Abhanga 3393
Hold on to what you trust through every hardship, hand the worry over, and let the outcome be someone else's responsibility.
The verse
भलते जन्मीं मज घालिसील तरी । न सोडीं मी हरी नाम तुझें ॥१॥
सुख दुःख तुज देईंन भोगितां । मग मज चिंता कासयाची ॥ध्रु.॥
तुझा दास म्हणवीन मी अंकिला । भोगितां विठ्ठला गर्भवास ॥२॥
कासया मी तुज भाकितों करुणा । तारीं नारायणा म्हणवुनि ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे तुज येऊं पाहे उणें । तारिसील तेणें आम्हां तया ॥४॥
Literal translation
In-any-janma-you-put-me — won't-leave-your-Name, Hari. Sukha-duḥkha I-give-you-to-bear — what-worry-for-me. I-call-myself-your-dāsa-ankita — even-bearing-garbha-vāsa Viṭhṭhalā. Why-beg-karuṇā — saying-Nārāyaṇa saves. Tukā: it-becomes-uṇē-to-you — by-saving (us) (you save yourself).
What it means
A striking 5-verse bhakta-confidence text. I won't leave your Name even through rebirths; I'll throw sukha-duḥkha onto you; just saying Nārāyaṇa saves — and if you don't save your ankita, it'll be a fault to your-own-honor. The closing line is the strongest: if you don't save us, your-Name itself suffers — implicit obligation theology.
For someone today
Tukaram makes a bold promise: no matter what life he is born into, no matter how hard or painful, he will not let go of God's name. He decides to hand every joy and sorrow over to God to carry, so he himself has nothing left to worry about. He even says it plainly, if God does not save someone who has devoted themselves this completely, it reflects badly on God, not on the devotee. This is the confidence of total surrender, you keep holding on to what you trust, and let the outcome be someone else's responsibility.
मराठी: तुकाराम एक ठाम वचन देतात, कोणत्याही जन्मात मला घातले तरी, कितीही कठीण किंवा वेदनादायक असले तरी, मी देवाचे नाव सोडणार नाही. ते ठरवतात की सुख आणि दुःख दोन्ही देवाकडे सोपवून द्यायचे, म्हणजे स्वतःला काळजी करण्याची गरज उरत नाही. ते स्पष्टच सांगतात, इतक्या पूर्णपणे शरण गेलेल्या भक्ताला जर देवाने तारले नाही, तर तो दोष देवावरच येतो, भक्तावर नाही. ही पूर्ण शरणागतीची निश्चिंतता आहे, ज्यावर विश्वास ठेवला त्याला धरून राहा, आणि परिणामाची जबाबदारी दुसऱ्यावर सोडून द्या.
Where this applies
- When life keeps throwing hardship at you and you wonder if it's worth holding on to your faith
- When you're carrying worry that isn't really yours to carry
- When you've committed fully to something and start doubting whether it will hold you up
- When you need the confidence to stop begging and just trust the relationship you've already built