Holding God's feet, no bargain
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
बोलिलेती ते देवॠषी दुर्वासया । जाय पुसावया मागत्यानें ॥1॥
मागुता दुर्वास पुसे बिळराया । निरोप जावया देई देवा ॥ध्रु.॥
बळी ह्मणे त्यासी जाय मी न ह्मणें । जाईल नारायण लागला ची ॥2॥
मजपाशीं राहें कोठें तरीं जाय । तुका ह्मणे पाय न सोडीं मी ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The divine sage spoke, and the Lord told Durvasa to go and ask Bali once more for permission to leave. Durvasa again approached the king of the netherworld and asked for leave. Bali replied: I do not say go, but I shall not let Narayana depart once He is here. Stay with me, or go wherever you wish. Says Tuka, I will not release these feet.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The divine sage spoke to Durvasa: go again and ask, since he is the one to ask. Once more Durvasa asks the king of the underworld: give the word for Him to leave, lord. Bali says to him: I do not say go; once Narayana has come, He will be made to leave only over me. Stay with me, or go where you will. Tuka says: I will not let go of these feet.
What it means
The scene repeats: the sage is sent back to beg Bali for the Lord's release, and again Bali refuses to be the one who sends God away. He offers the sage a place or his leave, but will not loosen his own hold on the Lord. The closing line, I will not let go of these feet, is the whole abhanga's heart, spoken now in the devotee's own voice. It is the posture Tukaram holds out as the goal: once you have grasped God's feet, you do not bargain them away for anything, not even at a sage's request.
Sacred Stories
Abhangas drawing on mythological narratives to illuminate spiritual truths.
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