Abhanga 414
True devotion, not outward ritual or location, is what makes a shrine real, and Vithai answers a heartfelt vow immediately, without any delay.
The verse
साच माझा देव्हारा । भाक ठेवा भाव खरा । त्रिगुणाचा फुलवरा । आणा विनति सांगतों ॥१॥ माझें दैवत हें रंगीं । नाचे वैष्णवांच्या संगीं । भरलें मग अंगीं । निवाड करी दोहींचा ॥ध्रु.॥ तुझें आहे तुजपासीं । परि तूं जागा चुकलासी । चिवडुनियां नासी । तुझ्या घरिच्यांनीं केली ॥२॥ आतां न पडे ठावें । वांचूनियां माझ्या देवें । अंधकार व्हावें । नासु ठाव शोधावा ॥३॥ आंधळ्यासी डोळे । देते पांगुळासी पाय । वांजा पुत्र फळे । नवस पुरविते विठाई ॥४॥ उगविलीं कोडीं । मागें कितेकांचीं बापुडीं । तुका म्हणे घडी । न लगे नवस द्या आधीं ॥५॥
Literal translation
True my dēvhārā — keep oath — true bhāva — tri-guṇa-phulvarā — bring my vinati. My daivata dances in ranga with vaiṣṇavas — filled in anga — makes nivāḍa of both. Yours is with you — but You missed the place — cīvaḍunīyām nāsi by Your homemates. Now — without my deva — no place — must find nāśu-ṭhāva in darkness. To blind — eyes; to cripple — feet; to barren — fruit — Viṭhāī fulfills vows. Solved many kōḍī of bāpuḍīm — Tuka says: no ghaḍī — give navasa first.
मराठी: साच माझा देव्हारा — भाक ठेवा भाव खरा — त्रिगुणाचा फुलवरा — आणा विनति सांगतों. माझें दैवत हें रंगीं नाचे वैष्णवांच्या संगीं — भरलें मग अंगीं निवाड करी दोहींचा. तुझें आहे तुजपासीं परि तूं जागा चुकलासी — चिवडुनियां नासी तुझ्या घरिच्यांनीं केली. आतां न पडे ठावें वांचूनियां माझ्या देवें — अंधकार व्हावें नासु ठाव शोधावा. आंधळ्यासी डोळे — पांगुळासी पाय — वांजा पुत्र फळे — नवस पुरविते विठाई. तुकाराम म्हणतां — उगविलीं कोडीं मागें कितेकांचीं बापुडीं — घडी न लगे नवस द्या आधीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| साच माझा देव्हारा | "true is my dēvhārā" |
| भाक ठेवा भाव खरा | "keep an oath — true bhāva" |
| त्रिगुणाचा फुलवरा | "tri-guṇa-phulvarā" |
| आणा विनति सांगतों | "bring my vinati" |
| माझें दैवत हें रंगीं नाचे वैष्णवांच्या संगीं | "my daivata — dances in ranga with vaiṣṇavas" |
| भरलें मग अंगीं निवाड करी दोहींचा | "filled in anga — makes nivāḍa of both" |
| तुझें आहे तुजपासीं परि तूं जागा चुकलासी | "yours is with you — but You missed the place" |
| चिवडुनियां नासी तुझ्या घरिच्यांनीं केली | "homemates have done cīvaḍunīyām nāsi" |
| आतां न पडे ठावें वांचूनियां माझ्या देवें | "now — without my deva — no place" |
| अंधकार व्हावें नासु ठाव शोधावा | "darkness — find nāśu-ṭhāva" |
| आंधळ्यासी डोळे देते पांगुळासी पाय वांजा पुत्र फळे | "to amdhaḷā — eyes; pānguḷā — feet; vāñjā — fruit" |
| नवस पुरविते विठाई | "Viṭhāī fulfills vows" |
| उगविलीं कोडीं मागें कितेकांचीं बापुडीं | "solved kōḍī — many poor-folk's" |
| न लगे नवस द्या आधीं | "no ghaḍī — give navasa first" |
What it means
A Viṭhāī-as-vow-fulfilling-kuḷa-svāminī ḍānkā abhang. Second of the ḍānkā cluster. Six claims:
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साच माझा देव्हारा — भाक ठेवा भाव खरा — त्रिगुणाचा फुलवरा — आणा विनति सांगतों — true my dēvhārā — keep oath, true bhāva — tri-guṇa-phulvarā — bring my vinati. The opening-call: mydēvhārā(deity-shrine) is the true one; keep an oath, with truebhāva; bring thetri-guṇa-phulvarā(flower-garland of the three guṇas — i.e. offer the entire guṇa-ground); bring myvinati(request).
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माझें दैवत हें रंगीं नाचे वैष्णवांच्या संगीं — भरलें मग अंगीं निवाड करी दोहींचा — my daivata dances in ranga with vaiṣṇavas — filled in anga, makes nivāḍa of both. The Viṭhāī-in-bhakta's-body claim: my deity dances in therangawith thevaiṣṇavas; (Viṭhāī) fills theanga (body); makesnivāḍa(resolution / decree) of both (the deity and the bhakta). Possession-trance: deity-fills-body.
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तुझें आहे तुजपासीं परि तूं जागा चुकलासी — चिवडुनियां नासी तुझ्या घरिच्यांनीं केली — yours is with you — but You missed the place — homemates have done cīvaḍunīyām nāsi. The Viṭhāī-misplaced claim: what is yours (the deity-power) is with You — but You have missed your place; Your homemates havecīvaḍunīyām nāsi(mistreated, manhandled, neglected). Even the deva can be misplaced or neglected by the household.
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आतां न पडे ठावें वांचूनियां माझ्या देवें — अंधकार व्हावें नासु ठाव शोधावा — now — without my deva — no place — must find nāśu-ṭhāva in darkness. The deva-loss claim: now, without my deva, no place is findable; the darkness — one must find anāśu-ṭhāva(destroyed-place / lost-place). Without the deva, even orientation fails.
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आंधळ्यासी डोळे — पांगुळासी पाय — वांजा पुत्र फळे — नवस पुरविते विठाई — to blind eyes, to cripple feet, to barren fruit — Viṭhāī fulfills vows. The miracle-claim: Viṭhāī gives eyes to the blind, feet to the cripple, fruit to the barren; Viṭhāī fulfillsnavasa(vows). Standard kuḷa-svāminī miracle-list, applied to Viṭhāī.
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उगविलीं कोडीं मागें कितेकांचीं बापुडीं — तुका म्हणे घडी न लगे नवस द्या आधीं — solved many kōḍī of bāpuḍīm — Tuka says: no ghaḍī, give navasa first. The closing-immediacy: (Viṭhāī has) solved manykōḍī(riddles, problems) ofbāpuḍīm(poor-folk); not aghaḍī(moment) is needed — give thenavasafirst. Vow-immediacy: thenavasaitself triggers fulfillment.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram declares that his shrine is genuine because his devotion is genuine, and he asks that a real vow be made with a true heart. His deity dances among the devotees and fills their very bodies, deciding what is right for both. He notices something poignant: even a family's own deity can be neglected or mistreated by the household that should honor it, and without a living connection to God, a person loses all sense of direction. Yet Vithai is famous for fulfilling vows, giving sight to the blind, legs to the lame, children to the childless, and Tukaram insists there is no need to wait: make your vow now, and trust it will be answered.
मराठी: तुकाराम सांगतात की त्यांचा देव्हारा खरा आहे कारण त्यांची भक्ती खरी आहे, आणि खऱ्या मनाने नवस बोलण्याची विनंती करतात. त्यांची देवता भक्तांमध्ये नाचते आणि त्यांच्या शरीरातच भरून राहते, आणि दोघांसाठी योग्य ते ठरवते. एक हृदयस्पर्शी गोष्ट ते नोंदवतात, खुद्द घरातील देवतेकडेही घरच्या माणसांकडून दुर्लक्ष होऊ शकते. देवाशी जिवंत नाते नसेल तर माणसाला दिशाच सापडत नाही. तरीही विठाई नवस पुरवण्यासाठी प्रसिद्ध आहे, आंधळ्याला दृष्टी, पांगळ्याला पाय, निपुत्रिकाला संतान देते, आणि तुकाराम ठामपणे सांगतात की वाट पाहण्याची गरज नाही, आत्ताच नवस बोला आणि तो पूर्ण होईल यावर विश्वास ठेवा.
Where this applies
- True dēvhārā; true bhāva-oath. Bhakti-frame.
- Viṭhāī fills the anga. Possession-mode.
- Even deva can be misplaced by family. Check.
- Vow-fulfilling for impossible. Miracle-list.
- No moment; give navasa first. Immediacy.