Abhanga 637
You don't need polished devotion to be held by grace; honest confusion offered sincerely is enough, and only God can tell what in you is real and what is false.
The verse
तुझिया पार नाहीं गुणां । माझी अल्प मति नारायणा । भवतारका जी सुजाणा । एक विज्ञापना पायांपाशीं ॥१॥ काय जाणावें म्यां दीनें । तुझिये भक्तीचीं लक्षणें । धड तें तोंड धोऊं नेणें । परि चिंतनें काळ सारीं ॥ध्रु.॥ न लवीं आणीक कांहीं पिसें । माझिया मना वांयां जाय ऐसें । चालवीं आपुल्या प्रकाशें । हातीं सरिसें धरोनियां ॥२॥ तुज समर्पिली काया । जीवें भावें पंढरीराया । सांभाळीं समविषम डाया । करीं छाया कृपेची ॥३॥ चतुर तरीं चतुरां रावो । जाणता तरीं जीवांचा जीव । न्यून तो कोण एक ठाव । आरुष भाव परि माझा ॥४॥ होतें तें माझें भांडवल । पायांपें निवेदिले बोल । आदरा ऐसें पाविजे मोल । तुका म्हणे साच फोल तूं जाणसी ॥५॥
Literal translation
Your guṇa no pāra — alpa mati Nārāyaṇa — bhava-tāraka su-jāṇa — one vijñāpana at feet. Dīna know what? — don't know to wash mukha — cintana fills. Don't attach pisē — mana wastes — drive by prakāśa — holding hand. Kāyā offered — jīva-bhāva Pandharī-rāya — manage sama-viṣama-ḍāyā — kṛpā chāyā. Catura-king — jīva-knower — what uṇē? — but ārūṣa bhāva. Bhāmḍavala — words at feet — by ādara mōla — sāca-phōla You know, Tuka says.
मराठी: तुझिया पार नाहीं गुणां — माझी अल्प मति नारायणा — भवतारका जी सुजाणा — एक विज्ञापना पायांपाशीं. काय जाणावें म्यां दीनें — तुझिये भक्तीचीं लक्षणें — धड तें तोंड धोऊं नेणें — परि चिंतनें काळ सारीं. न लवीं आणीक कांहीं पिसें — माझिया मना वांयां जाय ऐसें — चालवीं आपुल्या प्रकाशें — हातीं सरिसें धरोनियां. तुज समर्पिली काया — जीवें भावें पंढरीराया — सांभाळीं समविषम डाया — करीं छाया कृपेची. चतुर तरीं चतुरां रावो — जाणता तरीं जीवांचा जीव — न्यून तो कोण एक ठाव — आरुष भाव परि माझा. तुकाराम म्हणतां — होतें तें माझें भांडवल — पायांपें निवेदिले बोल — आदरा ऐसें पाविजे मोल — साच फोल तूं जाणसी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तुझिया पार नाहीं गुणां | "Your guṇa — no pāra" |
| माझी अल्प मति नारायणा | "alpa mati Nārāyaṇa" |
| भवतारका जी सुजाणा | "bhava-tāraka su-jāṇa" |
| एक विज्ञापना पायांपाशीं | "one vijñāpana at feet" |
| काय जाणावें म्यां दीनें | "what dīna know?" |
| धड तें तोंड धोऊं नेणें | "don't know to wash mukha" |
| परि चिंतनें काळ सारीं | "cintana fills time" |
| न लवीं आणीक कांहीं पिसें | "don't attach pisē" |
| माझिया मना वांयां जाय ऐसें | "mana wastes" |
| चालवीं आपुल्या प्रकाशें | "drive by prakāśa" |
| हातीं सरिसें धरोनियां | "holding hand" |
| तुज समर्पिली काया | "kāyā offered to You" |
| जीवें भावें पंढरीराया | "jīva-bhāva — Pandharī-rāya" |
| सांभाळीं समविषम डाया | "sama-viṣama-ḍāyā" |
| करीं छाया कृपेची | "kṛpā — chāyā" |
| चतुर तरीं चतुरां रावो | "catura — clever-king" |
| जाणता तरीं जीवांचा जीव | "knower-jīva of jīva" |
| न्यून तो कोण एक ठाव | "what uṇē place?" |
| आरुष भाव परि माझा | "ārūṣa bhāva" |
| होतें तें माझें भांडवल | "what bhāmḍavala" |
| पायांपें निवेदिले बोल | "words at feet" |
| आदरा ऐसें पाविजे मोल | "by ādara — mōla" |
| साच फोल तूं जाणसी | "sāca-phōla — You know" |
What it means
A Your-guṇa-no-pāra-my-alpa-mati-ārūṣa-bhāva abhang. Five-verse alpa-bhāva-petition register. Five claims:
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तुझिया पार नाहीं गुणां — opening: Your guṇa no pāra; my alpa-mati; bhava-tāraka su-jāṇa; one vijñāpana at feet. Cosmic-You-tiny-me.
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काय जाणावें म्यां दीनें — don't-know-bhakti-marks: what dīna know?; don't-know-wash-mukha-straight; cintana fills time. Don't-know-but-do-cintana.
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न लवीं आणीक कांहीं पिसें — drive-by-Your-prakāśa: don't-attach pisē; mana wastes; drive-by-Your-prakāśa; holding-hand. Drive-me-by-Your-light.
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तुज समर्पिली काया — kāyā-offered-sama-viṣama-ḍāyā: kāyā offered; jīva-bhāva Pandharī-rāya; manage sama-viṣama-ḍāyā; kṛpā chāyā. Manage-the-dice-of-life.
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चतुर तरीं चतुरां रावो ... साच फोल तूं जाणसी — closing-sāca-phōla-You-know: clever-king; jīva-knower; what uṇē?; but ārūṣa bhāva; bhāmḍavala-words-at-feet; by ādara-mōla; sāca-phōla You know. You-know-real-and-fake-of-me.
[T]
For someone today
You don't have to be a devotion expert to belong. Tukaram admits he doesn't even know the marks of true bhakti or how to present himself properly, yet he keeps returning his thoughts to God anyway. He asks to be led by that light, hand in hand, rather than trusting his own judgment. He hands over the whole mix of good and bad luck in his life, trusting God alone to know what in him is real and what is false.
मराठी: तुम्हाला भक्तीचे तज्ञ असण्याची गरज नाही, फक्त मनापासून प्रयत्न पुरेसा आहे. तुकाराम कबूल करतात की त्यांना खऱ्या भक्तीची लक्षणे माहीत नाहीत, स्वतःला नीट सावरताही येत नाही, तरीही ते सतत विठ्ठलाचे चिंतन करत राहतात. ते विनवतात की आपल्या स्वतःच्या बुद्धीवर विसंबण्याऐवजी, देवाच्या प्रकाशाने हात धरून वाट दाखवावी. आयुष्यातील बरे-वाईट सगळे प्रसंग ते देवाच्या हाती सोपवतात, आणि विश्वास ठेवतात की आपल्यातलं खरं काय आणि खोटं काय हे फक्त देवालाच कळतं.
Where this applies
- Your guṇa no pāra. Cosmic.
- Don't-know but cintana fills. Honest.
- Sama-viṣama-ḍāyā. Dice-of-life.
- Sāca-phōla You know. Trust.