Bheti Lagi Jiva Lagalise Aas — Sant Tukaram Abhanga
Sant Tukaram's hymn of longing for God: like the chakor for the moon and a child for its mother, his soul waits for Vitthal.
Verses
My soul longs with desperate yearning to meet Thee, O Lord; day and night, I gaze unceasingly upon the path awaiting Thy arrival.
Verse 1
Just as the full moon is the very life-breath of the Chakor bird, even so does my longing mind await Thy grace.
Verse 2
Like a married daughter longing at Diwali for the messenger from her maternal home, even so do I gaze yearningly at the road to Pandharpur.
Verse 3
A starving infant weeps in unbearable agony, looking only for the comforting arrival of its mother; even so is my state without Thee!
Verse 4
Tuka says: An insatiable spiritual hunger has seized me, O Mother Vitthal! Rush forth swiftly, and feed into my mouth the sweet nectar of Thy divine love!
Verse 5
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
In the Warkari path devotion is not cold contemplation but a child's yearning for its mother, and Vitthal is tenderly called Vithai Mauli. Sant Tukaram (1608–1650) gave that longing its best-known voice in this hymn, abhanga no. 2821 of the Tukaram Gatha. On the Pandharpur Wari, when pilgrims walking long distances grow tired, the song renews their steps with the joy of the coming reunion.
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?
The Metaphor of the Chakor
Ancient Indian poetics holds that the mythical Chakor bird drinks only the cool nectar of moonbeams; similarly, Tukaram's consciousness drinks only the nectar of Vitthal's grace.
Diwali Reunion in Maharashtra
In rural Maharashtra, married daughters traditionally return to their parental home (Maher) for Diwali; Tukaram equates the temple of Pandharpur to this blissful ancestral refuge.
The Universal Cry of the Soul
Tukaram's longing is addressed to God as mother; the images of the chakor, the daughter and the hungry child need no commentary for any listener.
Vitthal
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