संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 443 of 4582

Abhanga 443

Allah and the divine name you already call out are not two separate things, and true devotion drops rank, bargaining, and ego to meet quietly at that one place.

When Allah is one, Nabī is one — recognition — and you have to recognize this register

When no small-big distinction; meet at one place — and you accept this unity

When the mute is kept at the feet — and you receive this protection

The verse

आवल नाम आल्ला बडा लेते भुल न जाये । इलाम त्याकालजमुपरताही तुंब बजाये ॥१॥ आल्ला एक तुं नबी एक तुं ॥ध्रु.॥ काटतें सिर पावों हात नहीं जीव उराये । आगले देखे पिछले बुझे । आपें हजुर आयें ॥२॥ सब सबरी नचाव म्याने । खडा आपनी सात । हात पावों रखते जबाब । नहीं आगली बात ॥३॥ सुनो भाई बजार नहीं । सब हि निरचे लाव । नन्हा बडा नहीं कोये एक ठोर मिलाव ॥४॥ एक तार नहीं प्यार । जीवतनकी आस । कहे तुका सो हि मुंढा । राखलिये पायेनपास ॥५॥ ॥३॥

Literal translation

The āval name Allah is great — taking, don't get deluded — knowing — in the kāla-jamu above this — strike the tumba. Allah ek tu, Nabī ek tu. Cutting head-feet-hands — no jīva remains — sees ahead and behind — Himself became hāzar. All sabarī danced in the middle — staying with own — hand-foot, the answers ready — no agalī talk. Listen brother — no bāzāra — all niraścē-lāva — no small-big, no one — meet at one ṭhōra. No ēka-tāra love — jīvatana-kī hope — Tuka says: that mute — kept at pāyē-na-pāsa. (॥३॥)

मराठी: आवल नाम आल्ला बडा — लेते भुल न जाये — इलाम त्याकालजमुपरताही तुंब बजाये. आल्ला एक तुं नबी एक तुं. काटतें सिर पावों हात — नहीं जीव उराये — आगले देखे पिछले बुझे — आपें हजुर आयें. सब सबरी नचाव म्याने — खडा आपनी सात — हात पावों रखते जबाब — नहीं आगली बात. सुनो भाई बजार नहीं — सब हि निरचे लाव — नन्हा बडा नहीं कोये — एक ठोर मिलाव. तुकाराम म्हणतां — एक तार नहीं प्यार — जीवतनकी आस — सो हि मुंढा राखलिये पायेनपास. (॥३॥)

Word-by-word gloss

Hindavi/Marathi	Meaning
आवल नाम आल्ला बडा	"the āval (original) name Allah is great"
लेते भुल न जाये	"taking, don't get deluded"
इलाम त्याकालजमुपरताही तुंब बजाये	"knowing — kāla-jamu (death-judgment) above this — strike tumba"
आल्ला एक तुं नबी एक तुं	"Allah ek tu, Nabī ek tu"
काटतें सिर पावों हात नहीं जीव उराये	"cutting head-feet-hands — no jīva remains"
आगले देखे पिछले बुझे आपें हजुर आयें	"ahead-behind seen — Himself became hāzar"
सब सबरी नचाव म्याने खडा आपनी सात	"all sabarī danced in middle — staying with own"
हात पावों रखते जबाब नहीं आगली बात	"hand-foot the answers ready — no agalī talk"
सुनो भाई बजार नहीं	"listen brother, no bāzāra"
सब हि निरचे लाव	"all niraścē-lāva"
नन्हा बडा नहीं कोये एक ठोर मिलाव	"no small-big, no one — meet at one ṭhōra"
एक तार नहीं प्यार	"no ēka-tāra love"
जीवतनकी आस	"jīvatana-kī (life-body) hope"
कहे तुका सो हि मुंढा राखलिये पायेनपास	"Tuka says: that mute — kept at pāyē-na-pāsa"

What it means

A Hindavi-fakir-Allah-Nabī-unity abhang. Third of the cluster. The closing ॥३॥ marker likely indicates 3 abhangs of this fakir-form (or a section-counter). Six claims:

आवल नाम आल्ला बडा — लेते भुल न जाये — इलाम त्याकालजमुपरताही तुंब बजाये — āval-name Allah is great — taking, don't get deluded — knowing in kāla-jamu above this — strike tumba. The opening-claim: the original-nameAllahis great; taking it, don't get deluded; knowing-this-truth above thekāla-jamu(death-day-judgment /yawm al-din) — strike thetumba(drum / gourd / signal). The Allah-name above the death-judgment.
आल्ला एक तुं नबी एक तुं — Allah ek tu, Nabī ek tu. The unity-refrain: Allah is one — You; Nabī (Prophet) is one — You. The Sufi-tauhīd-claim: Allah and Nabī are not-two; (You are) the One. Tukaram in the explicit Sufi-tauhīd register. (Compare Kabīr's same move — Rāma-Rahīma are not two.)
काटतें सिर पावों हात — नहीं जीव उराये — आगले देखे पिछले बुझे — आपें हजुर आयें — cutting head-feet-hands — no jīva remains — sees ahead and behind — Himself became hāzar. The all-cut-Allah-hāzar claim: though head, feet, hands are cut — nojīva-remainder(no separate-life-stream); (He) sees ahead and behind; Himself has becomehāzar(present). Allah isHāzir-and-Nāzir— present-and-witnessing. Even after dismemberment, no other remains.
सब सबरी नचाव म्याने — खडा आपनी सात — all sabarī danced in middle — staying with own. The patience-women image: all thesabarī(patience-women) danced in the middle;staying with one's own.In the company of patience-virtues, the dance happens.
सुनो भाई बजार नहीं — सब हि निरचे लाव — नन्हा बडा नहीं कोये — एक ठोर मिलाव — listen brother, no bāzāra — all niraścē-lāva — no small-big, no one — meet at one ṭhōra. The anti-bāzāra-meet-at-one-place claim: listen brother, this is nobāzāra(market); all isniraścē-lāva(without-distinction-attached); nonahnā-baḍā(small-big), no one (separated); meet at oneṭhōra(place). Anti-distinction; meet-at-the-One.
एक तार नहीं प्यार — जीवतनकी आस — कहे तुका सो हि मुंढा राखलिये पायेनपास — no ēka-tāra love — jīvatana-kī hope — Tuka says: that mute kept at the feet. The closing-image: no single-thread love (= no exclusive-personal); onlyjīvatana-kī āsa(life-body-hope); Tuka says: thatmute one—kept at the pāyē-na-pāsa (the feet-place / near-the-feet).The mute-fakir kept-at-the-feet.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang speaks in the language of Sufi devotion to say that Allah and the divine name you already know are not two different things. Whatever name you call out, if you hold to it without confusion, it leads to the same presence. Even when everything you thought made you who you are is stripped away, nothing separate is left standing except that presence. This is not a marketplace where devotion is bought, sold, or ranked by status. Everyone meets in the same place, and the truest position is quiet and humble, close to the feet of the divine.

मराठी: हा अभंग सूफी भाषेत सांगतो की अल्लाह आणि तुम्ही आधीच ओळखत असलेले परमेश्वराचे नाव वेगळे नाहीत. तुम्ही कोणतेही नाव घेतले तरी, त्यात न गोंधळता खरेपणाने राहिलात, तर ते त्याच उपस्थितीपर्यंत घेऊन जाते. तुम्ही जे आहात असे वाटते ते सगळे हिरावले तरी त्या उपस्थितीशिवाय दुसरे काही उरत नाही. ही काही बाजारपेठ नाही जिथे भक्ती विकत घेतली, विकली किंवा दर्जानुसार मोजली जाते. सगळे एकाच ठिकाणी भेटतात, आणि खरी जागा नम्र, शांत आणि परमेश्वराच्या पायाजवळची असते.

Where this applies

Allah-name great; don't be deluded. Highest-name.
Allah-Nabī One. Sufi-tauhīd.
Even dismemberment reveals no separate self. Hāzir-Allah.
Not a bāzāra; meet at one place. Anti-market.
Mute, kept at the feet. Silence-presence.

Bhakti kept-at-the-feet