Abhanga 3860
Real devotion, like anything worth having, has a real cost, and only those willing to pay it, not just admire it from a distance, actually reach it.
The verse
जुंझायाच्या गोष्टी ऐकतां चि सुख । करितां हें दुःख थोर आहे ॥१॥
तैसी हरिभक्ति सुळावरील पोळी । निवडे तो बळी विरळा शूर ॥ध्रु.॥
पिंड पोसिलियां विषयांचा पाइक । वैकुंठनायक कैंचा तेथें ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे व्हावें देहासी उदार । रकुमादेवीवर जोडावया ॥३॥
Literal translation
War-stories-pleasant — doing-them-thōra-duḥkha. Hari-bhakti-suḷāvarī-pōḷī — only-rare-bali-shūra-survives. Piṇḍa-pāika-of-viṣayas — no-Vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka. Tukā: become-udāra-toward-deha — to-meet-Rakumādevīvara.
What it means
A 3-verse hard-bhakti text. Battle-stories are pleasant to hear — but doing battle is great suffering. Likewise hari-bhakti is a cake on a spike — only the rare sacrificing-hero comes through. If the body is fed and made servant of the senses — from where will the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha be there? Become generous (free, sacrificial) toward the body — to meet Rukmādēvīvara. The image suḷāvarīla pōḷī (a cake-on-a-spike — i.e., a sweet that can only be reached by impaling oneself on a spike) is Tukārām's most-famous image for the cost of bhakti — the bhakta must sacrifice the body to reach the divine-sweetness.
For someone today
Tukaram says that war stories are exciting to hear, but actually fighting a war is real suffering, and devotion to God is much the same. He compares real devotion to a sweet cake placed on top of a spike, meaning it looks appealing from a distance, but only a rare, brave person is willing to pay the real cost to reach it. If you spend your life simply feeding your body and chasing whatever your senses want, there is no room left for anything higher to enter. So Tukaram says you have to be willing to give something real of yourself, not just admire devotion from the sidelines, if you actually want to reach God.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की युद्धाच्या गोष्टी ऐकायला मस्त वाटतात, पण प्रत्यक्ष लढणे मात्र फार मोठे दुःख असते, आणि देवाची भक्तीही तशीच आहे. ते खऱ्या भक्तीची तुलना खिळ्यावर ठेवलेल्या गोड पोळीशी करतात, म्हणजे ती दुरून आकर्षक दिसते, पण खरी किंमत मोजायला तयार असणारा एखादाच धाडसी माणूस तिच्यापर्यंत पोहोचतो. जर तुम्ही आयुष्यभर फक्त शरीराला खाऊ घालत राहिलात आणि इंद्रियांच्या मागे धावत राहिलात, तर त्यात काही उच्चतर गोष्टीला जागाच उरत नाही. म्हणून तुकाराम म्हणतात, फक्त बाजूला उभे राहून भक्तीचे कौतुक न करता, खरोखर देवापर्यंत पोहोचायचे असेल तर स्वतःचे काहीतरी खरे अर्पण करायला तयार असले पाहिजे.
Where this applies
- When something looks appealing and easy from a distance, like a story, but is actually hard to live out
- When you realize real growth requires giving something up, not just admiring it from a safe distance
- When you notice your life is mostly organized around feeding your body and chasing comfort
- When you're deciding whether you're willing to pay the real cost of something you claim to value