Abhanga 3752
Do not let praise or blame stick to you, be honest about what rises within you, and call out openly to the God who is near, trusting that help comes to those who are truthful.
The verse
नाहीं गुणदोष लिंपों देत अंगीं । झाडितां प्रसंगीं वरावरी ॥१॥
निकटवासिया आळवितों धांवा । तेथूनियां देवा सोडवूनी ॥ध्रु.॥
उमटे अंतरीं तें करूं प्रगट । कळोनी बोभाट धांव घालीं ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे तरि वांचलों या काळें । समर्थाचे बळें सुखी असों ॥३॥
Literal translation
Nāhī guṇadōṣa limpōm deta angīm — don't let guṇa-dōṣa stick to anga; jhāḍitām prasangīm varāvarī — sweep (them) on prasanga vāra-vāra. Nikaṭa-vāsiyā āḷavitōm dhāvā — to the nikaṭa-vāsiya I make a dhāvā; tethūnīyām Devā sōḍavūnī — from there save (me), Deva. Umaṭe antarīm te karūm prakaṭa — what rises in antar, (I) make prakaṭa; kaḷōnī bōbhāṭa dhāva ghālīm — on knowing the bōbhāṭa, come running. Tukā mhaṇe tari vāmchalōm yā kāḷe — Tukā says: then (I) am alive in this kāḷa; samarthāñce baḷe sukhī asōm — by samartha's strength, (we are) sukhī.
What it means
A 3-verse petition: don't-let-faults-stick; sweep-them-with-prasanga; the-Lord-near-comes-on-bōbhāṭa.
For someone today
Tukaram asks that his virtues and faults not be allowed to cling to him, but be swept away again and again as they arise, occasion by occasion. He cries out to God, who dwells close by, asking to be rescued right where he stands. Whatever rises inside him, he chooses to bring out into the open rather than hide it, trusting that when God hears his loud call, help will come running. Because of this honesty and this nearness, he says he survives this difficult time and lives at peace through God's strength.
मराठी: तुकाराम विनवतात की चांगले-वाईट गुणदोष अंगाला चिकटून राहू नयेत, तर वेळोवेळी ते झटकून टाकावेत. जवळच वास करणाऱ्या देवाला ते आर्ततेने हाक मारतात आणि तिथूनच सोडवण्याची विनंती करतात. मनात जे काही उमटते ते लपवण्याऐवजी उघड करून टाकतात, कारण मोठ्याने हाक ऐकताच देव धावत येतो असा त्यांचा विश्वास आहे. या प्रामाणिकपणामुळे आणि जवळीकीमुळे ते हा कठीण काळ जगू शकतात आणि समर्थाच्या बळावर सुखी राहतात.
Where this applies
- When old mistakes or praise keep clinging to your sense of self and you want to let them go
- When you are in crisis and need to call out honestly for help rather than face it alone
- When you are tempted to hide a difficult feeling instead of bringing it into the open
- When you need reminding that surviving a hard season comes through honesty and trust, not hiding