Abhanga 4497
Tukaram describes a life so soaked in devotion that Krishna's presence fills every ordinary moment, coming home, doing chores, eating, sleeping, and dreaming, showing what it means for the divine to be woven through daily life.
The verse
नेणतियांसाटीं नेणता लाहान । थिंकोनि भोजन मागे माये ॥१॥
माया दोनी यास बाप नारायणा । सारखी भावना तयांवरी ॥२॥
तयांवरी त्याचा समचित्त भाव । देवकीवसुदेव नंद दोघे ॥३॥
घेउनियां एके ठायीं अवतार । एकीं केला थोर वाढवूनि ॥४॥
उणा पुरा यासी नाहीं कोणी ठाव । सारिखा चि देव अवघियांसी ॥५॥
यासी दोनी ठाव सारिखे अनंता । आधील मागुता वाढला तो ॥६॥
वाढला तो सेवाभक्तिचिया गुणें । उपचारमिष्टान्नें करूनियां ॥७॥
करोनियां सायास मेळविलें धन । तें ही कृष्णार्पण केलें तीहीं ॥८॥
कृष्णासी सकळ गाईं घोडे म्हैसी । समर्पिल्या दासी जीवें भाव ॥९॥
जीवें भावें त्याची करितील सेवा । न विसंबती नांवा क्षणभरी ॥१०॥
क्षणभरी होतां वेगळा तयांस । होती कासावीस प्राण त्यांचे ॥११॥
त्यांचे ध्यानीं मनीं सर्वभावें हरि । देह काम करी चत्ति त्यापें ॥१२॥
त्याचें चि चिंतन कृष्ण कोठें गेला । कृष्ण हा जेविला नाहीं कृष्ण ॥१३॥
कृष्ण आला घरा कृष्ण गेला दारा । कृष्ण हा सोयरा भेटों कृष्णा ॥१४॥
कृष्ण गातां ओंव्या दळणीं कांडणीं । कृष्ण हा भोजनीं पाचारिती ॥१५॥
कृष्ण तयां ध्यानीं आसनीं शयनीं । कृष्ण देखे स्वपनीं कृष्णरूप ॥१६॥
कृष्ण त्यांस दिसे आभास दुश्चितां । धन्य मातापिता तुका म्हणे ॥१७॥
Literal translation
A 17-verse yamak-bandha — for-the-ignorant-Lord-becomes-small-asks-mother-for-food → both-mothers-and-both-fathers-(Devakī/Yashodā Vasudeva/Nanda)-same-bhāvanā → sama-chitta-bhāva → equal-place-Anantā → grew-by-sevā-bhakti-mishtānna → cows-horses-buffaloes-dāsīs all-Krṣṇārpaṇa → jīva-bhāve-sevā-don't-leave-Name-for-moment → when-moment-separate-prāṇa-restless → dhyāna-mana-all-bhāva-Hari → Krṣṇa kōṭhē gēlā / Krṣṇa hā jevilā / Krṣṇa ālā gharā Krṣṇa gēlā dārā / Krṣṇa hā sōyarā bhēṭō Krṣṇa / Krṣṇa ōmvyā daḷaṇīm kāṇḍaṇīm / Krṣṇa bhōjanī pāchāritī / Krṣṇa dhyāna āsana śayana / Krṣṇa svapanīm / Krṣṇa ābhāsa duścchittām — dhanya-mātā-pitā-Tukā says.
What it means
MAJOR A 17-verse yamak-bandha containing the most-famous Krṣṇa-saturated-life refrain in Tukārām's corpus. The opening establishes thetwo-parental-pairs (Devakī-Vasudeva birth-parents + Nanda-Yashodā raising-parents) as receiving equal-bhāvanā-from-Lord. Then the focus turns to the deep devotional-life of the Gokul-parents: not-leaving-the-Name-for-a-moment + when-a-moment-separate-the-prāṇa-becomes-restless + dhyāna-mana-all-Hari-while-body-does-work. The climactic refrain (v13-17) is among the most-quoted in Tukārām's corpus — it shows how a Krṣṇa-saturated life looks: every-coming-and-going, every-grinding-and-pounding-of-grains (kāṇḍaṇīm-daḷaṇīm, the standard women's-work-song-context), every-meal-call, every-dhyāna-and-sitting-and-lying-down, every-dream, even-in-distraction-as-ābhāsa — Krṣṇa Krṣṇa Krṣṇa. The closing: blessed-are-the-mother-father (who-experience-this). This refrain is the foundational Vārkarī model of Krṣṇa-everywhere-in-everyday-life. Pair with 4495 (preceding bāla-līlā), 3098 (Viṭṭhal-mājhā-jīva).
For someone today
Tukaram paints the most vivid picture in his whole corpus of what it looks like when someone's entire life is soaked in devotion. He describes Krishna's parents, both the birth-parents and the parents who raised him, never letting his name leave their lips for even a moment, and the instant he is out of sight their breath itself grows restless with longing. Then comes the famous refrain, Krishna came home, Krishna went out the door, Krishna is family, meeting Krishna, Krishna is sung while grinding grain, Krishna is called at mealtime, Krishna fills their sitting, lying down, and dreaming, Krishna appears even in their distracted daydreaming. Tukaram calls such parents blessed, because their ordinary daily chores and simple family life became completely woven through with the presence of the divine.
मराठी: तुकाराम आपल्या संपूर्ण रचनेतील सर्वात जिवंत चित्र इथे रेखाटतात, जेव्हा एखाद्याचे संपूर्ण आयुष्य भक्तीने पूर्णपणे भिजलेले असते तेव्हा ते कसे दिसते. ते कृष्णाच्या पालकांचे वर्णन करतात, जन्मदाते आणि वाढवणारे दोघेही, जे त्याचे नाव क्षणभरही ओठांवरून जाऊ देत नाहीत, आणि तो नजरेआड होताच त्यांचा श्वाससुद्धा ओढीने अस्वस्थ होतो. मग येतो तो प्रसिद्ध पालुपद, कृष्ण घरी आला, कृष्ण दारातून गेला, कृष्ण हाच नातलग, कृष्णाला भेटणे, दळताना कृष्णाचे गाणे, जेवणाच्या वेळी कृष्णाला हाक, बसणे, झोपणे, स्वप्न पाहणे या सगळ्यात कृष्णच भरून राहिलेला, अगदी विचलित मनातसुद्धा कृष्णच दिसतो. तुकाराम अशा पालकांना धन्य म्हणतात, कारण त्यांचे साधे रोजचे काम आणि कौटुंबिक जीवन देवाच्या उपस्थितीने पूर्णपणे विणलेले होते.
Where this applies
- When you wonder what it would actually feel like to have God present in every single ordinary moment of your day
- When you are doing repetitive daily chores and want to fill that time with something meaningful instead of letting your mind go blank
- When you feel anxious the moment you lose touch with someone or something you deeply love
- When you want a vivid model of what a life completely woven through with devotion could look like