संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 390 of 4582

Abhanga 390

English: Hari — Your kāmti is sāmvaḷī — I am gōrī cāmpē-kaḷī — with Your darśana I will become kāḷī — people will reject me.

When the gōpī protests Krishna's attentions even while drawn — and you have to recognize this register
When your darśana would blacken my fair skin (= mark me as His) — and you accept this paradox
When He makes you jīvanmukta by enjoying — and you receive this closing claim

The verse

हरी तुझी कांति रे सांवळी । मी रे गोरी चांपेकळी । तुझ्या दर्शनें होईन काळी । मग हें वाळी जन मज ॥१॥ उगला राहें न करीं चाळा । तुज किती सांगों रे गोवळा । तुझा खडबड कांबळा । अरे नंदबाळा आलगटा ॥ध्रु.॥ तुझिये अंगीं घुरट घाणी । बहु खासी दुध तुप लोणी । घरिचें बाहेरिल आणोनी । मी रे चांदणी सकुमार ॥२॥ मज ते हांसतील जन । धिःकारिती मज देखोन । अंगीं तुझें देखोनि लक्षण । मग विटंबणा होइल रे ॥३॥ तुज लाज भय शंका नाहीं । मज तंव सज्जन पिशुन व्याही । आणीक मात बोलूं काहीं । मसी भीड नाहीं तुज माझी ॥४॥ वचन मोडी नेदी हात । कळलें न साहे ची मात । तुकयास्वामी गोपीनाथ । जीवन्मुक्त करूनि भोगी ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: Hari — Your kāmti is sāmvaḷī — I am gōrī cāmpē-kaḷī — with Your darśana I will become kāḷī — people will reject me. Stay quiet — don't play cāḷā — how often to tell, gōvaḷā — Your khaḍa-baḍa kāmbaḷāalagaṭā Nanda-bāḷā. In Your body — stinks — You eat much milk, ghee, butter — bringing from outside-house — I am tender cāmdaṇī. People will laugh at me, dishonor me on seeing — seeing Your lakṣaṇa in (my) body — viṭambanā will happen. You have no lāja, bhaya, śankā — for me, sajjana, piśuna-vyāhī — some other matter to talk — You have no bhīḍa for me. Doesn't break vacana, gives no hand — understood, can't bear the matter — Tukya-svāmī Gopīnātha — making jīvanmukta, enjoys.

मराठी: हरी तुझी कांति सांवळी — मी गोरी चांपेकळी — तुझ्या दर्शनें होईन काळी — मग हें वाळी जन मज. उगला राहें न करीं चाळा — तुज किती सांगों गोवळा — तुझा खडबड कांबळा — अरे नंदबाळा आलगटा. तुझिये अंगीं घुरट घाणी — बहु खासी दुध तुप लोणी — घरिचें बाहेरिल आणोनी — मी रे चांदणी सकुमार. मज ते हांसतील जन — धिःकारिती मज देखोन — अंगीं तुझें देखोनि लक्षण — मग विटंबणा होइल. तुज लाज भय शंका नाहीं — मज तंव सज्जन पिशुन व्याही — आणीक मात बोलूं काहीं — मसी भीड नाहीं तुज माझी. तुकाराम म्हणतां — वचन मोडी नेदी हात — कळलें न साहे ची मात — तुकयास्वामी गोपीनाथ — जीवन्मुक्त करूनि भोगी.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
हरी तुझी कांति रे सांवळी "Hari — Your kāmtisāmvaḷī"
मी रे गोरी चांपेकळी "I — gōrīcāmpē-kaḷī"
तुझ्या दर्शनें होईन काळी "with Your darśana — I'll become kāḷī"
मग हें वाळी जन मज "people will reject me"
उगला राहें न करीं चाळा "stay quiet — don't play cāḷā"
तुज किती सांगों रे गोवळा "how often to tell, gōvaḷā"
तुझा खडबड कांबळा "Your khaḍa-baḍa kāmbaḷā (rough blanket)"
अरे नंदबाळा आलगटा "alagaṭā Nanda-bāḷā (mischievous Nanda-child)"
तुझिये अंगीं घुरट घाणी "in Your body — ghuraṭa-ghāṇī (heavy-stinks)"
बहु खासी दुध तुप लोणी "You eat much milk, ghee, butter"
घरिचें बाहेरिल आणोनी "bringing from outside-house"
मी रे चांदणी सकुमार "I am a tender cāmdaṇī (moon-girl)"
मज ते हांसतील जन "people will laugh at me"
धिःकारिती मज देखोन "dishonor me on seeing"
अंगीं तुझें देखोनि लक्षण "seeing Your lakṣaṇa in (my) body"
मग विटंबणा होइल रे "viṭambanā will happen"
तुज लाज भय शंका नाहीं "You have no lāja, bhaya, śankā"
मज तंव सज्जन पिशुन व्याही "for me — sajjana, piśuna-vyāhī"
आणीक मात बोलूं काहीं "some other matter to talk"
मसी भीड नाहीं तुज माझी "You have no bhīḍa (consideration) for me"
वचन मोडी नेदी हात "doesn't break vacana — gives no hand"
कळलें न साहे ची मात "understood, can't bear the matter"
तुकयास्वामी गोपीनाथ "Tukya-svāmī Gopīnātha"
जीवन्मुक्त करूनि भोगी "making jīvanmukta — enjoys"

What it means

A gōpī-protests-Krishna's-attentions abhang. The gōpī catalogues complaints — but the closing reveals the bhakti-truth. Six claims:

  1. हरी तुझी कांति रे सांवळी — मी रे गोरी चांपेकळी — तुझ्या दर्शनें होईन काळी — मग हें वाळी जन मजHari, Your kāmti is sāmvaḷī — I am gōrī cāmpē-kaḷī — with Your darśana I'll become kāḷī — people will reject me. The opening-protest: Hari is dark-blue; the gōpī is fair; if she keeps the darśana, she will be marked as His (= become kāḷī); people will reject. The fear of being marked as the deva's.

  2. उगला राहें न करीं चाळा — तुज किती सांगों रे गोवळा — तुझा खडबड कांबळा — अरे नंदबाळा आलगटाstay quiet, don't play tricks — how often to tell, gōvaḷā — Your khaḍa-baḍa kāmbaḷā — alagaṭā Nanda-bāḷā. The ironic-chiding: stay quiet; how often must I tell?Your rough-blanket, mischievous Nanda-child. The protest is comic-affectionate.

  3. तुझिये अंगीं घुरट घाणी — बहु खासी दुध तुप लोणी — घरिचें बाहेरिल आणोनी — मी रे चांदणी सकुमारYour body stinks — You eat much milk-ghee-butter — bringing from outside-house — I am tender moon-girl. The catalogue-of-complaints: Your body smells (of butter); You eat much; You bring stolen-stuff from house-to-house; I am a tender moon-girl. The contrast between the rough-cowherd Krishna and the tender-moon-girl gōpī.

  4. मज ते हांसतील जन — धिःकारिती मज देखोन — अंगीं तुझें देखोनि लक्षण — मग विटंबणा होइल रेpeople will laugh, dishonor me — seeing Your sign in my body — viṭambana will happen. The social-fear: people will see Your lakṣaṇa (mark) in my body and dishonor me; viṭambana will happen.

  5. तुज लाज भय शंका नाहीं — मज तंव सज्जन पिशुन व्याही — आणीक मात बोलूं काहीं — मसी भीड नाहीं तुज माझीYou have no shame-fear-doubt — for me, sajjana piśuna-vyāhī — other matter — You have no bhīḍa for me. The complaint: You don't have shame, fear, doubt; (but) for me there are sajjana and piśuna-vyāhī (good-folk and slanderous-in-laws); You have no consideration for me.

  6. वचन मोडी नेदी हात — कळलें न साहे ची मात — तुकयास्वामी गोपीनाथ — जीवन्मुक्त करूनि भोगीdoesn't break vacana, gives no hand — understood, can't bear matter — Tukya-svāmī Gopīnātha — making jīvanmukta, enjoys. The closing-revelation: He doesn't break His vacana (word, vow); He doesn't give the hand (i.e. doesn't let go); the matter understood, can't be borne; Tukya-svāmī Gopīnātha — making (her) jīvanmukta — enjoys. The closing reveals that all this protest is the rasa of jīvanmukti-by-bhogaKrishna makes the gōpī jīvanmukta by enjoying her**.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the gōpī-protests-yet-is-jīvanmukta register:

  1. His darśana* will mark you — and people will reject. Tujhyā darśanē hōīna kāḷī — vāḷī jana maja. Recognize that being marked-as-His brings social-cost; but don't avoid the darśana for that reason*.

  2. His cāḷā (play) is alagaṭā* (rough)— but don't dismiss. Khaḍa-baḍa kāmbaḷā — alagaṭā Nanda-bāḷā. His play is rough; chide affectionately; don't dismiss as crude*.

  3. His lakṣaṇa in your body brings viṭambana*. Angīm tujhē dēkhōnī lakṣaṇa — viṭambanā hōīla. The mark of the deva in your life invites mockery from the world; prepare for it*.

  4. He has no lāja, bhaya, śankā* — but you do. Tuja lāja bhaya śankā nāhīm — maja sajjana piśuna-vyāhī. The deva is unconditioned; the bhakta is socially-conditioned. The dual-condition is the bhakta's reality*.

  5. He doesn't break His vacana — He makes you jīvanmukta* by enjoying. Vacana mōḍī nēdī hāta — jīvanmukta karūnī bhōgī. The closing-revelation: the deva's vacana is unbroken; He doesn't release; (and the deepest truth) — He makes you jīvanmukta (liberated-while-living) by bhōga (enjoying). The protest is rasa; the truth is jīvanmukti*.

For today: don't avoid the deva's darśana for fear of being marked; recognize His play as rough but affectionate; prepare for viṭambana from the world; recognize the dual-condition (His unconditioned-ness, your social-conditioning); trust that He makes you jīvanmukta by bhōga*.

This abhang is one of Tukaram's most-comic-deep gōpī-bhakti abhangs: the protest is the comedy; the closing is the deepest revelation. Jīvanmukti-by-bhōga is Krishna's-loving-enjoyment-of-the-bhakta as the liberation-mechanismone of the deepest claims of bhakti-mokṣa-equation.

मराठी: ही ओवी gōpī-protests-yet-is-jīvanmukta register नाव सांगते:

  1. त्याचं darśana* तुम्हाला mark करेल — लोक reject करतील. तुझ्या दर्शनें होईन काळी — वाळी जन मज. His-marked होणं social-cost आणतं ओळखा; पण darśana avoid नका त्या reason ने*.

  2. त्याचा cāḷā (play) alagaṭā* (rough) — dismiss नका. खडबड कांबळा — अलगटा नंदबाळा. Play rough; affectionately chide; Crude म्हणून dismiss नका*.

  3. तुमच्या body मध्ये त्याचं lakṣaṇaviṭambana* आणतं. अंगीं तुझें देखोनि लक्षण — विटंबणा होइल. जगाकडून mockery invitation; Prepare व्हा*.

  4. त्याला lāja, bhaya, śankā* नाही — तुम्हाला आहेत. तुज लाज भय शंका नाहीं — मज सज्जन पिशुन व्याही. Deva unconditioned; bhakta socially-conditioned. Dual-condition bhakta ची reality*.

  5. त्याचं vacana तुटत नाही — bhōga ने तुम्हाला jīvanmukta* करतो. वचन मोडी नेदी हात — जीवन्मुक्त करूनि भोगी. Closing-revelation: Deva चं vacana unbroken; release करत नाही; (आणि deepest truth) — bhōga ने तुम्हाला jīvanmukta करतो. Protest rasa; truth jīvanmukti*.

आज: Marked होण्याच्या भीतीने deva चं darśana avoid नका; His play rough but affectionate ओळखा; जगाच्या viṭambana साठी prepare व्हा; Dual-condition (त्याचं unconditioned-ness, तुमचं social-conditioning) ओळखा; He makes you jīvanmukta by bhōga trust करा.

Tukaram च्या most-comic-deep gōpī-bhakti abhangs पैकी एक: Protest comedy; closing deepest revelation. Jīvanmukti-by-bhōgaKrishna चं loving-enjoyment-of-the-bhakta liberation-mechanismbhakti-mokṣa-equation च्या deepest claims पैकी एक.

Where this applies

Related verses