संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 621 of 4582

Abhanga 621

English: Sēndarī deities — bhūta-kēta — who worships?

When minor sēndarī-bhūta-kēta deities are criticized as petty — and you have to recognize this register
When thillarī-water doesn't moisten lips — and you accept this image
When only Nārāyaṇa is the right cintana-target — and you receive this priority

The verse

सेंदरीं हें देवी दैवतें । कोण तीं पुजी भुतेंकेतें । आपुल्या पोटा जीं रडतें । मागती शितें अवदान ॥१॥ आपुले इच्छे आणिकां पीडी । काय तें देईल बराडी । कळों ही आली तयाची जोडी । अल्प रोकडी बुद्धी अधरा ॥ध्रु.॥ दासीचा पाहुनरउखतें । धणी देईल आपुल्या हातें । करुणाभाषणउचितें । हें तों रितें सतंत शक्तिहीन ॥२॥ काय तें थिल्लरीचें पाणी । ओठ न भिजे फिटे धणी । सीण तरीं आदीं आवसानीं । क्षोभे पुरश्चरणीं दिलें फळ ॥३॥ विलेपनें बुजविती तोंड । भार खोल वाहाती उदंड । करविती आपणयां दंड । ऐसियास भांड म्हणे देव तो ॥४॥ तैसा नव्हे नारायण । जगव्यापक जनार्दन । तुका म्हणे त्याचें करा चिंतन । वंदूं चरण येती सकळें ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: Sēndarī deities — bhūta-kēta — who worships? — for own pōṭa cry — śīta-avadāna beg. Others-pīḍā — barāḍī — jōḍī — alpa-rōkaḍī buddhi-adhama. Dāsī — householder gives — karuṇa-bhāṣaṇa-ucita — ritē — śakti-hīna. Thillarī-water — lips not moisten — dhaṇī fades — sīṇa — ādi-avasāna — puraścaraṇa — kṣōbha. Vilēpana clogs mouth — load — daṇḍa — bhāmḍa. Not so — Nārāyaṇa — Jagat-vyāpaka Janārdana — Tuka says: His cintana — all vandūm caraṇa.

मराठी: सेंदरीं हें देवी दैवतें — कोण तीं पुजी भुतेंकेतें — आपुल्या पोटा जीं रडतें — मागती शितें अवदान. आपुले इच्छे आणिकां पीडी — काय तें देईल बराडी — कळों ही आली तयाची जोडी — अल्प रोकडी बुद्धी अधरा. दासीचा पाहुनरउखतें — धणी देईल आपुल्या हातें — करुणाभाषणउचितें — हें तों रितें सतंत शक्तिहीन. काय तें थिल्लरीचें पाणी — ओठ न भिजे फिटे धणी — सीण तरीं आदीं आवसानीं — क्षोभे पुरश्चरणीं दिलें फळ. विलेपनें बुजविती तोंड — भार खोल वाहाती उदंड — करविती आपणयां दंड — ऐसियास भांड म्हणे देव तो. तैसा नव्हे नारायण — जगव्यापक जनार्दन. तुकाराम म्हणतां — त्याचें करा चिंतन — वंदूं चरण येती सकळें.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
सेंदरीं हें देवी दैवतें "sēndarī deities"
कोण तीं पुजी भुतेंकेतें "who — bhūta-kēta?"
आपुल्या पोटा जीं रडतें "for own pōṭa — cry"
मागती शितें अवदान "beg śīta-avadāna"
आणिकां पीडी "others-pīḍā"
बराडी "barāḍī (petty-mendicant-deity)"
अल्प रोकडी बुद्धी अधरा "alpa-rōkaḍī — buddhi-adhama"
थिल्लरीचें पाणी "thillarī-water (puddle)"
ओठ न भिजे फिटे धणी "lips — dhaṇī fades"
सीण आदीं आवसानीं "sīṇa — ādi-avasāna"
क्षोभे पुरश्चरणीं दिलें फळ "kṣōbha in puraścaraṇa"
विलेपनें बुजविती तोंड "vilēpana clogs mouth"
भार खोल वाहाती उदंड "load deeply — much"
करविती आपणयां दंड "apply daṇḍa on self"
ऐसियास भांड म्हणे देव "to such — bhāmḍa — deva"
तैसा नव्हे नारायण "not so — Nārāyaṇa"
जगव्यापक जनार्दन "Jagat-vyāpaka Janārdana"
त्याचें करा चिंतन "His cintana"
वंदूं चरण येती सकळें "all — vandūm caraṇa"

What it means

A minor-deity-criticism-only-Nārāyaṇa abhang. Five-verse anti-village-deity polemic. The sēndarī-bhūta-kēta are the small village-deities (often spirits, ancestral-bhūtas, ghosts) coated in sindūra and worshipped for petty-favors. Tukaram is anti-cult, contrasting these with Jagat-vyāpaka Nārāyaṇa. Five claims:

  1. सेंदरीं हें देवी दैवतें... मागती शितें अवदान — sēndarī-bhūta-kēta-beg: these sēndarī deities and bhūta-kēta — who worships?; for their own pōṭa they cry, beg śīta-avadāna. Petty-deities-themselves-beg.

  2. आपुले इच्छे आणिकां पीडी — barāḍī-petty-buddhi: cause others-pīḍā by their icchā; what does the barāḍī give? — known: alpa-rōkaḍī buddhi-adhama. Petty-deity-petty-buddhi.

  3. दासीचा पाहुनरउखतें — dāsī-rite-empty: like a dāsī, householder gives by hand; karuṇa-bhāṣaṇa-ucita — but ritē (empty), śakti-hīna. Rite-without-power.

  4. काय तें थिल्लरीचें पाणी — thillarī-water: what is thillarī's water? — lips don't moisten — dhaṇī fades; sīṇa even at ādi-avasāna; kṣōbha in puraścaraṇa — gave fruit. Puddle-can't-quench.

  5. विलेपनें बुजविती तोंड... तैसा नव्हे नारायण — not-so-Nārāyaṇa: vilēpana clogs mouth — load deeply carry — apply daṇḍa to self — to such, deva says bhāmḍa; not so — Nārāyaṇa — Jagat-vyāpaka Janārdana; do His cintana; all come to vandūm caraṇa. Only-Nārāyaṇa-is-the-right-cintana.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the minor-deity-criticism-only-Nārāyaṇa register:

  1. Sēndarī-bhūta-kēta beg for their own pōṭa. Sēndarī. Petty-deities-not-worth-worship. Don't-worship-the-petty.

  2. Petty-deities give petty-things; alpa-rōkaḍī buddhi. Alpa-rōkaḍī. Petty-give-petty. Recognize-the-petty.

  3. Thillarī-water doesn't moisten lips. Thillarī. Petty-source-can't-quench. Petty-source-criticism.

  4. Only Nārāyaṇa is Jagat-vyāpaka; do His cintana. Jagat-vyāpaka — cintana. Only-the-cosmic-deva. Single-target.

  5. All come to vandūm caraṇa. Vandūm caraṇa. Right-target-attracts-all.

For today: don't worship petty-village-deities who themselves beg; they give only alpa-rōkaḍī; thillarī-water can't quench; only Jagat-vyāpaka Nārāyaṇa is the right-cintana-target.

This abhang is Tukaram's anti-village-deity-polemic register — one of his sharpest discriminations. Compare the bhōḷiyāmcā-deva-sācā-ankita (0486) — Tukaram doesn't reject village-religion broadly but specifically critiques the petty-deities-of-fear-and-favor. The thillarī-water image is striking: petty-deities-are-like-puddle-water-that-doesn't-quench-thirst.

मराठी: ही ओवी minor-deity-criticism-only-Nārāyaṇa register नाव सांगते:

  1. Sēndarī-bhūta-kēta आपल्या pōṭa साठी रडतात. Sēndarī. Petty-deities worship-worthy नाहीत. Petty-worship नका*.

  2. Petty-deities petty-give; alpa-rōkaḍī buddhi*. Alpa-rōkaḍī. Petty-give-petty. Petty-recognize*.

  3. Thillarī-water lips moisten करत नाही. Thillarī. Petty-source-quench-नाही. Petty-source-criticism*.

  4. फक्त Nārāyaṇa Jagat-vyāpaka; His cintana*. Jagat-vyāpaka — cintana. फक्त-cosmic-देव. Single-target*.

  5. All come to vandūm caraṇa*. Vandūm caraṇa. Right-target-attracts-all*.

आज: Petty-village-deities ज्यांना स्वतः-beg लागतं worship नका; ते फक्त alpa-rōkaḍī देतात; Thillarī-water-can-त-quench-नाही; फक्त Jagat-vyāpaka Nārāyaṇa right-cintana-target*.

Tukaram च-anti-village-deity-polemic-register — Sharpest discriminations पैकी एक. Bhōḷiyāmcā-deva-sācā-ankita (0486) compare — Tukaram village-religion broadly reject करत नाही पण specifically petty-deities-of-fear-and-favor critique. Thillarī-water image striking: petty-deities-puddle-water-can-त-quench-thirst-सारखे.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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