Abhanga 3989
Your true inner attitude, not any outward show, shapes what you receive from the divine, and it is the only thing that travels with you in the end.
The verse
अनुसरे त्यासी फिरों नेदी मागें । राहें समागमें अंगसंगें ॥१॥
अंगसंगें असे कर्मसाक्ष देव । जैसा ज्याचा भाव तैसा राहे ॥२॥
फळपाकीं देव देतील प्राणीयें । तुका म्हणे नये सवें कांहीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Anusare — doesn't-let-look-back — stays-anga-sangē. Anga-sangē-karma-sākṣa Deva — as-bhāva-so-Deva-stays. Phaḷa-pākīm-Deva-gives — Tukā: nothing-along-at-end.
What it means
A 3-verse anusara-doctrine text. To the one who obeys-and-follows-attentively, the Lord doesn't let him look back; he stays in company, body-close. The Lord is body-close as karma-witness; as each one's bhāva is, so Deva stays. When the fruit is ripe, Deva gives it to the creature. Nothing else comes along (at death). The line jaisā jyāchā bhāva — taisā rāhē (as one's-bhāva, so-Deva-stays) is the canonical correspondence-doctrine — Deva matches the bhakta's-bhāva. Pair with 2817 (bhāva-chi-kāraṇa abhang).
For someone today
Tukaram describes someone who genuinely follows a devoted path, and says God does not let that person drift back into their old ways, staying close beside them like a constant companion. God is described as a witness to every action, present right there with you, and matching whatever your own inner attitude actually is, not what you claim it to be. When the results of your actions finally ripen, God gives them to you accordingly. And Tukaram adds a sobering closing note: at the end, nothing else comes along with you, only this. The lesson is that your inner sincerity shapes your experience of the divine, and consistency of heart matters more than any outward show, because in the end it is the only thing that travels with you.
मराठी: तुकाराम अशा व्यक्तीचे वर्णन करतात जी खरोखर भक्तीच्या मार्गावर चालते, आणि सांगतात की देव त्या व्यक्तीला जुन्या वाटेवर परत जाऊ देत नाही, सतत सोबती असल्यासारखा जवळ राहतो. देवाला प्रत्येक कृतीचा साक्षीदार म्हणून वर्णिले आहे, तो तुमच्याबरोबर तिथेच असतो, आणि तुमचा खरा अंतरीचा भाव जसा असेल तसाच तो तुमच्याशी वागतो, तुम्ही जो दावा करता तसा नाही. जेव्हा तुमच्या कृतींचे फळ पिकते, तेव्हा देव त्याप्रमाणे ते तुम्हाला देतो. आणि तुकाराम एक गंभीर टीप जोडतात — शेवटी, यापेक्षा दुसरे काहीही तुमच्याबरोबर येत नाही. तुमचा अंतरीचा प्रामाणिकपणा देवाबद्दलचा तुमचा अनुभव घडवतो, आणि बाह्य देखाव्यापेक्षा अंतःकरणाची सातत्यता अधिक महत्त्वाची आहे, कारण शेवटी तेच एकमेव तुमच्याबरोबर प्रवास करते, हीच इथली शिकवण आहे.
Where this applies
- When you are trying to stay committed to a good path and worry you might slip back into old habits
- When you wonder whether your outward actions or your true inner feelings matter more spiritually
- When you are preparing for a major life transition, like death, and thinking about what actually matters in the end
- When you want reassurance that consistent, honest effort will eventually bear fruit