Abhanga 4406
Every ritual, gift, and vow means something only when it is offered wholeheartedly to God, who becomes the true resting place for your restless mind.
The verse
करोनि स्नानविधि आणि देवधर्म । क्रिया नित्यनेम तुजसाटीं ॥१॥
तुजलागीं दानें तुजलागीं तीर्थे । सकळ ही व्रतें तुजलागीं ॥ध्रु.॥
सकळ चित्तवृत्ति दिवस आणि राती । आवडशी प्रीती नारायणा ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे याहो पवित्राच्या राया । प्राणविसावया पांडुरंगा ॥३॥
Literal translation
Snāna-vidhi-deva-dharma — nitya-nēma-for-you. Dāna-tīrtha-vrata — for-you. All-chitta-vrtti-day-night — āvaḍa-prīti-Nārāyaṇa. Tukā: pavitrāchyā-rāyā — prāṇa-viśavāyā-Pāṇḍurangā.
What it means
A 3-verse full-dedication text. Doing bath-rites and god-duties — every act, every daily-rule is for your sake. Gifts (are) for you; pilgrimages for you; all vows for you. All mind-disposition, day and night — you are dear and beloved, Nārāyaṇa. Tukā says: oh-yes, king-of-purity — the rest-place-of-life-breath, Pāṇḍurangā. The complete-redirection: every-ritual-and-attitude is directed-to-Nārāyaṇa. The closing prāṇa-viśavāyā (the resting-place-of-prāṇa) is striking — Pāṇḍurangā as the rest-stop where life-breath comes to peace. Pair with 4356 (Name-replaces-rituals — Keśava-Nārāyaṇa-while-āchamana = sandhyā-snāna-karma-kriyā).
For someone today
Tukaram declares that every ritual he performs, his daily bathing rites, his religious duties, his charity, his pilgrimages, his vows, is not for its own sake but entirely for God. Even his whole state of mind, day and night, stays fixed on loving Narayana. He ends by calling Panduranga the true resting place of his very breath, the place where his restless life finally comes to peace. Outward religious practice means little unless your heart's whole attention is quietly turned toward the one you love.
मराठी: तुकाराम सांगतात की ते जे काही करतात - स्नानविधी, देवधर्म, दानधर्म, तीर्थयात्रा, व्रते - हे सगळे स्वतःसाठी नसून पूर्णपणे देवासाठी आहे. दिवसरात्र त्यांची सगळी चित्तवृत्तीसुद्धा नारायणावरील प्रेमातच स्थिर असते. शेवटी ते पांडुरंगाला आपल्या प्राणाचे खरे विसाव्याचे ठिकाण म्हणतात, जिथे त्यांचे अस्वस्थ जीवन अखेर शांत होते. बाह्य धार्मिक कृती तेव्हाच अर्थपूर्ण ठरते जेव्हा मनाचे पूर्ण लक्ष शांतपणे आपल्या प्रिय देवाकडे वळलेले असते.
Where this applies
- When you go through religious rituals out of habit and want to remember why you do them
- When you give charity or make a pilgrimage and wonder who it is really for
- When your mind wanders through the day and you want to bring your attention back to what matters
- When you feel exhausted and need to remember there is a place where your restlessness can finally rest