Abhanga 39
English: This abhang is for the moment when you feel you have arrived too late to whatever community, tradition, or moment you wanted to be part of. The saints have eaten — meaning the founders, the great practitioners, the ones who did the heavy lifting are gone. What remains for you is leftover-scraps. Tukaram's reframe: the leftovers are the prasad. Late-arrival is not disqualification; it is the exact position the tradition was preparing for you. The previous saints' work has produced something that is now available to anyone willing to ask, and the asking is the only credential.
The verse
जेविले ते संत मागें उष्टावळी । अवघ्या पत्रावळी करुनी झाडा ॥१॥ सोवळ्या ओंवळ्या राहिलों निराळा । पासूनि सकळां अवघ्यां दुरीं ॥ध्रु.॥ परें परतें मज न लागे सांगावें । हें तों देवें बरें शिकविलें ॥२॥ दुसर्यातें आम्ही नाहीं आतळत । जाणोनि संकेत उभा असे ॥३॥ येथें कोणीं कांहीं न धरावी शंका । मज चाड एका भोजनाची ॥४॥ लांचावला तुका मारितसे झड । पुरविलें कोड नारायणें ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: The saints have eaten — leftover scraps remain; we sweep the leaf-plates clean. From pure-and-impure (rules), I have stayed apart — far from everyone. No one need tell me to keep my distance — God has taught me well. We do not "touch" anyone (= cause defilement); knowing the signal, He stands (ready). Let no one harbour any doubt about this — I want only one meal. The greedy Tuka swoops down — Narayana has fulfilled the longing.
मराठी: संत जेवून गेले — मागे उष्टावळी; पत्रावळी झाडून घेतो. सोवळ्या-ओंवळ्याच्या नियमांपासून मी निराळा राहिलो — सर्वांपासून दूर. परं-परतं मला कुणी सांगायला नको — देवानेच चांगलं शिकवलं. दुसऱ्याला आम्ही 'बाटवत' नाही; तो संकेत जाणून उभा आहे. इथे कुणी शंका धरू नका — मला फक्त एकाच भोजनाची ओढ. लांचावलेला तुका झडप मारतो — नारायणाने कोड पुरवलं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| जेविले ते संत मागें उष्टावळी | "the saints have eaten — behind, the leftover-scraps" |
| पत्रावळी करुनी झाडा | "we make a sweep of (clean up) the leaf-plates" (पत्रावळी = leaf-plate used as dish) |
| सोवळ्या ओंवळ्या राहिलों निराळा | "from pure-and-impure (rules) I have stayed apart" |
| परें परतें मज न लागे सांगावें | "no one needs to tell me 'go far, stay back'" |
| हें तों देवें बरें शिकविलें | "the deity has taught me well" |
| दुसर्यातें आम्ही नाहीं आतळत | "we do not touch the other (= cause defilement)" |
| जाणोनि संकेत उभा असे | "knowing the signal, (he) stands (ready)" |
| मज चाड एका भोजनाची | "I want only one meal" (चाड = strong wanting / appetite) |
| लांचावला तुका मारितसे झड | "the greedy Tuka swoops" (लांचावला = the greedy / longing one; मारितसे झड = makes a darting move) |
| पुरविलें कोड नारायणें | "Narayana fulfilled (my) curiosity / longing" |
What it means
The whole abhang inverts caste-purity. The saints have eaten (eaten = enjoyed prasad / received deep experience); the bhakta arrives late and asks for the leftovers. In the conventional purity hierarchy, eating someone else's leftover (उष्टें) is a defiling act. Tukaram embraces it. The उष्टावळी of saints is precisely the prasad. Late-arrival is not disqualification — it is exactly the right position. [T] [Tradition]
The middle verse is a small social-defense: he is not "polluting" anyone; he is keeping his distance from the purity-game itself. सोवळ्या ओंवळ्या राहिलों निराळा — I have stayed apart from pure-and-impure. The orthodox would have called him impure for wanting the saints' uchchista; Tukaram rejects the frame entirely.
The closing image लांचावला तुका मारितसे झड — the greedy Tuka swoops — names the bhakta's wanting as greedy, not as polite-and-detached. Devotional hunger is intense, even shameless. The deity feeds it.
For someone today
English: This abhang is for the moment when you feel you have arrived too late to whatever community, tradition, or moment you wanted to be part of. The saints have eaten — meaning the founders, the great practitioners, the ones who did the heavy lifting are gone. What remains for you is leftover-scraps. Tukaram's reframe: the leftovers are the prasad. Late-arrival is not disqualification; it is the exact position the tradition was preparing for you. The previous saints' work has produced something that is now available to anyone willing to ask, and the asking is the only credential.
The unexpected teaching is the greedy register. Tukaram does not approach as a polite seeker; he approaches as a लांचावला — a greedy, longing one — and swoops. The deity prefers this to the polite-and-uncertain seeker. Wanting the meal is the qualification. If you have wanted spiritual food and have not asked because you felt you had no right to — the abhang is permission to swoop.
मराठी: ही ओवी अशा क्षणासाठी जेव्हा तुम्हाला वाटतं तुम्ही खूप उशिरा आलात — कोणत्या समुदाय, परंपरा, क्षणाला तुम्हाला सामील व्हायचं होतं. संत जेवून गेले — म्हणजे founders, मोठे साधक, ज्यांनी कठीण काम केलं ते गेले. तुमच्यासाठी जे उरलं ते उष्टावळी. तुकारामांचं पुनर्व्याख्यान: उष्टावळीच प्रसाद आहे. उशिरा-येणं अपात्रता नाही; तीच अचूक जागा परंपरेने तुमच्यासाठी तयार केली होती. आधीच्या संतांच्या कामाने जे निर्माण केलं ते आता कुणाही मागणाऱ्याला उपलब्ध — आणि मागणं हीच एकमेव credential.
अनपेक्षित शिकवण लांचावला register मध्ये. तुकाराम सभ्य शोधक म्हणून येत नाहीत; लांचावला म्हणून — आसक्त, ओढाळ — झडप मारतात. देव सभ्य-आणि-अनिश्चित शोधकापेक्षा हेच पसंत करतो. भोजनाची ओढ हीच पात्रता. तुम्हाला आध्यात्मिक अन्न हवं असेल पण "हक्क नाही" म्हणून मागितलं नसेल — ओवी झडप मारायची परवानगी आहे.
Where this applies
- When you feel you arrived too late to the table. The leftovers are the prasad. Eat.
- When others did the heavy lifting and you have access to what they produced. Receive without shame.
- When wanting spiritual food and having no qualification. Wanting it is the qualification.