Abhanga 3455
Tukaram calls out the illusion that has deceived and harmed him, and finally turns fully to God as his true master and protector.
The verse
आतां येथें लाजे नाहीं तुझें काम । जाय मज राम आठवूं दे ॥१॥
तुझे भिडे माझे बहु जाले घात । केलों या अंकित दुर्जनाचा ॥ध्रु.॥
माझें केलें मज पारिखें माहेर । नटोनी साचार चाळविलें ॥२॥
सुखासाटीं एक वाहियेलें खांदीं । तेणें बहु मांदी मेळविली ॥३॥
केला चौघाचार नेलों पांचांमधीं । नाहीं दिली शुद्धी धरूं आशा ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे आतां घेईंन कांटीवरी । धनी म्यां कैवारी केला देव ॥५॥
Literal translation
Ātām yethe lāje nāhī tujhe kāma — now here, no shame of your job; jāya maja Rāma āṭhavūm de — go, let me remember Rāma. Tujhe bhiḍe mājhe bahu jāle ghāta — your tolerance caused many ghāta; kelōm yā ankita durjanāñcā — (I was) made ankita of durjana. Mājhe kele maja pārikhe māhera — my (own) māhera made foreign; naṭōnī sāchāra chāḷavile — (by) acting, truly deceived. Sukhāsāṭīm eka vāhiyele khāmdīm — for sukha, carried on shoulder; teṇe bahu māmdī meḷavilī — thereby gathered big māmdī. Kelā chaughāchāra nelōm pāmchāmmadhīm — (you) made 4-way, took (me) among 5; nāhī dilī śuddhī dharūm āśā — no śuddhi to grasp āśā. Tukā mhaṇe ātām gheīmna kāṇṭīvarī — Tukā says: now I'll take (you) on kāṇṭīvarī; dhanī myā kaivārī kelā Deva — I've made Deva the dhanī-kaivārī.
What it means
A 5-verse anti-māyā text. Tukārām turns-tables on māyā (the addressee): no-more-shame-of-serving-you, I'll-take-you-on-spike, I've-made-Deva-my-master. Opens a 3-abhang anti-māyā cluster (3455-3457).
For someone today
Tukārām's reversal: māyā has been my deceiver; now I make Deva my protector and take māyā to-task.
Where this applies
- When you finally admit that an old habit or attachment has been quietly running your life
- When you realize your own tolerance for something harmful has caused you real damage
- When you feel like a stranger to your own true self because distraction pulled you so far
- When you decide to stop excusing what's hurt you and place your trust somewhere more reliable instead