संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 3613 of 4582

Abhanga 3613

Tukārām questions how he could possibly look impressive simply by calling out to Hari, since he wears no special costume or ornament to show for it. Instead, he says, the whole worldly life itself has become his servant, obedient to his devotion rather than the other way around. He notes that being called a servant of Hari has freed him from the usual grief and worry that weighs people down. And yet he turns sharply on himself, warning that if his service ever becomes a hollow show rather than the real thing, let that false service burn away entirely.

When you worry that your outward show of devotion doesn't match your inner reality

When a genuine practice has quietly freed you from grief and constant worry

When you catch yourself performing service as a show and want to correct it

The verse

कैसीं दिसों बरीं । आम्ही आळवितां हरि ॥१॥ नाहीं सोंग अळंकार । दास जाला संवसार ॥ध्रु.॥ दुःख आम्हां नाहीं चिंता । हरिचे दास म्हणवितां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देवा । ऐसीं जळो करितां सेवा ॥३॥

Literal translation

How-look-good — calling-Hari. No-sōnga-aḷankāra — samsāra-our-dāsa. No-duḥkha-chintā — Hari's-dāsa. Tukā: Deva — burn-such-(false)-sevā.

What it means

A 3-verse text. How could I look-good calling Hari? — I have no costume or ornament; samsāra has become my servant; we have no duḥkha-chintā being called Hari's dāsa; let such (false-)sevā burn.

For someone today

मराठी: तुकाराम प्रश्न विचारतात की फक्त हरीचं नाव घेतल्याने ते कसे भपकेबाज दिसतील, कारण त्यांच्याकडे दाखवण्यासारखा कोणताही खास पोशाख किंवा अलंकार नाही. उलट, ते म्हणतात, संसारच त्यांचा दास बनला आहे, त्यांच्या भक्तीच्या अधीन होऊन, उलट नाही. हरीचे दास म्हटलं गेल्यामुळे त्यांना नेहमीच्या दुःख आणि चिंतेतून मुक्तता मिळाली आहे असं ते सांगतात. आणि तरीही ते स्वतःवरच कठोरपणे वळतात, बजावतात की जर त्यांची सेवा कधी पोकळ देखावा बनली, खरी सेवा न राहता, तर ती खोटी सेवा जळून जावो.

Where this applies

Tukārām's samsāra-our-dāsa; burn-false-sevā canonical

Autobiographical