संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 607 of 4582

Abhanga 607

English: Sukha in praising Your pavāḍē — prema embraces vadana.

When the bhakta is caught between two threats and remembers the deva — and you have to recognize this register
When the deva takes an unexpected form (snake) to save His bhakta — and you accept this image
When Your kīrti exceeds even vēda-speech — and you receive this praise

The verse

सुख वाटे तुझे वर्णितां पवाडे । प्रेम मिठी पडे वदनासी ॥१॥ व्याले दोन्ही पक्षी एका वृक्षावरी । आला दुराचारी पारधी तो ॥ध्रु.॥ वृक्षाचिया माथां सोडिला ससाना । धनुष्यासि बाणा लावियेलें ॥२॥ तये काळीं तुज पक्षी आठविती । धांवें गा श्रीपती मायबापा ॥३॥ उडोनियां जातां ससाना मारील । बैसतां विंधील पारधी तो ॥४॥ ऐकोनियां धांवा तया पिक्षयांचा । धरिला सर्पाचा वेश वेगीं ॥५॥ डंखोनि पारधी भुमीसि पाडिला । बाण तो लागला ससान्यासी ॥६॥ ऐसा तूं कृपाळु आपुलिया दासा । होसील कोंवसा संकटींचा ॥७॥ तुका म्हणे तुझी कीर्ति त्रिभुवना । वेदाचिये वाणी वर्णवेना ॥८॥

Literal translation

English: Sukha in praising Your pavāḍēprema embraces vadana. Two birds nested on vṛkṣadurācārī pārdhī came. Tree-top — sasānādhanuṣyabāṇa. Birds remember You — dhāvē Śrīpati māybāpa. If fly — sasānā kills; if sit — pārdhī shoots. Hearing the cry — quickly took sarpa-form — biting pārdhī, bhūmi-thrown — bāṇa hit sasānā. Such You — kṛpāḷukōmvasā in sankaṭa. Tuka says: Your kīrtitribhuvanavēda-vāṇī can't describe.

मराठी: सुख वाटे तुझे वर्णितां पवाडे — प्रेम मिठी पडे वदनासी. व्याले दोन्ही पक्षी एका वृक्षावरी — आला दुराचारी पारधी तो. वृक्षाचिया माथां सोडिला ससाना — धनुष्यासि बाणा लावियेलें. तये काळीं तुज पक्षी आठविती — धांवें गा श्रीपती मायबापा. उडोनियां जातां ससाना मारील — बैसतां विंधील पारधी तो. ऐकोनियां धांवा तया पिक्षयांचा — धरिला सर्पाचा वेश वेगीं. डंखोनि पारधी भुमीसि पाडिला — बाण तो लागला ससान्यासी. ऐसा तूं कृपाळु आपुलिया दासा — होसील कोंवसा संकटींचा. तुकाराम म्हणतां — कीर्ति त्रिभुवना — वेदाचिये वाणी वर्णवेना.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
सुख वाटे तुझे वर्णितां पवाडे "sukha — praising pavāḍē"
प्रेम मिठी पडे वदनासी "prema — embraces vadana"
व्याले दोन्ही पक्षी एका वृक्षावरी "two birds nested — vṛkṣa"
आला दुराचारी पारधी तो "durācārī pārdhī came"
वृक्षाचिया माथां सोडिला ससाना "tree-top — sasānā"
धनुष्यासि बाणा लावियेलें "dhanuṣyabāṇa"
तये काळीं तुज पक्षी आठविती "birds — āṭhavitī"
धांवें गा श्रीपती मायबापा "dhāvēŚrīpati māybāpa"
धरिला सर्पाचा वेश "took sarpa-form"
डंखोनि पारधी भुमीसि पाडिला "biting — pārdhībhūmi"
बाण तो लागला ससान्यासी "bāṇa — hit sasānā"
होसील कोंवसा संकटींचा "kōmvasāsankaṭa"
कीर्ति त्रिभुवना वेदाचिये वाणी वर्णवेना "kīrtitribhuvanavēda-vāṇī — can't"

What it means

A deva-takes-snake-form-saves-birds-from-hunter abhang. Eight-verse narrative-pavāḍa register. Eight claims:

  1. सुख वाटे तुझे वर्णितां पवाडे — प्रेम मिठी पडे वदनासीopening-claim: sukha in praising the pavāḍē; prema embraces the vadana. Praising-Your-deeds-is-itself-pleasure*.

  2. व्याले दोन्ही पक्षी एका वृक्षावरी — आला दुराचारी पारधी तोnarrative-setup: two birds nested on a tree; a wicked-hunter came. The threat-arrives.

  3. वृक्षाचिया माथां सोडिला ससाना — धनुष्यासि बाणा लावियेलेंdouble-trap: hawk on tree-top; bow-and-arrow ready. Birds-trapped-between-hawk-above-and-arrow-below.

  4. तये काळीं तुज पक्षी आठविती — धांवें गा श्रीपती मायबापाcall-to-deva: the birds remember You; cry: come-quickly Śrīpati-māybāpa. Cry-in-crisis.

  5. उडोनियां जातां ससाना मारील — बैसतां विंधील पारधी तोno-escape-claim: if they fly, the hawk kills; if they sit, the hunter shoots. No-way-out-without-deva.

  6. ऐकोनियां धांवा तया पिक्षयांचा — धरिला सर्पाचा वेश वेगींdeva-takes-snake-form: hearing the cry, quickly took snake-form. Unexpected-saving-form.

  7. डंखोनि पारधी भुमीसि पाडिला — बाण तो लागला ससान्यासीredirected-arrow: biting the hunter, threw him to ground; the arrow hit the hawk. The-arrow-meant-for-the-bird-hits-the-hawk; both-threats-killed-by-the-snake-and-the-redirected-arrow. (One-stroke-saves-from-both-threats.)

  8. ऐसा तूं कृपाळु आपुलिया दासा — होसील कोंवसा संकटींचा — तुका म्हणे तुझी कीर्ति त्रिभुवना — वेदाचिये वाणी वर्णवेनाclosing-claim: such-You-are-kṛpāḷu-to-Your-dāsa; (You) become the kōmvasā (relief) in sankaṭa; Tuka says: Your kīrti in tribhuvana — vēda-vāṇī can't describe. Even-the-vēda-can't-describe-Your-deeds.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the deva-takes-unexpected-form-to-save register:

  1. Praising the deva's deeds is itself pleasure. Praise-as-sukha. Recognize-the-praise-itself-as-bhakti.

  2. Caught between two threats — remember the deva. Birds-cry-Śrīpati-māybāpa. No-other-recourse-but-deva-call. Remember-in-crisis.

  3. The deva takes the form needed — even unexpected. Sarpa-form. Don't-prescribe-the-saving-form; the deva-decides. Trust-the-form-He-takes.

  4. One stroke saves from both threats. Snake-bites-hunter; arrow-hits-hawk. The deva's intervention saves-from-multiple-threats-at-once. Trust-the-economy-of-the-saving.

  5. Even vēda can't describe the kīrti*. Vēda-vāṇī-cannot. The deeds exceed even scriptural-language. Don't-try-to-describe; live-the-saving*.

For today: praising-the-deva is itself sukha; caught between threats, call the deva; the saving-form may be unexpected; one-stroke saves from multiple-threats; even vēda cannot describe.

This abhang is Tukaram's narrative-pavāḍa registereight-verse story-of-deva's-saving-action. Compare 0544 Dīnānātha-brīda-purāṇa-pavāḍa-rōkaḍē; same pavāḍa-register but here with the precise narrative-of-snake-form-saving. The sarpa-form-saves-the-birds-from-hawk-and-hunter image is striking and rare — the deva-becomes-the-very-thing-feared (snake) to save His bhaktas.

मराठी: ही ओवी deva-takes-unexpected-form-to-save register नाव सांगते:

  1. Deva चे deeds praise करणं स्वतः sukha. Praise-as-sukha. Praise-स्वतः-bhakti ओळखा.

  2. दोन-threats-मध्ये अडकलं तर — देवाला remember करा. Birds-cry-Śrīpati-māybāpa. देव-call ही only recourse. Crisis-त remember.

  3. Deva form घेतो — unexpected सुद्धा. Sarpa-form. Saving-form prescribe नका; देव-ठरवतो. He-घेतो-त्या-form-trust.

  4. एका-stroke-ने दोन्ही-threats save. Snake-bites-hunter; arrow-hits-hawk. देवाचा intervention multiple-threats-एकाच-वेळी-save. Saving-economy-trust.

  5. Vēda सुद्धा kīrti describe करू शकत नाही. Vēda-vāṇī-cannot. Deeds scriptural-language-पेक्षा-exceed. Describe-नका; saving-live*.

आज: Deva-praise sukha; threats-मध्ये देवाला call; saving-form unexpected असू शकतो; one-stroke multiple-threats; vēda सुद्धा describe-can't.

Tukaram च-narrative-pavāḍa-registerEight-verse-story देव-saving-action. 0544 Dīnānātha-brīda-purāṇa-pavāḍa-rōkaḍē compare; तीच pavāḍa-register पण इथे precise narrative-of-snake-form-saving. Sarpa-form-saves-birds-from-hawk-and-hunter image striking and rare — देव-घाबरलेल्या-गोष्टीचं (साप) form-घेतो bhakta-save करायला.

Where this applies

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