Abhanga 166
This abhang names the equity-property of real grace. If you have been worried that the bhakti-economy is unfair — they got more, I got less — Tukaram's Krishna says no. The spout-holder controls. अधिक उणें नेदी एका.
The verse
शिंकें लावियेलें दुरी । होतों तिघांचे मी वरी ॥१॥ तुम्ही व्हारे दोहींकडे । मुख पसरूनि गडे ॥ध्रु.॥ वाहाती त्या धारा । घ्यारे दोहींच्या कोंपरा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे हातीं टोका । अधिक उणें नेदी एका ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: The shikā is tied far up — I am above the three of you. You stand on both sides, mouths spread open, comrades. Those streams flow — take with both elbows / corners. Tuka says: with the pouring-spout in hand, I will not let one have more or another less.
मराठी: शिंकं दूरवर उंच लावलंय — मी तिघांच्या वर आहे. तुम्ही दोन्हीकडे व्हा — मुख पसरून, गडे. त्या धारा वाहत आहेत — दोन्ही कोंपरांनी (कोपरा / कोणा-तून) घ्या. तुकाराम म्हणतात — हातात टोका (वाटी-तोंड), अधिक-उणं एकालाही देत नाही.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| शिंकें लावियेलें दुरी | "the shikā (hanging cradle for milk-pots) is tied (high) far up" |
| होतों तिघांचे मी वरी | "I am above the three of you" |
| तुम्ही व्हारे दोहींकडे | "you stand on both sides" |
| मुख पसरूनि गडे | "with mouth spread open, comrades" |
| वाहाती त्या धारा | "those streams flow" |
| घ्यारे दोहींच्या कोंपरा | "take with both elbows / both corners" |
| हातीं टोका | "with the toka (spout / pouring-beak) in hand" |
| अधिक उणें नेदी एका | "I will not let one have more or another less" |
What it means
A shikā-stealing abhang. The shikā (शिंकें) is the rope-hung overhead cradle that Vraja-women used to keep milk-and-butter pots out of reach of children and cats. The standard Krishna-leelā: child Krishna and his comrades (Sudama, Subala, Madhumangala et al.) build human-pyramids to reach the shikā, knock it down, and share the milk and butter.
Here Tukaram is Krishna's voice — I am above, you stand on either side, mouths open. The closing line is the structural claim: अधिक उणें नेदी एका — I will not let one have more or another less. The deity-as-distributor enforces equity in the gift. The shikā-feast is not first-come-first-served; the spout-holder (the deity) maintains the equity.
The image is cherished in warkari tradition as the first of the kālā-cluster — the children's-feast at the riverbank's pre-history (the milk first stolen from the shikā, then enjoyed at Yamunā-tat). [T]
For someone today
This abhang names the equity-property of real grace. If you have been worried that the bhakti-economy is unfair — they got more, I got less — Tukaram's Krishna says no. The spout-holder controls. अधिक उणें नेदी एका.
But there is a receiving-condition: मुख पसरूनि — mouth spread open. The equity is enforced in the gift; the receipt requires the open-mouth posture. If you are not standing-on-the-side-with-mouth-open, the stream does not reach you — not because Krishna favored someone else, but because the receiving-posture was missing.
For today: check the receiving-posture before complaining about the distribution. Are you standing where the stream flows? Is your mouth open?
मराठी: ही ओवी खऱ्या grace च्या equity-property चं नाव सांगते. bhakti-economy unfair वाटत असेल — त्यांना जास्त, मला कमी — तुकारामांचा कृष्ण म्हणतो नाही. टोका-धरणारा control करतो. अधिक उणें नेदी एका.
पण receiving-condition आहे: मुख पसरूनि — मुख पसरून. equity gift मध्ये enforce आहे; receipt ला open-mouth posture लागते. बाजूला-मुख-उघडं-नसेल — धारा पोहोचत नाही — कृष्णाने कुणाला favor केलं म्हणून नाही, receiving-posture missing आहे म्हणून.
आज: distribution बद्दल तक्रार करण्याआधी receiving-posture check करा. धारा वाहते तिथे उभे आहात का? मुख उघडं आहे का?
Where this applies
- Worried about unfair distribution in bhakti-economy. अधिक उणें नेदी एका.
- In dispenser/teacher role. Honor the equity-discipline.
- Mouth not open while complaining about no-stream. Check posture first.