Abhanga 491
Kanhoba, Tukaram's elder brother, offers a strikingly simple prayer: he calls himself a poor man addressing the Lord of Lakshmi, joins his hands, and asks for exactly one thing — that God be near him during kirtana, the time of sacred recitation and singing. He asks God to hold to this one promise no matter what else he might request later in weaker or more scattered moments. It's a lesson in narrowing your prayer down to what truly matters instead of asking for everything at once.
The verse
ऐकें वचन कमळापती । मज रंकाची विनंती ॥१॥ कर जोडितों कथाकाळीं । आपण असावें जवळी ॥ध्रु.॥ घेई ऐसी भाक । मागेन जरि कांहीं आणिक ॥२॥ तुकयाबंधु म्हणे देवा । शब्द इतुका राखावा ॥३॥
Literal translation
Hear vacana — Kamaḷā-pati — ranka's vinamtī. Hands joined — kathā-kāḷī — please be near. Take this bhāka — even if I ask anything else. Tukyā-bamdhu says: deva — keep at least this śabda.
मराठी: ऐकें वचन कमळापती — मज रंकाची विनंती. कर जोडितों कथाकाळीं — आपण असावें जवळी. घेई ऐसी भाक — मागेन जरि कांहीं आणिक. तुकयाबंधु म्हणतां — देवा — शब्द इतुका राखावा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ऐकें वचन कमळापती | "hear the vacana — Kamaḷā-pati" |
| मज रंकाची विनंती | "ranka's vinamtī" |
| कर जोडितों कथाकाळीं | "hands joined — kathā-kāḷī" |
| आपण असावें जवळी | "please be near" |
| घेई ऐसी भाक | "take this bhāka" |
| मागेन जरि कांहीं आणिक | "even if I ask anything else" |
| शब्द इतुका राखावा | "keep at least this śabda" |
What it means
A short kathā-time-please-be-near petition abhang. First of the Tukyā-bamdhu (Kānhōbā) cluster (491-496) — six consecutive abhangs by Tukaram's elder brother Kānhōbā. Three claims:
-
ऐकें वचन कमळापती — मज रंकाची विनंती — hear vacana, Kamaḷā-pati — ranka's vinamtī. The opening-petition: hear thevacana(word),Kamaḷā-pati(Lord-of-Lakṣmī = Viṣṇu); this is aranka(poor-man)'svinamtī(request). Address asKamaḷā-pati, self asranka.
-
कर जोडितों कथाकाळीं — आपण असावें जवळी — hands joined at kathā-time — please be near. The single-request: with hands joined — atkathā-kāḷī(kathā-time = the time of recitation / kīrtana), please be near. Be near at the kathā-time.
-
घेई ऐसी भाक — मागेन जरि कांहीं आणिक — take this oath — even if I ask anything else later. The contractual-claim: take thisbhāka(oath / pledge) — even if I should ask anything else later (don't refuse this one). This is the one-essential-request.
-
तुकयाबंधु म्हणे देवा — शब्द इतुका राखावा — Tukyā-bamdhu says: deva, keep at least this śabda. The closing-claim: Tukyā-bamdhu (Kānhōbā) says: deva, keep at least thisśabda(word / promise). Minimum-promise-asked.
[T]
For someone today
Kanhoba, Tukaram's elder brother, offers a strikingly simple prayer: he calls himself a poor man addressing the Lord of Lakshmi, joins his hands, and asks for exactly one thing — that God be near him during kirtana, the time of sacred recitation and singing. He asks God to hold to this one promise no matter what else he might request later in weaker or more scattered moments. It's a lesson in narrowing your prayer down to what truly matters instead of asking for everything at once.
मराठी: तुकारामांचे मोठे बंधू कान्होबा एक अतिशय साधी प्रार्थना करतात. ते स्वतःला एक गरीब माणूस म्हणवून घेतात आणि लक्ष्मीपतीकडे हात जोडून फक्त एकच गोष्ट मागतात — कीर्तनाच्या वेळी, म्हणजे पवित्र स्मरण आणि गायनाच्या क्षणी, देवाने जवळ असावे. नंतर कमकुवत किंवा विचलित क्षणी आणखी काही मागितले तरी देवाने हे एकच वचन पाळावे अशी ते विनंती करतात. आपली प्रार्थना सर्व गोष्टींसाठी न पसरवता खरोखर महत्त्वाच्या एका गोष्टीवर केंद्रित करण्याचा हा धडा आहे.
Where this applies
- Kamaḷā-pati+ranka address. Asymmetric.
- Kathā-kāḷī-near-petition. Single-request.
- Lock this bhāka. Even if other asks later.
- Keep at least this śabda. Minimum.