Abhanga 4315
Tukaram insists that kirtana should not be abandoned no matter the hardship, because wherever someone holds the Name with total, unshakeable resolve, God remains continuously present.
The verse
सातादिवसांचा जरी जाला उपवासी । तरीं कीर्तनासी टाकुं नये ॥१॥
फुटो हा मस्तक तुटो हें शरीर । नामाचा गजर सोडूं नये ॥ध्रु.॥
शरीराचे होत दोनी ते ही भाग । परि कीर्तनाचा रंग सोडों नये ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे ऐसा नामीं ज्या निर्धार । तेथें निरंतर देव असे ॥३॥
Literal translation
7-day-fast — don't-leave-kīrtana. Head-burst-body-cut — don't-leave-Nāma-gajara. Body-2-pieces — don't-leave-kīrtana-ranga. Tukā: such-niścaya-in-Nāma — deva-nirantara-there.
What it means
THE canonical 3-verse don't-leave-kīrtana-even-at-life-cost text. Even if one has fasted seven days, one should not abandon the kīrtana. Even if the head bursts, even if the body is cut — don't leave the Name's roar. Even if the body becomes two pieces — don't leave the festival of kīrtana. Tukā says: where such decisive-resolution is in the Name — there Deva is always-present. Three escalating-stakes for kīrtana-commitment: (1) 7-day-fast (physical-exhaustion); (2) head-burst-body-cut (mortal-threat); (3) body-in-two-pieces (extreme-mortality). The principle: Deva-nirantara-where-such-niścaya-in-Nāma — Lord's presence is correlated to the absoluteness of the bhakta's kīrtana-commitment. Pair with 4292 (bole-taisā-chāle).
For someone today
Tukaram insists that even after fasting for seven days, exhausted and weak, you should not give up kirtana, the singing of God's Name in community. He pushes the point further with startling intensity, saying even if your head were to burst or your body were cut, do not stop the roar of the Name, and even if your body were split in two, do not abandon the joy of kirtana. This is not really about literal harm but about the depth of commitment he is describing, a resolve so complete that nothing is allowed to interrupt it. Tukaram's promise is that wherever someone holds the Name with that kind of unshakeable resolve, God is continuously present there.
मराठी: तुकाराम महाराज ठामपणे सांगतात की सात दिवस उपाशी राहून थकून गेल्यावरही कीर्तन सोडू नये, कीर्तन म्हणजे सर्वांसोबत देवाच्या नामाचे गाणे. ते हा मुद्दा अधिकच तीव्रतेने मांडतात, म्हणतात की डोके फुटले तरी, शरीर तुटले तरी नामाचा गजर थांबवू नये, आणि शरीराचे दोन तुकडे झाले तरी कीर्तनाचा रंग सोडू नये. हे खरोखर शारीरिक इजेबद्दल नाही, तर ते किती खोल बांधिलकीबद्दल बोलत आहेत हे दाखवण्यासाठी आहे, इतका पूर्ण निश्चय की काहीही त्यात व्यत्यय आणू शकत नाही. तुकारामांचे आश्वासन आहे की जिथे कोणी असा अढळ निश्चय ठेवून नाम धरतो, तिथे देव सतत उपस्थित असतो.
Where this applies
- When you feel too tired, weak, or discouraged to continue a spiritual practice you value
- When outside hardship tempts you to abandon a commitment you have made
- When you need language for total, unshakeable resolve rather than half-hearted effort
- When you want reassurance that steady commitment invites a lasting sense of God's presence