Abhanga 4544
Shelter and protection go to everyone equally, regardless of caste or background, based only on sincere devotion, while those who did nothing often convince themselves they carried the real weight.
The verse
कृपावंतें हाक दिली सकळिकां । माजिया रे नका राहों कोणी ॥१॥
निघाले या भेणे पाउसाच्या जन । देखे गोवर्धन उचलिला ॥२॥
लाविले गोपाळ फेरीं चहूंकडे । हांसे काफुंदे रडे कोणी धाकें ॥३॥
धाकें हीं सकळ निघालीं भीतरी । उचलिला गिरी तयाखालीं ॥४॥
तयाखालीं गाईं वत्सें आलीं लोक । पक्षी सकळिक जीवजाति ॥५॥
जिहीं म्हणविलें हरीचे अंकित । जातीचे ते होत कोणी तरी ॥६॥
जाति कुळ नाहीं तयासि प्रमाण । अनन्या अनन्य तुका म्हणे ॥७॥
त्यांसि राखे बळें आपुले जे दास । कळिकाळासि वास पाहों नेदी ।१॥
पाउस न येतां केली यांची थार । लागला तुषार येऊं मग ॥२॥
येउनि दगड बैसतील गिरी । वरुषला धारीं शिळाचिये ॥३॥
शळिांचिये धारीं वरुषला आकांत । होता दिवस सात एक सरें ॥४॥
एक सरें गिरि धरिला गोपाळीं । होतों भाव बळी आम्ही ऐसे ॥५॥
ऐसें कळों आलें देवाचिया चित्ता । म्हणे तुम्हीं आतां हात सोडा ॥६॥
हांसती गोपाळ करूनि नवल । आइकोनि बोल गोविंदाचे ॥७॥
दावितील डोया गुडघे कोपर । फुटले ते भार उचलितां ॥८॥
भार आम्हांवरि घालुनि निराळा । राहिलासी डोळा चुकवुनि ॥९॥
निमित्य अंगुळी लावियेली बरी । पाहों कैसा गिरी धरितोसि ॥१०॥
सिणले हे होते ठायींच्या त्या भारें । लटिकें चि खरें मानुनियां ॥११॥
यांणीं अंत पाहों आदरिला याचा । तुका म्हणे वाचा वाचाळ ते ॥१२॥
Literal translation
A 19-verse yamak-bandha — krpāvanta-shouts-all-come-inside / Govardhana-lifted-seen / Gopāḷas-in-four-directions-laugh-fumble-cry / by-fear-all-went-inside-under-mountain / cows-vatsas-loka-birds-jīva-jātis-came / those-who-called-themselves-Hari's-ankita-whoever-jāti-they-were / JĀTI-KUḶA-NĀHĪṂ-PRAMĀṆA-ANANYĀ-ANANYA (no jāti or kuḷa is criterion — only ananya-of-ananya) / Lord-protects-by-strength-Kaḷikāḷa-can't-see / shelter-made-before-rain-came / stones-fell-stone-mountain / 7-days-akānta-rained / one-end-giri-held-by-Gopāḷas-thought-they-strong / Lord-says-now-let-go-hands / Gopāḷas-laugh-novel / show-knees-elbows-broken-by-load / put-load-on-us-stayed-separate-eye-elusive / just-one-finger-nimitya-see-how-you-held / tired-by-load-taking-laṭikēm-as-real / tried-to-test-Lord — Tukā: vāchāḷa they.
What it means
A MAJOR 19-verse yamak-bandha — Tukārām's most-developed Govardhana-uddhāraṇa-climax. The radical anti-caste claim: jāti-kuḷa nāhīm tayāsi pramāṇa — ananyā ananya — for the Lord, no caste or lineage is criterion — only the ananya-of-ananya (the truly-single-minded). This statement appears in the narrative-context of Lord-shelters-cows-vatsas-people-birds-jīva-jātis under-the-mountain — all-creatures of-any-jāti receive-shelter-equally. Other notable moves: (a) the 7-days-continuous stone-rain narrative-detail, (b) the Gopāḷas-thought-they-helped-lift-the-mountain comic-detail — Lord-let-them-think-so as bhakta-ego-game, then-they-tried-to-test-him-by-saying we-broke-our-knees-and-elbows-from-the-load — you-just-put-your-finger — Tukārām calls-them-vāchāḷa (garrulous, vain-talkers). This adds-comic-realism to the Bhāgavata-narrative. Pair with 4543 (preceding), 4546 (continuing climax), 2810 (saints-list), 4275 (caste-democratization saints-list).
For someone today
As stones rain down for seven days, Krishna calls everyone to shelter under the mountain he is holding, and cows, calves, birds, people, and creatures of every kind crowd in together, because, as Tukaram states plainly, no caste or lineage decides who deserves shelter, only single-minded devotion matters. Meanwhile the cowherds, who did nothing but stand nearby, convince themselves they helped lift the mountain, showing off bruised knees and elbows as proof, when in truth Krishna held it all on a single finger and simply let them feel useful. Tukaram calls their boasting empty talk. Real protection does not check anyone's background before including them, and it is worth noticing how easily people take credit for what was really carried by someone else.
मराठी: सात दिवस दगडांचा पाऊस कोसळत असताना कृष्ण सगळ्यांना पर्वताच्या आसऱ्याखाली बोलावतो, आणि गाई, वासरे, पक्षी, माणसे, सर्व प्रकारचे जीव एकत्र आत जमतात, कारण तुकाराम स्पष्ट सांगतात की आसरा कोणाला मिळावा हे जात किंवा वंश ठरवत नाही, फक्त एकनिष्ठ भक्तीच ठरवते. दरम्यान, जवळ उभे राहण्याशिवाय काहीच न केलेले गोपाळ स्वतःला पटवून देतात की आपणच पर्वत उचलण्यास मदत केली, आणि पुरावा म्हणून आपले सुजलेले गुडघे आणि कोपर दाखवतात, तर प्रत्यक्षात कृष्णाने तो संपूर्ण भार एकाच बोटावर पेलला होता आणि त्यांना फक्त उपयोगी वाटू दिले. तुकाराम त्यांच्या बढाईला पोकळ बडबड म्हणतात. खरे संरक्षण कोणाच्याही पार्श्वभूमीची चौकशी न करता सगळ्यांना सामावून घेते, आणि प्रत्यक्षात दुसऱ्याने पेललेल्या ओझ्याचे श्रेय माणूस किती सहज स्वतःकडे घेतो हे लक्षात घेण्यासारखे आहे.
Where this applies
- When a community shelters everyone in a crisis regardless of background or status
- When someone takes credit for work that was really carried by someone else
- When you notice that real belonging depends on sincerity, not on where you come from
- When a group faces a long ordeal together and only realizes afterward who actually held things up