Abhanga 4470
When you can't sustain devotion or effort on your own strength, it's enough to ask honestly for help rather than pretending you don't need it.
The verse
अनाथाचा सखा ऐकिला प्रताप । होसि कृपावंत मजवरि ॥१॥
माझिया गा चित्ति करिं शिकवण । जेणें तुझे चरण जोडतील ॥ध्रु.॥
जोडोनियां कर येतों काकुलती । रकुमाईंच्या पति कृपावंता ॥२॥
हरुषें निर्भर करीं माझें मन । दाखवीं चरण पांडुरंगा ॥३॥
तुझे भेटीविण जन्म गेलां वांयां । भजन कराया शक्ति नाहीं ॥४॥
न घडे तुझी सेवा न घडे पूजन । जन्मोनि निष्कारण जाऊं पाहे ॥५॥
तुका म्हणे हरि करावें या काय । भजनासि साहए होई बापा ॥६॥
Literal translation
Anāthāñchā-sakhā-pratāpa-heard — be-krpāvanta-to-me. Teaching-to-chitta — feet-bind. Folded-hands-kākulati-coming — Rakumāī's-pati-krpāvantā. Harṣa-nirbhara-mana — show-feet-Pāṇḍurangā. Without-bhēṭī-janma-vāyā — śakti-not-for-bhajana. Sēvā-pūjana-not-happen — going-niṣkāraṇa. Tukā: Hari-what-to-do — help-bhajana-bāpa.
What it means
A 6-verse anāthāñchā-sakhā petition. I have heard the glory — you are the friend of the orphan — be compassionate upon me. To my mind, give instruction — by which I bind your feet. Folding hands, I come pleading piteously — Rakumāī's husband, compassionate-one. Fill my mind with joy — show me your feet, Pāṇḍurangā. Without your meeting, the birth has gone in vain — I do not have the strength to do worship. Your service does not get done, worship does not get done — I will go without-purpose from this birth it seems. Tukā says: Hari — what is to be done in this — be helper to my worship, O father. The structure: (a) heard-your-glory-as-anātha-sakhā — (b) please-give-me-teaching-to-bind-feet — (c) kākulatī-petition-to-Rakumāī-pati — (d) without-bhēṭī-janma-vāyā — (e) be-sāhya-to-bhajana-bāpa.
For someone today
Tukārām writes this as a plain, personal plea to a God he's heard is a true friend to the orphan and the defenseless, and he simply asks to be included in that mercy. He admits his own mind needs to be taught, guided into something that actually keeps him bound to God's feet, because he can't get there on willpower alone. He comes with folded hands, pleading openly, not performing strength he doesn't have, and asks to be filled with joy and simply shown God's presence. He's honest that without that connection, his whole life feels wasted, and that he doesn't even have the strength on his own to keep up devotion or worship properly. So his final request is refreshingly simple, he doesn't ask to be made strong himself, he asks God to be the helper who carries his worship for him.
मराठी: तुकाराम ही एक साधी, वैयक्तिक विनवणी लिहितात, अशा परमेश्वराला ज्याच्याबद्दल त्यांनी ऐकले आहे की तो अनाथांचा आणि असहायांचा खरा मित्र आहे, आणि ते फक्त त्या कृपेत स्वतःलाही सामावून घेण्याची विनंती करतात. ते कबूल करतात की त्यांच्या मनाला शिकवण हवी आहे, अशी की जी त्यांना परमेश्वराच्या चरणांशी खरोखर बांधून ठेवेल, कारण नुसत्या इच्छाशक्तीने ते तिथवर पोहोचू शकत नाहीत. ते हात जोडून, उघडपणे विनवणी करत येतात, नसलेली ताकद दाखवण्याचा आव न आणता, आणि मन आनंदाने भरून त्यांना फक्त परमेश्वराचे दर्शन दाखवावे अशी विनंती करतात. ते प्रामाणिकपणे सांगतात की या भेटीशिवाय त्यांचे संपूर्ण आयुष्य व्यर्थ वाटते, आणि स्वतःच्या बळावर भक्ती किंवा पूजा नीट टिकवण्याची ताकदही त्यांच्यात नाही. म्हणून त्यांची शेवटची विनंती अगदी साधी आहे, ते स्वतःला बलवान बनवा असे मागत नाहीत, तर परमेश्वरानेच त्यांची भक्ती पुढे नेण्यास मदत करावी असे मागतात.
Where this applies
- When you feel unequipped to keep up a spiritual or personal practice on your own willpower
- When you're asking for help honestly instead of pretending you have it all together
- When you feel like your life or effort has been aimless without a real sense of connection to something greater
- When you need to admit you can't carry something alone and ask someone stronger to help carry it with you