Je Ka Ranjale Ganjale — Sant Tukaram Abhanga
Sant Tukaram's abhanga defining a true saint as one who embraces the distressed as his own, declaring that God is found in such a person.
Verses
Whoever embraces the afflicted and the suffering as their very own, know him alone to be a true saint; and realize that God Himself is truly present right there.
Verse 1
Just as fresh butter is infinitely soft both inside and out, so is the heart of a saintly soul. One who has no refuge or protector in this world, he gathers him close and holds him to his heart.
Verse 2
The boundless love and tenderness one bestows upon one's own child, he extends the very same compassion to his servants and maids. Tuka says: how much more can I say? Such a compassionate soul is the living manifestation of God Himself!
Verse 3
Worship Guidelines & Chanting Benefits (Phalashruti)
Daily or auspicious lunar days (Ekadashi, Purnima, Pradosham)
Brahma Muhurta (4:00 AM – 6:00 AM) or Evening Dusk (Sandhya)
Ghee lamp (Deepa), Incense (Dhoopa), Fresh flowers & Water offering
- Peace of mind, spiritual upliftment, and harmonious energy in the home
Background
Sant Tukaram (1608–1650) was a poet-saint of the Warkari tradition in Maharashtra, devoted to Lord Vitthal of Pandharpur. Composed in the folk abhanga form, 'Je Ka Ranjale Ganjale' is widely regarded as an ethical high point of the Bhakti movement. It defines a saint not by ritual but by active compassion toward the distressed, and it holds that God dwells in such a person. Mahatma Gandhi translated the abhanga into English while in Yerwada Jail in 1930, and the translation was published in his anthology Songs from Prison.
About this Text
Composed by: Sant Tukaram · Medieval Warkari Poet-Saint · 17th century, Maharashtra
A householder-saint of the Warkari tradition from Dehu, Maharashtra, who composed thousands of Abhangas (devotional verses) to Vitthal in plain, direct Marathi, often reflecting on his own hardships, doubts, and everyday struggles as a grain merchant.
More by Sant Tukaram
Did You Know?
Gandhi's translation
While imprisoned at Yerwada in 1930, Mahatma Gandhi translated this abhanga into English as 'That man is true who taketh to his bosom the afflicted'. It was published in his anthology Songs from Prison (1934).
Sadhu lakshana
The abhanga is known as the classic statement of the marks of a true saint (sadhu lakshana). In the Tukaram Gatha it appears under different numbers in different editions, and a scan on archive.org carries the same stanzas as this page.
The butter metaphor
Verse 2 compares a good person's heart to fresh butter (mridu sabahya navaneeta), soft inside and out. Such compassion is seamless, with no hypocrisy between feeling and action.
Servants as one's own children
Verse 3 says the kindness one shows a son should be shown equally to servants, men and women, and ends with Tukaram's 'Tuka mhane': such a person is a living image of God.
Vitthal
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The same teaching, echoed across traditions