Abhanga 3447
Belonging completely to God, holding his name in your heart, brings an unbreakable inner happiness and frees you from fear of anything, including hard times.
The verse
सिद्धीचा दास नव्हें श्रुतीचा अंकिला । होईंन विठ्ठला सर्व तुझा ॥१॥
सर्वकाळ सुख आमच्या मानसीं । राहिलें जयासी नास नाहीं ॥ध्रु.॥
नेणें पुण्य पाप न पाहें लोचनीं । आणिका वांचूनि पांडुरंगा ॥२॥
न करीं आस मुक्तीचे सायास । भक्तिप्रेमरस सांडूनियां ॥३॥
गर्भवासीं धाक नाहीं येतां जातां । हृदयीं राहतां नाम तुझें ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे जालों तुझा चि अंकिला । न भें मी विठ्ठला कळिकाळासी ॥५॥
Literal translation
Siddhīñcā dāsa navhe śrutīñcā ankilā — not the dāsa of siddhi, nor śruti's ankilā; hōīmna Viṭhṭhalā sarva tujhā — I will become all yours, Viṭhṭhalā. Sarvakāḷa sukha āmachyā mānasīm — always-sukha in our mind; rāhile jayāsī nāsa nāhī — dwelt-where there is no nāsa. Neṇe puṇya pāpa na pāhe lōchanīm — (I) don't know puṇya-pāpa, don't look in eyes; āṇikā vāñchūnī Pāṇḍurangā — at-anyone except Pāṇḍuranga. Na karīm āsa muktīñce sāyāsa — (I) don't aspire to mukti's sāyāsa; bhaktipremarasa sāṇḍūnīyām — abandoning bhakti-prema-rasa. Garbhavāsīm dhāka nāhī yetām jātām — no fear of garbhavāsa coming-going; hrdayīm rāhatām nāma tujhe — (if) your Name dwells in (my) hrdaya. Tukā mhaṇe jālōm tujhā chi ankilā — Tukā says: I have become only your ankilā; na bhēm mī Viṭhṭhalā kaḷi-kāḷāsī — I do not fear Viṭhṭhalā, kaḷi-kāḷa.
What it means
A canonical 5-verse I'm-yours-ankilā declaration by Tukārām.
The 5-fold-claim: 1. Not-siddhi-dāsa, not-śruti-ankilā — all-yours-Viṭhṭhalā (rejection of-traditional-paths) 2. Always-sukha-in-mānasa; dwelt-where-no-nāsa (permanent-attainment) 3. Don't-know-puṇya-pāpa; only-Pāṇḍuranga in-eyes (beyond-moral-binary) 4. Don't-aspire-mukti-sāyāsa; keep-bhakti-prema-rasa (rejection-of-effortful-mukti) 5. No-fear-of-garbhavāsa with-Name-in-hrdaya
Closing: I'm-yours-ankilā; I-don't-fear-kaḷi-kāḷa.
This is a striking declaration of post-traditional bhakti-confidence. Tukārām rejects-the-paths-of siddhi (yogic-attainment), śruti (Vedic-knowledge), and-even-mukti-as-effort. Bhakti-prema-rasa is the only-path-and-result. Compare-3044 (I-don't-fear-Kalikāḷa, Nārāyaṇa-is-sants'-sāhāya), 3137 (ankita-pride).
For someone today
Tukārām's I'm-yours-ankilā declaration. I am not the servant of siddhi, nor the bound-one of the śrutis — I will become all yours, Viṭhṭhalā. Always-sukha in our mind, dwelt-where there is no destruction. I don't know puṇya-pāpa; I don't look in eyes at-anyone except Pāṇḍuranga. I don't aspire to the toil of mukti — abandoning the bhakti-prema-rasa. No fear of rebirth coming-going — if your Name dwells in (my) heart. I have become only your ankilā; I do not fear kaḷi-kāḷa, Viṭhṭhalā. The verse offers the canonical bhakta-confidence: being wholly his, with no fear of kaḷi-kāḷa.
मराठी: तुकारामांची ही "मी तुझाच आहे" अशी ठाम भावना आहे. मी सिद्धीचा दास नाही, श्रुतींचा अंकित नाही — विठ्ठला, मी सर्वस्वी तुझाच होईन. आमच्या मनात सदैव सुख वसते, जे कधीच नाश पावत नाही. मला पुण्य-पाप कळत नाही, पांडुरंगाशिवाय मी कोणाकडे पाहत नाही. मुक्तीच्या सायासाची मला आस नाही — भक्तिप्रेमरसच मी जपतो. तुझे नाम हृदयात राहिले, तर जन्ममृत्यूच्या फेऱ्याची मला भीती नाही. तुकाराम म्हणतात, मी केवळ तुझाच अंकित झालो — विठ्ठला, आता मला कळिकाळाचीही भीती नाही.
Where this applies
- When you stop trying to earn spiritual status through techniques or rules and simply give yourself to God
- When you notice a steady happiness inside you that doesn't collapse with circumstances
- When you're tired of keeping score of your own merits and mistakes and want to just let it go
- When you feel fear about the future or hard times and need a reminder that belonging to God removes that fear