संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 545 of 4582

Abhanga 545

English: Praise mahimā — such vāca none — true pāra not spoken.

When the bhakta finds nothing-of-his-own to offer to the deva — and you have to recognize this register

When even the jīva offered is already the deva's — and you accept this collapse of giving

When there is no thāra to repay the upakāra — and you receive this overwhelm

The verse

वणूप महिमा ऐसी नाहीं मज वाचा । न बोलवे साचा पार तुझा ॥१॥ ठायींची हे काया ठेविली चरणीं । आतां ओवाळुनि काय सांडूं ॥ध्रु.॥ नाहीं भाव ऐसा करूं तुझी सेवा । जीव वाहूं देवा तो ही तुझा ॥२॥ मज माझें कांहीं न दिसे पाहातां । जें तुज अनंता समर्पावें ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे आतां नाहीं मज थार । तुझे उपकार फेडावया ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: Praise mahimā — such vāca none — true pāra not spoken. Ṭhāyī-cī kāyā — placed at feet — ovāḷūm-sāmḍūm what? No such bhāva — Your sevā — jīva — Yours too. Of mine — see — nothing — to arpāvē — Anamta. Tuka says: no thāra for me — to fēḍāvayā Your upakāra.

मराठी: वणूप महिमा ऐसी नाहीं मज वाचा — न बोलवे साचा पार तुझा. ठायींची हे काया ठेविली चरणीं — आतां ओवाळुनि काय सांडूं?. नाहीं भाव ऐसा करूं तुझी सेवा — जीव वाहूं देवा तो ही तुझा. मज माझें कांहीं न दिसे पाहातां — जें तुज अनंता समर्पावें. तुकाराम म्हणतां — आतां नाहीं मज थार — तुझे उपकार फेडावया.

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
वणूप महिमा ऐसी नाहीं मज वाचा	"praise mahimā — such vāca — none"
न बोलवे साचा पार तुझा	"true pāra — not spoken"
ठायींची हे काया ठेविली चरणीं	"ṭhāyī-cī kāyā — placed at feet"
आतां ओवाळुनि काय सांडूं	"ovāḷūm-sāmḍūm — what?"
नाहीं भाव ऐसा करूं तुझी सेवा	"no such bhāva — Your sevā"
जीव वाहूं देवा तो ही तुझा	"jīva — that too — Yours"
मज माझें कांहीं न दिसे पाहातां	"of mine — see — nothing"
जें तुज अनंता समर्पावें	"to arpāvē — Anamta"
आतां नाहीं मज थार	"no thāra for me"
तुझे उपकार फेडावया	"to fēḍāvayā Your upakāra"

What it means

A nothing-of-mine-everything-Yours-no-thāra-to-repay abhang. Final-collapse-of-giving register. Five claims:

वणूप महिमा ऐसी नाहीं मज वाचा — न बोलवे साचा पार तुझा — praise mahimā — such vāca none — true pāra not spoken. The opening-no-vāca-claim: to praise the mahimā (greatness) — such vāca (speech) I don't have; the true (sācā) pāra (limit) — cannot be spoken (na bōlavē). Speech-fails-the-praise.
ठायींची हे काया ठेविली चरणीं — आतां ओवाळुनि काय सांडूं — ṭhāyī-cī kāyā placed at feet — ovāḷūm-sāmḍūm what? The body-already-given-claim: the ṭhāyī-cī kāyā (this body that is the very-place / body-of-this-place) — has-been-placed at the feet; now what to ovāḷūm-sāmḍūm (wave-around-and-let-go = the standard offering-gesture)? Body-already-given; nothing-left-to-wave-and-let-go*.
नाहीं भाव ऐसा करूं तुझी सेवा — जीव वाहूं देवा तो ही तुझा — no such bhāva — Your sevā — jīva — Yours too. The jīva-already-Yours-claim: no such bhāva (stance) to do Your sevā; if I offer the jīva, that too is Yours. Even-the-jīva-I-might-offer-is-already-Yours. Collapse-of-the-giving-relationship*.
मज माझें कांहीं न दिसे पाहातां — जें तुज अनंता समर्पावें — of mine — see — nothing — to arpāvē — Anamta. The nothing-of-mine-claim: of mine — looking, I see nothing; to arpāvē (offer) to Anamta. Nothing-mine-to-offer. Total-impoverishment.
तुका म्हणे आतां नाहीं मज थार — तुझे उपकार फेडावया — Tuka says: no thāra for me — to fēḍāvayā Your upakāra. The closing-overwhelm-claim: Tuka says: now I have no thāra (refuge, foothold, resting-place); to fēḍāvayā (repay, settle-the-debt) Your upakāra (favor, beneficence). No-place-to-stand-and-repay-the-favor. Overwhelm-by-deva's-favor.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the nothing-of-mine-everything-Yours register:

Speech fails to praise the mahimā; the pāra* cannot be spoken. Vāca nāhīm — pāra na bōlavē. Don't try to fully praise; speech-fails. Acknowledge-the-failure*.
The body is already placed at the feet; what to wave-and-let-go now? Kāyā ṭhēvilī caraṇī — ovāḷūm-sāmḍūm kāya? The body-offering is already done; no further-gesture has anything-left-to-wave. Nothing-left-to-offer-as-gesture.
Even the jīva* I might offer is already Yours. Jīva vāhūm — tō hī tujhā. The thing-being-offered is already-the-deva's; the giving-relationship collapses. Collapse-of-giving*.
Of mine, I see nothing to offer to Anamta*. Mājhē kāhīm na disē — arpāvē Anamtā. Looking-at-myself, I see-nothing-of-mine; what can I offer the Endless? Total-impoverishment*.
No thāra for me to repay Your upakāra*. Nāhīm thāra — upakāra fēḍāvayā. No-foothold-to-stand-and-repay; the upakāra is unrepayable. Acceptance-of-being-overwhelmed*.

For today: speech-fails-the-praise; the body-offering is already done; even the jīva is already-Yours; nothing-of-mine to offer; no thāra to repay — the upakāra is unrepayable.

This abhang is Tukaram's collapse-of-giving register — the bhakti-relationship reaches the point where everything-the-bhakta-could-offer is already-the-deva's. Compare 0494 tūm-ca-everything totalization; same totalization but here from the bhakta's-impoverished-side. The no-thāra-to-repay claim is a precise honest-statement: I-cannot-balance-the-account-with-You.

मराठी: ही ओवी nothing-of-mine-everything-Yours register नाव सांगते:

Speech mahimā praise करायला fails; pāra* speak नाही. Vāca नाही — pāra न बोलवे. Fully-praise करायचा प्रयत्न नका; speech-fails. Failure-acknowledge*.
Body आधीच पायांवर ठेवली; आता ovāḷūm-sāmḍūm* काय? काया ठेविली चरणीं — ओवाळुनी सांडूं काय? Body-offering आधीच done; further-gesture wave-करायला काही उरलं नाही. Wave-as-gesture-कशासाठी-काही-उरलं-नाही*.
Jīva offer केला तरी तो already Yours. जीव वाहूं — तो ही तुझा. Offer होणारी thing already-देवाची; giving-relationship collapse. Collapse-of-giving*.
माझं — दिसत नाही — Anamta* ला offer करायला. माझें कांहीं न दिसे — समर्पावें अनंता. आपल्याकडे-बघून-काही-दिसत-नाही; Endless-ला काय offer करू? Total-impoverishment*.
Upakāra repay करायला thāra नाही. नाहीं थार — उपकार फेडावया. Stand करून-repay करायला-foothold नाही; upakāra unrepayable. Overwhelm-acceptance*.

आज: Speech-fails-the-praise; Body-offering आधीच done; Jīva सुद्धा already-Yours; माझं काही नाही offer करायला; Thāra नाही repay करायला — upakāra unrepayable.

Tukaram च-collapse-of-giving-register — Bhakti-relationship त्या point-ला पोहोचतं जिथे bhakta-जे-offer-करू-शकेल ते already-देवाचं. 0494 tūm-ca-everything totalization compare; तीच totalization पण इथे bhakta-च्या-impoverished-side ने. No-thāra-to-repay claim precise honest-statement: मी-account-balance-करू-शकत-नाही.

Where this applies

Speech fails mahimā. Acknowledge.
Body already placed. Nothing-to-wave.
Even jīva Yours. Collapse-of-giving.
No thāra to repay. Unrepayable.

Cosmology / Avatāra Bhakti