Abhanga 3717
Tukārām admits he has held onto patience for a very long time, so long that he says God does not even realize how much he has endured. Having waited long enough, he decides to act boldly, reaching out to grab hold of God the way a child grabs a parent's clothing, insisting on a closeness that puts the two of them on equal footing. He has become fully generous with his own life, holding nothing back, and stands right there in front of God without hesitation. Finally he turns to his fellow devotees and asks them to carry this bold message straight to the Lord of Paṇḍharpur.
The verse
बहु धीर केला । जाण न होसी विठ्ठला ॥१॥
आतां धरीन पदरीं । करीन तुज मज सरी ॥ध्रु.॥
जालों जीवासी उदार । उभा राहिलों समोर ॥२॥
तुका विनवी संतां । ऐसें सांगा पंढरिनाथा ॥३॥
Literal translation
Held-much-dhīra — you-don't-know-Viṭhṭhalā. I'll-catch-in-padar — make-you-and-me-sarī. Jīvāsī-udāra — stand-samōra. Tukā-petitions-santas — tell-Paṇḍharī-nātha.
What it means
A 3-verse intermediary-petition. I've held much patience — you don't know it; now I'll grab you in my cloth — make us equal; I'm generous with my life, standing in-front; Tukā petitions the santas — tell so to Paṇḍharī-nātha.
For someone today
Tukārām admits he has held onto patience for a very long time, so long that he says God does not even realize how much he has endured. Having waited long enough, he decides to act boldly, reaching out to grab hold of God the way a child grabs a parent's clothing, insisting on a closeness that puts the two of them on equal footing. He has become fully generous with his own life, holding nothing back, and stands right there in front of God without hesitation. Finally he turns to his fellow devotees and asks them to carry this bold message straight to the Lord of Paṇḍharpur.
मराठी: तुकाराम कबूल करतात की त्यांनी खूप काळ धीर धरला आहे, इतका की देवाला हे कळतच नाही की त्यांनी किती सोसले आहे. पुरेशी वाट पाहिल्यानंतर ते धाडसाने पुढे येण्याचे ठरवतात, जसे लहान मूल आईवडिलांचे कापड धरून ठेवते तसे ते देवाला धरून ठेवतात, आणि दोघांमध्ये समानतेची जवळीक हवी असते. ते आपल्या जीवाशी पूर्ण उदार झाले आहेत, काहीच राखून ठेवत नाहीत, आणि देवासमोर न कचरता उभे राहतात. शेवटी ते आपल्या सोबतच्या भक्तांकडे वळतात आणि हा धाडसी निरोप थेट पंढरीनाथांपर्यंत पोहोचवण्याची विनंती करतात.
Where this applies
- When you have waited patiently for so long that you finally decide to speak up boldly instead of staying quiet
- When you reach for closeness with someone you love, insisting on being treated as an equal rather than staying distant
- When you offer everything you have without holding anything back for the sake of a relationship that matters most
- When you ask trusted friends to speak on your behalf and carry your honest message to someone you cannot reach directly