Abhanga 4169
Tukaram makes a specific, humble request: if he is ever asked what he wants, he asks only to be born, in his next life, into a household devoted to God, surrounded by devotion from the start. He asks not for wealth or comfort but for the courage to bow fully before the sants without feeling embarrassed or self-conscious. And he asks for the physical strength and energy to dance freely and wholeheartedly in devotional gatherings, showing that his deepest wish is simply to keep living and expressing devotion without inhibition.
The verse
हरिदासाचिये घरीं । मज उपजवा जन्मांतरीं ॥१॥
म्हणसी कांहीं मागा । हें चि देगा पांडुरंगा ॥ध्रु.॥
संतां लोटांगणीं । जातां लाजों नको मनीं ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे अंगीं । शक्ती देई नाचें रंगीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Haridāsāchiye gharīm — maja upajavā janmāntarīm — in Haridāsa's house — let me take-birth in next-life. Mhaṇasī kāhīm māgā — he chi degā Pāṇḍurangā — if you say ask-something — give this only, Pāṇḍurangā. Santām lōṭāngaṇīm — jātām lājōm nakō manīm — prostrating to sants — don't let me feel shame in mind. Tukā mhaṇe angīm — śaktī dēī nāche rangīm — Tukā says: in (my) body give śakti — to dance in (kīrtana) ranga.
What it means
A 3-verse boon-petition. Birth-in-Haridāsa-house; don't-feel-shame-when-prostrating-to-sants; give-strength-to-dance-in-kīrtana. Lōṭāngaṇa (full-prostration) is the body-flat-on-the-ground reverential gesture before sants.
For someone today
Tukaram makes a specific, humble request: if he is ever asked what he wants, he asks only to be born, in his next life, into a household devoted to God, surrounded by devotion from the start. He asks not for wealth or comfort but for the courage to bow fully before the sants without feeling embarrassed or self-conscious. And he asks for the physical strength and energy to dance freely and wholeheartedly in devotional gatherings, showing that his deepest wish is simply to keep living and expressing devotion without inhibition.
मराठी: तुकाराम एक साधी, नम्र इच्छा व्यक्त करतात: कधी काही मागायचे झाले तर पुढच्या जन्मी हरिदासाच्या घरी जन्म मिळावा, सुरुवातीपासूनच भक्तीने वेढलेले वातावरण मिळावे इतकीच मागणी आहे. संपत्ती किंवा सुख नाही, तर संतांना पूर्ण लोटांगण घालताना मनात लाज वाटू नये इतकेच धैर्य ते मागतात. आणि कीर्तनाच्या रंगात मनमोकळेपणे नाचता यावे इतकी शारीरिक शक्ती मागतात, यातून त्यांची खरी इच्छा स्पष्ट होते, ती म्हणजे मोकळेपणाने भक्ती जगत राहणे.
Where this applies
- When you're asked what you truly want and realize it's belonging and devotion, not wealth
- When you feel self-conscious about expressing reverence or emotion openly in front of others
- When you want the freedom and energy to celebrate or express joy wholeheartedly
- When you think about what kind of environment you'd want to be raised in or surrounded by