain this, since he hasn't done anything worthwhile with this life. When grace arrives faster than you expected, the honest response is humble wonder, not a claim that you earned it.
मराठी: माझ्याजवळ असे कोणते पुण्य आहे, तुकाराम आश्चर्याने विचारतात, की तू, पांडुरंगा, माझ्याकडे इतक्या वेगाने धावत येतोस? मी असा कोणता मोठा भक्त झालो आहे की तू माझ्यासमोर इतक्या घाईने येऊन उभा राहतोस? माझे कोणते कष्ट, कोणती सेवा तू पाहिली आहेस, की तू मला इतक्या तातडीने बोलावतोस? मी खरे तर कोण आहे — मोठेपणापासून दूर गेलेले एक नाव, एक अपराधी, एक करंटा, नारायणा. तुकाराम कबूल करतात की त्यांना स्वतःलाच माहीत नाही असे कोणते पूर्वसंचित यामागे आहे, कारण या जन्मात त्यांनी काही चांगले केलेच नाही. कृपा अपेक्षेपेक्षा लवकर आली की तिचे खरे उत्तर म्हणजे नम्र आश्चर्य, ती स्वतः कमावल्याचा दावा नाही.
Where this applies
- When something good happens to you and your first instinct is to wonder if you deserve it
- When you feel unworthy of the kindness or answered prayers you've received
- When you're tempted to take credit for grace instead of simply marveling at it