Abhanga 3238
Tukārām's last-resort petition. What can you not do, Viṭhṭhalā? — give attention to (my) stammering words. Release me from the hand of the time-wheel — many troubles (I have) undergone. (Prārabdha) lets-neither-(me)-live nor-die; prārabdha remains again-and-again. The other means is exhausted — therefore (I have) remembered (your) feet. The verse permits the bhakti-recourse when all-else-exhausted.
The verse
कराल तें काय नव्हे जी विठ्ठला । चत्ति द्यावें बोला बोबडिया ॥१॥
सोडवूनि घ्यावें काळचक्रा हातीं । बहुत विपत्ती भोगविल्या ॥ध्रु.॥
ज्यालें जेऊं नेदी मारिलें चि मरो । प्रारब्धा उरो मागुतालीं ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे दुजा खुंटला उपाय । म्हणऊनि पाय आठविले ॥३॥
Literal translation
Karāla te kāya navhe jī Viṭhṭhalā — what can you not do, Viṭhṭhalā; chitta dyāve bōlā bōbaḍiyā — give chitta to (my) stammering words. Sōḍavūnī ghyāve kāḷa-chakrā hātīm — release (me) from the hand of kāḷa-chakra; bahuta vipattī bhōgavilyā — much vipatti (I have) undergone. Jyāle jeūm nedī mārile chi marō — (the prārabdha) lets-neither-eat nor-die; prārabdhā urō māgutālīm — prārabdha remains again-and-again. Tukā mhaṇe dujā khumṭalā upāya — Tukā says: the other upāya is exhausted; mhaṇaūnī pāya āṭhavile — therefore (I) remembered (your) feet.
What it means
A 3-verse extreme-petition by Tukārām.
The plight: (I have) undergone many vipatti; prārabdha is relentless — neither letting me die nor live well. The recourse: all other upāyas exhausted, remembered your feet. The bhakti-resort-of-last-resort.
Compare-Tukārām's 3106-3107 (urgent-death-cry, jīva-nāsa-for-your-sake), 3041 (Lord-engineers-bhakta's-difficulties).
For someone today
Tukārām's last-resort petition. What can you not do, Viṭhṭhalā? — give attention to (my) stammering words. Release me from the hand of the time-wheel — many troubles (I have) undergone. (Prārabdha) lets-neither-(me)-live nor-die; prārabdha remains again-and-again. The other means is exhausted — therefore (I have) remembered (your) feet. The verse permits the bhakti-recourse when all-else-exhausted.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's no-other-recourse petition
- Companion to 3106-3107, 3041