Abhanga 4017
Genuine greatness gives without losing anything, the way a cloud relieves a thirsty bird or the moon delights another without diminishing itself, so help freely and without hesitation.
The verse
तुझें प्रेम माझ्या हृदयीं आवडी । चरण न सोडीं पांडुरंगा ॥१॥
कासया सिनासि थोरिवां कारणें । काय तुझें उणें होइल देवा ॥ध्रु.॥
चातकाची चिंता हरली जळधरें । काय त्याचें सरे थोरपण ॥२॥
चंद्र चकोरांचा पुरवी सोहळा । काय त्याची कळा न्यून होय ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे मज अनाथा सांभाळीं । हृदयकमळीं स्थिर राहें ॥४॥
Literal translation
Prema-in-hrdaya-āvaḍī — won't-let-go-charaṇa. Why-strain-for-your-thōrivā — what-uṇē-for-you? Chātaka-chinta-by-jaḷadhara — does-thōrapaṇa-vanish? Chandra-fills-chakora — does-kalā-diminish? Tukā: protect-anātha — stay-in-hrdaya-kamala.
What it means
A 4-verse service-without-loss text. Your love in my heart is dear; I won't let go of your feet, Pāṇḍuranga. Why strain yourself for the sake of your greatness? What loss would you suffer? The chātaka's anxiety is removed by the cloud — does the cloud's greatness vanish? The moon fulfills the chakora's festival — does the moon's phase diminish? Protect this orphan — stay still in my heart-lotus. Two classical Sanskrit-poetic-pairs (chātaka-jaḷadhara, chakora-chandra) — each rain/moon serves the bird, but does not lose anything by doing so. Therefore: protect-me-without-loss-to-yourself.
For someone today
Tukaram gently argues against the fear that helping someone costs the helper something. He tells Panduranga that his love has already taken root in his heart and he will not let go, then asks why the divine should hesitate to act out of some worry about losing greatness, since nothing would actually be lost. He offers two natural examples, the cloud relieves the anxious chataka bird of its thirst without becoming any less of a cloud, and the moon fulfills the chakora bird's delight without its own phases growing any smaller. Using these, he asks simply to be looked after, an orphan wanting the divine to stay settled and steady in his heart.
मराठी: एखाद्याला मदत केल्याने मदत करणाऱ्याचे काही तरी कमी होते या भीतीविरुद्ध तुकाराम हळुवारपणे युक्तिवाद करतात. ते पांडुरंगाला सांगतात की त्याचे प्रेम आधीच त्यांच्या हृदयात रुजले आहे आणि ते सोडणार नाहीत, आणि मग विचारतात की मोठेपणा कमी होईल या काळजीने परमेश्वराने कृती करायला का कचरावे, कारण खरे तर काहीच कमी होणार नाही. ते निसर्गातील दोन उदाहरणे देतात, ढग चातक पक्ष्याची तहानेची चिंता दूर करतो पण त्यामुळे ढग कमी मोठा होत नाही, चंद्र चकोर पक्ष्याचा आनंद पूर्ण करतो पण त्यामुळे त्याची कला कमी होत नाही. या उदाहरणांच्या आधारे ते साध्या शब्दांत सांभाळण्याची विनंती करतात, एक अनाथ जो परमेश्वराने आपल्या हृदयात स्थिर राहावे अशी इच्छा बाळगतो.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's chātaka-jaḷadhara + chakora-chandra service-without-loss canonical