Abhanga 334
This abhang is Tukaram's honest-self-recognition:
The verse
म्हणवितों दास । मज एवढी च आस ॥१॥ परी ते अंगीं नाहीं वर्म । करीं आपुला तूं धर्म ॥ध्रु.॥ बडबडितों तोंडें । रितें भावेंविण धेंडें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे बरा । दावूं जाणतों पसारा ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: I get-myself-called dāsa — I have only this much āsa. But — no varma in body — do your dharma. I babble with mouth — empty ḍhēṇḍē without bhāva. Tuka says: bara — I know-how to show pasāra.
मराठी: म्हणवितों दास — मज एवढी च आस. परी ते अंगीं नाहीं वर्म — करीं आपुला तूं धर्म. बडबडितों तोंडें — रितें भावेंविण धेंडें. तुकाराम म्हणतां — बरा — दावूं जाणतों पसारा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| म्हणवितों दास | "I get-myself-called dāsa**" |
| मज एवढी च आस | "I have only this much āsa (desire / hope / aspiration)" |
| परी ते अंगीं नाहीं वर्म | "but — no varma in (my) body" |
| करीं आपुला तूं धर्म | "do your dharma**" |
| बडबडितों तोंडें | "I babble with the mouth" |
| रितें भावेंविण धेंडें | "empty ḍhēṇḍē (drum / tube) without bhāva**" |
| बरा दावूं जाणतों पसारा | "good — I know-how to show pasāra (display)" |
What it means
A short honest-self-recognition abhang. Three claims:
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म्हणवितों दास — मज एवढी च आस — I get-myself-called dāsa — I have only this much āsa. The opening-honesty. I let-myself-be-called-dāsa (= take the title-of-servant). I have only-this-much āsa (= my whole desire is just this much, this small claim). The self-claim is modest: I am called dāsa, I have only this much aspiration.
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परी ते अंगीं नाहीं वर्म — करीं आपुला तूं धर्म — but no varma in body — you do your dharma. The honest-confession. No varma (secret-substance) in my body — I am the dāsa-in-name, but the dāsa-substance is missing. Therefore, you (deva) do your-dharma — I cannot earn this; you must do it. (Compare 304 bring-to-anubhava what you make me speak; same petition for deva to make-real what bhakta cannot*.)
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बडबडितों तोंडें — रितें भावेंविण धेंडें — babble with mouth — empty ḍhēṇḍē without bhāva. The honest-self-critique. I babble with the mouth (mouth-only speech). Like an empty ḍhēṇḍē (a hollow-tube / drum) without bhāva. (Compare 256 empty-stones-in-a-hopper without Viṭṭhal-coin; 304 salt-jīva-sampādaṇī-guṇa-kanyā-putra.)
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तुका म्हणे बरा — दावूं जाणतों पसारा — bara — I know-how to show pasāra. The closing-self-irony. Pasāra — display, spread, pretentious-arrangement. Bara — good (sarcastic). Good — I know-how-to-show-pasāra. (I am good at) the display, the spread, the pretentious-show. Self-irony: I excel at the form-without-substance.
[T]
For someone today
This abhang is Tukaram's honest-self-recognition:
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Self-claim only as dāsa-in-name; āsa is small. Don't claim more than dāsa-in-name; the āsa is modest.
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Recognize the missing-varma in body. Angī nāhī varma. I take the title; but the substance is missing. The honest-confession is not self-deprecation as performance; it is self-recognition that the body-vessel does not have the varma.
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Petition: deva, do your dharma. Karī āpulā tūm dharma. Since I cannot make-the-substance, you must. The dharma-of-the-deva is to grant-the-varma where the bhakta calls-himself-dāsa-but-lacks-substance. (Compare 304's deva must bring-to-anubhava what he makes the bhakta speak; same petition.)
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Recognize the empty-ḍhēṇḍē without bhāva. Ritē ḍhēṇḍē bhāvē-vīṇa. Mouth-babble without bhāva = empty hollow-tube. The body-mouth produces sound; the bhāva-absence makes it hollow-noise.
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Self-irony: I'm good at the pasāra (display). Bara — dāvūm jāṇatōm pasāra. The closing-self-irony. I excel at the show, the form, the pretentious-display. The self-recognition is honest about the displayed-aspect.
For today: honestly recognize when you take a title (dāsa, bhakta, sant, devotee) but lack the substance; recognize the empty-ḍhēṇḍē mouth-babble; recognize your skill at pasāra-display; petition the deva to do-the-dharma where you cannot.
This abhang is important for self-honesty in bhakti: don't pretend the title is the substance; honestly recognize the gap and petition for it to be filled by the deva.
मराठी: ही ओवी Tukaram चं honest-self-recognition:
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फक्त dāsa-in-name च self-claim; āsa लहान. Dāsa-in-name पेक्षा अधिक claim करू नका; āsa modest.
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Body मध्ये missing-varma ओळखा. अंगीं नाहीं वर्म. मी title घेतो; पण substance missing आहे. Honest-confession self-deprecation as performance नाही; body-vessel ला varma नाही याची self-recognition.
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Petition: देवा, तुझा dharma कर. करीं आपुला तूं धर्म. मी substance बनवू शकत नाही, तू बनव. देवाचा dharma — bhakta जो स्वतःला-dāsa-म्हणतो-पण-substance-नसलेला असतो — त्याला varma grant करणं**.
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Empty-ḍhēṇḍē without bhāva ओळखा. रितें भावेंविण धेंडें. Bhāva-शिवाय mouth-babble = empty hollow-tube. Body-mouth sound produce करतं; bhāva-absence त्याला hollow-noise करतं.
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Self-irony: मी pasāra (display) मध्ये चांगला. बरा — दावूं जाणतों पसारा. Closing-self-irony. Show, form, pretentious-display मध्ये excel. Self-recognition displayed-aspect बद्दल honest.
आज: कधी तुम्ही title घेता (dāsa, bhakta, sant, devotee) पण substance lack करता honestly ओळखा; empty-ḍhēṇḍē mouth-babble ओळखा; pasāra-display मध्ये तुमची कौशल्य ओळखा; देवाला dharma करायला petition करा जिथे तुम्ही करू शकत नाही.
ही ओवी bhakti मध्ये self-honesty साठी महत्त्वाची: title substance आहे असं pretend करू नका; honestly gap ओळखा आणि देवाला तो भरायला petition करा.
Where this applies
- Take title only as dāsa-in-name; āsa is small.
- Recognize missing-varma in body; petition deva.
- Empty-ḍhēṇḍē without bhāva = hollow-noise.
- Self-irony: I excel at pasāra-display.