Abhanga 4463
Ask to be accepted exactly as you are, flaws included, the way the philosopher's stone turns iron to gold without first inspecting its faults.
The verse
आसावलें मन जीवनाचें ओढी । नामरूपीं गोडी लावियेली ॥१॥
काय तुझे पायीं नाहीं भांडवल । माझे मिथ्या बोल जाती ऐसे ॥ध्रु.॥
काय लोखंडाचे पाहे गुणदोष । सिवोन परीस सोनें करी ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे माझें अवघें असों द्यावें । आपुलें करावें ब्रीद साच ॥३॥
Literal translation
Mind-pulled-by-life's-current — Name-rūpa-gōḍī-set. What-no-bhāmḍavala-at-your-feet — my-mithyā-bōla-go. What-iron's-guṇa-dōṣa-look — touching-paris-makes-gold. Tukā: let-my-everything-stay — make-your-bīrudā-true.
What it means
A 3-verse no-qualification-needed prayer. The mind has been pulled by the current of life — you have set sweetness in the Name-form. What — is there no treasure-stock at your feet — that my false-words should go un-redeemed like this? Why look at iron's qualities and faults — when by touching, the philosopher's-stone makes it gold? Tukā says: let everything of mine be as it is — make your vow-claim true. The argument: the paris (philosopher's stone) doesn't-examine the iron's-qualities — it just-touches and turns-it-to-gold. So-too, the Lord shouldn't-examine the bhakta's faults — just-touch and transform. The closing make-your-bīrudā-true puts the burden on the Lord — his vow-of-saving-the-fallen is what's at-stake. Pair with 2787 (bhakti-redeems-fallen), 4063-area no-qualification-prayers.
For someone today
Tukārām admits his mind keeps getting pulled around by the current of ordinary life, yet God has planted a real sweetness in his Name that keeps drawing him back. He asks boldly, don't you have enough treasure at your feet to make good on me, so why should my flawed, unreliable words just go to waste unredeemed? He makes his case with a simple image: the philosopher's stone doesn't stop to inspect iron for its good or bad qualities before touching it, it just touches it and turns it to gold regardless. So he asks to be accepted exactly as he is, faults included, and asks God to make his own promise of saving people true by doing the same for him.
मराठी: तुकाराम स्पष्टपणे कबूल करतात की त्यांचे मन रोजच्या जीवनाच्या प्रवाहात सतत ओढले जाते, तरीही परमेश्वराने नामात अशी गोडी पेरली आहे की ती त्यांना पुन्हा पुन्हा ओढून आणते. ते ठामपणे विचारतात, तुझ्या पायाशी इतकी संपत्ती नाही का की माझ्यासाठी वापरता येईल, मग माझे चुकीचे, अविश्वसनीय शब्द असेच वाया का जावेत? ते एक साधे उदाहरण देतात: परीस लोखंडाचे गुणदोष तपासत बसत नाही, तो फक्त स्पर्श करतो आणि लोखंडाचे सोने बनवतो. म्हणून ते विचारतात की मला जसा आहे तसाच, दोषांसकट, स्वीकारावे, आणि जे वचन तू दिलेस ते माझ्याबाबतीतही खरे करून दाखवावेस.
Where this applies
- When you feel unworthy of grace because of your own flaws, doubts, or unreliable follow through
- When you're waiting to be perfect before you allow yourself to feel close to something sacred
- When you want to be accepted exactly as you are instead of only after you've fixed yourself
- When you're holding someone to a promise they made and asking them to follow through despite your imperfections