Abhanga 91
When family life has scorched you, old burdens still weigh you down, and no one shows you compassion, call out to God by his own reputation as protector of the lowly, since that name obliges him to come.
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
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; helper 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. दीनांचा नाथ दीनासाठी यायलाच लागतो; असहायांचा सहाय्यक असहायांसाठी यायलाच लागतो. 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.