Abhanga 3968
Tukaram commits his full strength to devotion regardless of hardship, and lets his remorse remain as the root from which real joy will grow.
The verse
देवाचिये पायीं वेचों सर्व शक्ती । होतील विपित्त ज्याज्या कांहीं ॥१॥
न घेई माझी वाचा पुढें कांहीं वाव । आणि दुजे भाव बोलायाचे ॥ध्रु.॥
मनाचे वांटणी चित्ताचा विक्षेप । राहो हा अनुताप आहे तैसा ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे घेई विठ्ठलाचा छंद । आनंदाचा कंद विस्तारेल ॥३॥
Literal translation
Devāciye pāyīm vechōm sarva śaktī — hōtīla vipitta jyājyā kāmhī — (let me) spend all power at Deva's feet — whatever calamities arise. Na ghei mājhī vāchā puḍhēm kāmhī vāva — āṇi duje bhāva bōlāyāce — don't let my speech go empty ahead — nor other bhāva to speak. Manāce vāṇṭaṇī chittāñcā vikṣepa — rāhō hā anutāpa āhe taisā — mind's division, chitta's distraction — let this anutāpa remain as is. Tukā mhaṇe ghei viṭṭhalāñcā chanda — ānandāñcā kanda vistārel — Tukā says: take Viṭṭhal's chanda — ānanda's root will spread.
What it means
A 3-verse offering-all-to-feet text. Spend-all-power-at-feet, let-calamity-come; speech-not-empty, no-other-bhāva; let-the-anutāpa-stay; take-Viṭṭhal-chanda — the-root-of-ānanda-will-spread. Anutāpa (remorse) here is positively retained as motive-force.
For someone today
Tukaram commits to pouring every bit of his strength into devotion at God's feet, whatever hardship might come as a result. He insists his words should not run empty or wander into other topics, keeping his speech focused. He deliberately lets the restlessness of a divided mind and a certain deep remorse remain rather than trying to erase them, saying that if he keeps taking up Vitthal's passionate refrain, joy itself will grow from that root.
मराठी: तुकाराम आपली सगळी शक्ती देवाच्या चरणी वाहून टाकण्याचा निश्चय करतात, त्यामुळे कितीही संकट आली तरी चालेल असे ते म्हणतात. आपले शब्द रिकामे किंवा भरकटलेले राहू नयेत, वेगळ्याच विषयांकडे वळू नयेत, असा आग्रह ते धरतात, आणि आपले बोलणे एकाग्र ठेवतात. विभाजित मनाची अस्वस्थता आणि खोल पश्चात्ताप मिटवण्याऐवजी ते जाणीवपूर्वक तसाच राहू देतात, आणि म्हणतात की विठ्ठलाचा हा प्रेमळ छंद धरून राहिलो तर त्यातूनच खरा आनंद फुलेल.
Where this applies
- When you are deciding to commit your full energy to something you care about, even knowing hardship may follow
- When your words and attention keep scattering and you want to bring them back to one focus
- When you carry some genuine regret or restlessness and wonder whether you should suppress it instead of letting it fuel change
- When you want a single, repeated practice to be the seed that real joy grows from