Abhanga 4391
Hold those you trust to their own claimed values, ask honestly for a steadier mind, and admit humbly how little independent control you actually have.
The verse
आतां मोकलावें नव्हे हें उचित । तरी कृपावंत म्हणवावें ॥१॥
पूर्वा भक्त जाले सर्व आपंगिले । नाहीं उपेक्षिले तुम्हीं कोणी ॥ध्रु.॥
माझिया वेळेसि कां गा लपालासी । विश्व पोसितोसि लपोनियां ॥२॥
करावी म्हणावी सर्वां भूतीं दया । तरी भेटावया येईंन मी ॥३॥
तरी माझे हाती देई मनबुद्धि । जरि दयानिधि येशील तूं ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे तूं चि अवघा सूत्रधारी । माझी सत्ता हरी काय आहे ॥५॥
Literal translation
Abandon-now-not-uchita — krpāvanta-bhrida. Previous-bhaktas-all-protected. My-time-why-hidden — nourish-viśva-hiding. Show-dayā-to-bhūtas — then-I'll-meet. Give-me-mana-buddhi — if-you-come-dayā-nidhi. Tukā: you-sūtra-dhārī — what-sattā-have-I.
What it means
A 5-verse Lord-as-puppeteer petition. To abandon me now is not proper — if you wish to call yourself Compassionate. Earlier bhaktas were all supported; you didn't neglect anyone. In my time, why have you hidden? You nourish the cosmos while hiding. Make it a saying — show compassion to all beings — then I'll come to meet (you). But also give the mind-and-intellect into my hand — if you, ocean-of-compassion, come. Tukā says: you alone are the puppeteer — what power do I have, Hari? The puppeteer-image: sūtra-dhārī (cord-holder) — Lord pulls all-the-strings, the bhakta has no autonomous-power. The bhrida-binding-argument: to-call-yourself-krpāvanta requires-not-abandoning-me-now. Pair with 4391-companion petitions.
For someone today
Tukaram argues here that it would not be right for God to abandon him now, not if God truly wants to be called compassionate, because every devotee before him was supported and none were ever neglected. He asks pointedly why God seems to be hiding right when it is his turn, even while quietly nourishing the whole universe from behind the scenes. He asks for real compassion to be shown to all beings, not just as a word but as a lived pattern he can trust, and he asks for his own mind and intellect to be steadied and placed rightly in his hands. He ends with a striking admission of his own limits, saying that God alone truly holds and pulls all the strings, like a puppeteer, and that he himself has no independent power at all.
मराठी: तुकाराम इथे युक्तिवाद करतात की देवाने त्यांना आता सोडून देणे योग्य नाही, जर त्याला खरोखरच कृपाळू म्हणवायचे असेल, कारण आधीच्या प्रत्येक भक्ताला त्याने आधार दिला आहे आणि कोणालाही उपेक्षिले नाही. आपली वेळ आल्यावरच देव का लपून बसतो, तरीही सगळ्या विश्वाचे पालनपोषण लपूनच करत राहतो, असा थेट प्रश्न ते विचारतात. सर्व प्राणिमात्रांवर खरी दया दाखवावी, ती केवळ बोलण्यापुरती नव्हे तर विश्वास ठेवण्याजोगी असावी अशी ते विनवणी करतात, आणि आपले मन व बुद्धी स्थिर होऊन आपल्याच हाती यावी अशी मागणी करतात. शेवटी ते आपल्या मर्यादांची स्पष्ट कबुली देतात — देवच खरा सूत्रधार आहे, तोच सगळ्या दोऱ्या हलवतो, आणि आपल्याकडे स्वतंत्र सत्ता काहीच नाही.
Where this applies
- When you feel abandoned right when you most need support, after having trusted for a long time
- When you hold someone to their own claimed values, pointing out that consistency matters
- When you ask for a steadier, clearer mind so you can act well instead of feeling scattered
- When you honestly admit how little control you actually have over your own circumstances