Abhanga 3597
Even when worldly entanglements still hold your hands back, keep faithfully serving without giving up, because a divided heart is what truly blocks you, not delay.
The verse
कैसें भलें देवा अनुभवा कां नये । उसीर तो काय तुम्हांपाशीं ॥१॥
आहे तें मागों तों दिसातें जवळी । केल्यामध्यें कळि कोण साध्य ॥ध्रु.॥
नाहीं सांडीत मी सेवेची मर्यादा । लाविला तो धंदा नित्य करीं ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे हात आवरिला गुंती । माझे तंव चित्तीं नाहीं दुजें ॥३॥
Literal translation
How-good-anubhava-doesn't-come, Deva — what-delay-with-you. Ask-for-what-is-appears-near — no-kaḷi-succeeds. Don't-abandon-sēvā-maryādā — dhandā-done-nitya. Tukā: hand-restrained-by-guṇtī — but-chitti-no-dusarē.
What it means
A 3-verse anubhava-delayed petition. Why doesn't anubhava come? — no delay should be with you; I ask for what's near; I don't abandon the proper-bounds of sevā; my hand is restrained by entanglement, but in my heart there's no second-thing.
For someone today
Tukārām voices honest frustration here: why hasn't the direct experience of God arrived yet, when surely there's no real delay on God's side? He notes that what he's asking for feels so close, so near at hand, that no struggle should be needed to reach it. He insists he hasn't abandoned his daily devoted service, he keeps doing it faithfully every day. His hands may still be tangled up in worldly entanglements holding him back, but he assures that his heart holds nothing else, no divided loyalty.
मराठी: तुकाराम इथे प्रामाणिक अस्वस्थता व्यक्त करतात, देवाचा प्रत्यक्ष अनुभव अजून का येत नाही, जेव्हा देवाकडून खरं तर कोणताही उशीर नसतो? ते म्हणतात, जे मागतोय ते इतकं जवळ भासतंय की ते मिळवायला काही झगडा असायला नको. आपण सेवेची मर्यादा सोडलेली नाही, हा नित्यक्रम रोज इमानेइतबारे करत राहतो असं ते ठासून सांगतात. हात अजूनही सांसारिक गुंत्यात अडकलेले असले तरी मनात मात्र दुसरं काहीही नाही, कोणतीही विभागलेली निष्ठा नाही, याची ते खात्री देतात.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's anubhava-delayed; chitti-no-dusarē canonical-petition