Abhanga 91
English: Scorched by samsara's heat, O God — doing the family's service.
The verse
संवसारतापें तापलों मी देवा । करितां या सेवा कुटुंबाची ॥१॥ म्हणऊनी तुझे आठविले पाय । ये वो माझे माय पांडुरंगे ॥ध्रु.॥ बहुतां जन्मींचा जालों भारवाही । सुटिजे हें नाहीं वर्म ठावें ॥२॥ वेढियेलों चोरीं अंतर्बाह्यात्कारीं । कणव न करी कोणी माझी ॥३॥ बहु पांगविलों बहु नागविलों । बहु दिवस जालों कासाविस ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे आतां धांव घाली वेगीं । ब्रीद तुझें जगीं दीननाथा ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: Scorched by samsara's heat, O God — doing the family's service. So I have remembered your feet — come, O my mother Pandurange! I am the burden-carrier of many lifetimes; the secret of being-released — I do not know. I am surrounded by thieves on the inside, the outside, and every side; no one shows compassion to me. I have been made to fall many times, made naked many times; many days I have been agitated. Tuka says: now run, come quickly — your reputation in the world is Lord-of-the-Lowly.
मराठी: संसार-तापाने मी तापलो, देवा — कुटुंबाची सेवा करत. म्हणून तुझे पाय आठवले — ये वो माझे माय पांडुरंगे. अनेक जन्मांचा भारवाही — सुटायचं वर्म ठावे नाही. आत-बाहेर सर्वत्र चोरांनी वेढलो; कुणी कणव करत नाही. बहु पांगवलं, बहु नागवलं; अनेक दिवस कासाविस झालो. तुकाराम म्हणतात — आता धावत वेगाने ये — तुझं ब्रीद जगात दीननाथ आहे.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| संवसारतापें तापलों | "scorched by samsara's heat" |
| करितां या सेवा कुटुंबाची | "doing the family's service" |
| आठविले पाय | "(I) remembered (your) feet" |
| ये वो माझे माय पांडुरंगे | "come, O my mother Pandurange" |
| बहुतां जन्मींचा भारवाही | "burden-carrier across many lifetimes" |
| सुटिजे हें नाहीं वर्म ठावें | "the secret of being-released — I don't know it" |
| वेढियेलों चोरीं अंतर्बाह्यात्कारीं | "I am surrounded by thieves — inside, outside, and on every side" |
| कणव न करी कोणी | "no one shows compassion" |
| बहु पांगविलों बहु नागविलों | "made fall many times, made naked many times" |
| बहु दिवस जालों कासाविस | "many days I have been agitated" |
| धांव घाली वेगीं | "come quickly, running" |
| ब्रीद तुझें जगीं दीननाथा | "your reputation in the world — Lord-of-the-Lowly" (दीननाथ = deity-of-the-helpless) |
What it means
A helpless-cry abhang in classical bhakti voice. Three precise pieces: (1) scorched-by-samsara, (2) burden-of-many-lifetimes, (3) thieves-inside-and-outside, no human compassion. The closing move is theologically clever: ब्रीद तुझें जगीं दीननाथा — your reputation in the world is Lord-of-the-Lowly. Tukaram is invoking the deity's epithet as obligation. If your name in the world is "deity who helps the lowly," then a lowly one calling on you forces the response — by your own reputation. [T] [Tradition]
For someone today
This abhang is for the moment when the daily-life-scorching has become real enough that you can no longer perform composure. The instruction is precise: (1) name the heat — scorched by samsara — without softening; (2) note who isn't coming to help — no human compassion; (3) call the divine by its epithet — not generally, but by the specific name that obligates. Lord-of-the-Lowly is forced to come for the lowly; help-of-the-helpless is forced to come for the helpless. The bhakta's wisdom is in invoking the right epithet. The reputation obliges.
मराठी: ही ओवी अशा क्षणासाठी जेव्हा रोजच्या-जीवनाची ताप इतकी खरी झाली आहे की तुम्ही composure perform करू शकत नाही. सूचना अचूक: (१) ताप नाव सांगा — संसार-तापाने तापलो — सौम्य न करता; (२) कोण मदतीला येत नाहीये नोंदा — कुणी कणव नाही; (३) देवाला त्याच्या ब्रीदाने बोलवा — सामान्यपणे नाही, विशिष्ट नावाने जे bind करतं. दीननाथ दीनासाठी यायलाच लागतो; help-of-helpless helpless साठी. भक्ताचं शहाणपण योग्य ब्रीद invoke करण्यात. ब्रीद bind करतं.
Where this applies
- Daily-life-scorching real, can't perform composure. Name it. Call.
- Inner-saboteurs surrounding, no human reaches. Call by epithet.
- Reminding the divine of its own reputation. The reputation obligates.