संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4019 of 4582

Abhanga 4019

True devotion begins with humble attention and an unconditional offering of oneself, rooted simply in deep, honest love.

When you want to begin a relationship or practice humbly, with small steps rather than grand gestures.

When your attention keeps wandering and you want to fix it back on what matters most.

When you are ready to give something of yourself fully, without conditions or reservations.

The verse

न लगावी दिठी । माझी तुझे मुखवटी ॥१॥ आधीं पाउलें पाउलें । ते मी पाहेन तें भलें ॥ध्रु.॥ देईन हे काया । वरि सांडणें सांडाया ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देवा । बहु आवडसी जीवा ॥३॥

Literal translation

Don't-let-eye-stray-from-mukhavaṭi. First-pāulēm — see-good. Give-kāya — sāṇḍaṇē-sāṇḍāyā-over-it. Tukā: bahu-āvaḍasī-jīvā.

What it means

A 3-verse face-feet-and-body-offering. Let my gaze not stray from your face. First, the feet — those I'll look at, that's fitting. I'll give this body — over it (use/discard) as you will. O Deva — you are much loved by the soul.

For someone today

Tukaram asks for one simple thing here, that his eyes never wander away from the divine face. He starts humbly, saying he will look first at the feet, since that feels like the right, fitting place to begin rather than reaching straight for the whole. He offers his entire body too, telling the divine to do with it as he wishes, keep it or let it go, without holding anything back for himself. He ends with a plain, tender admission, that his soul simply loves the divine deeply, and that love is really the whole point of the offering.

मराठी: इथे तुकाराम एक साधी गोष्ट मागतात, माझे डोळे तुझ्या मुखवट्यावरून कधीच ढळू नयेत. ते नम्रपणे सुरुवात करतात, आधी पायांकडे पाहीन असे सांगत, कारण थेट संपूर्णतेकडे झेप घेण्यापेक्षा हेच योग्य आणि सुयोग्य सुरुवात वाटते. ते आपले संपूर्ण शरीरही अर्पण करतात, परमेश्वराला सांगतात की त्याचे हवे तसे करा, ठेवा किंवा सोडा, स्वतःसाठी काहीही राखून न ठेवता. शेवटी ते एक साधी, हळवी कबुली देतात, की माझा जीव तुझ्यावर खूप प्रेम करतो, आणि हेच प्रेम या अर्पणाचा खरा गाभा आहे.

Where this applies

When you want to begin a relationship or practice humbly, with small steps rather than grand gestures
When you are trying to keep your attention fixed on what matters most without letting it wander
When you are ready to give something of yourself fully, without holding conditions or reservations
When you want plain, honest words for saying simply that you love someone or something deeply

Autobiographical