Abhanga 4552
The Lord protects his devotees quietly, often removing danger before they even realize it was coming.
The verse
यांसि समाचार सांगतों सकळा । चलावें गोकुळा म्हणे देव ॥१॥
देव राखे तया आडलिया काळें । देव सुखफळें देतो दासां ॥२॥
दासां दुःख देखों नेदी आपुलिया । निवारी आलिया न कळतां ॥३॥
नाहीं मेघ येतां जातां देखियेला । धारीं वरुषला शिळांचिये ॥४॥
एवढें भक्तांचें सांकडें अनंता । होय निवारिता तुका म्हणे ॥५॥
Literal translation
News-to-all — let's-go-Gokul-says-Deva. Deva-protects-when-Kāla — gives-sukha-fruits-to-dāsas. Doesn't-let-dāsas-see-duḥkha — removes-before-arriving-unbeknown. Cloud-not-seen-coming-going — stones-rained. Sankaḍa-of-bhaktas-Anantā — Tukā: removes.
What it means
A 5-verse yamak-bandha — Deva-announces-let's-go-to-Gokul, summarizing-the-protection-doctrine: Deva-protects-when-Kāla-troubles, gives-sukha-fruits, doesn't-let-dāsas-see-duḥkha — removes-unbeknown — even-the-stones-rain-was-removed-without-anyone-seeing-clouds-coming-or-going — such-great-calamity-Anantā-removes. Foundational claim of Lord's-quiet-protection. Pair with 4543 (Lord-clears-path-ahead), 4551 (preceding chain).
For someone today
God quietly protects his devotees before trouble even reaches them. Tukaram recalls Krishna calling everyone to move to Gokul, and how a fierce rain of stones once fell on the village without anyone even seeing the clouds gather, yet the devotees came to no harm. He does not wait for his people to suffer; he removes hardship in advance, often without them ever knowing danger was near. No matter how enormous the calamity, the Infinite is capable of dissolving it.
मराठी: देव आपल्या भक्तांचे रक्षण संकट पोहोचण्याआधीच शांतपणे करतो. तुकाराम आठवण करून देतात की कृष्णाने सर्वांना गोकुळात जाण्यास सांगितले, आणि एकदा ढग दिसलेही नसताना गावावर दगडांचा भयंकर पाऊस कोसळला, तरीही भक्तांना काहीही इजा झाली नाही. तो आपल्या भक्तांना दुःख सोसू देत नाही; संकट येण्याआधीच, त्यांना कळण्याआधीच तो ते दूर करतो. कितीही मोठे संकट असो, तो अनंत ते नाहीसे करण्यास समर्थ आहे.
Where this applies
- When you're anxious about a crisis you can sense coming but can't yet see clearly
- When you look back and realize a disaster somehow passed you by without harming you
- When you feel like you're facing hardship completely alone and unprotected
- When you need reassurance that even overwhelming trouble can be resolved before it fully lands