Abhanga 656
Tukaram challenges God directly, arguing that merely repaying what's owed isn't real dharma, real generosity means helping a stranger without expecting anything back, and he demands proof of grace by asking to actually be saved.
The verse
ऐक पांडुरंगा एक मात । कांहीं बोलणें आहे एकांत । आम्हां जरी तारील संचित । तरी उचित काय तुझें ॥१॥ उसनें फेडितां धर्म तो कोण । काय तया मानवेल जन । काय गा मिरवूनि भूषण । वांयां थोरपण जनांमध्यें ॥ध्रु.॥ अन्न जरी न मिळे तयासी देणें । आगांतुक पात्र उचित दान । उपकार तरी धनमंत्रीपणें । जरी देणेंघेणें नाहीं आशा ॥२॥ शूर तों तयासी बोलिजे जाणा । पाठीशीं घालूनि राखे दीना । पार पुण्य नाहीं त्या भूषणा । ऐक नारायणा वचन हें ॥३॥ आतां पुढें बोलणें तें काई । मज तारिसी तरी च सही । वचन आपुलें सिद्धी नेई । तुका म्हणे तई मज कळसी ॥४॥
Literal translation
Listen, Pāṇḍuranga, one word — something to say in private — if samcita itself saves us, then what is Your ucita (due)? Paying-back-borrowed — what dharma is that? — will people praise that? — what's the parading of ornament — vain greatness in the public? If food is not gotten, give to that-one — the āgāntuka (newcomer) is the ucita-pātra for dāna — upakāra even with money-and-counsel — only when there's no āśā of give-take. Śūra — know — is he who puts the dīna on his back and protects — no equal puṇya to that bhūṣaṇa — listen, Nārāyaṇa, this word. Now what more to say? — only if You save me will it be sahī (true) — take Your word to siddhi — Tuka says: only-then You-are-known to me.
मराठी: ऐक Pāṇḍuranga, एक मात — एकांत — बोलणें आहे — samcita च जर तारील — तर तुझें ucita काय?. उसनें फेडितां — तो धर्म कोण? — लोक मानवतील? — भूषण मिरवून थोरपणा वांयां. अन्न न मिळणाऱ्याला देणें — आगांतुक उचित-पात्र — उपकार धन-मंत्री-पणें — जर देणे-घेणे आशा नाही. शूर — पाठीशीं दीन रक्षणें — त्या भूषणाला पुण्य पार नाही — Nārāyaṇa, ऐक. आतां पुढें काय? — मज तारिसी तरी च सही — वचन सिद्धी नेई — Tuka म्हणे: तई मज कळसी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ऐक पांडुरंगा एक मात | "aika Pāṇḍurangā — one māta (word)" |
| कांहीं बोलणें आहे एकांत | "ēkānta — private — to-say" |
| आम्हां जरी तारील संचित | "if samcita — saves us" |
| तरी उचित काय तुझें | "then ucita (due) — what — Yours?" |
| उसनें फेडितां धर्म तो कोण | "usanē phēḍitām (paying-back-borrowed) — what dharma?" |
| काय गा मिरवूनि भूषण | "what — miravūni (parading) — bhūṣaṇa?" |
| अन्न जरी न मिळे तयासी देणें | "if anna not-gotten — give to that-one" |
| आगांतुक पात्र उचित दान | "āgāntuka (newcomer) — ucita-pātra — dāna" |
| उपकार तरी धनमंत्रीपणें | "upakāra — dhana-mantrīpaṇē (with money-counsel)" |
| जरी देणेंघेणें नाहीं आशा | "if dēṇē-ghēṇē (give-take) — no āśā" |
| शूर तों तयासी बोलिजे जाणा | "śūra — he is called — know!" |
| पाठीशीं घालूनि राखे दीना | "pāṭhīśīm ghālūni (on-the-back) — rākhē dīna" |
| पार पुण्य नाहीं त्या भूषणा | "pāra-puṇya none — to that bhūṣaṇa" |
| मज तारिसी तरी च सही | "save me — only-then — sahī (true)" |
| वचन आपुलें सिद्धी नेई | "vacana — Your — to siddhi — take" |
| तुका म्हणे तई मज कळसी | "Tuka says: taī — to me kaḷasī (You-are-known)" |
What it means
A eka-māta-samcita-vs-tujhē-ucita-śūra-dīna-pāṭhīśīm-rākhē-mā-tāriśī-tarī-ca-sahī abhang. Bhakta-puts-Pāṇḍuranga-on-the-spot register. Five claims:
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ऐक Pāṇḍurangā एक मात — एकांत — samcita च जर तारील तर तुझें ucita काय? — aika Pāṇḍurangā ēka māta — ēkānta — if samcita saves, what's Your ucita?. The opening-private-word-claim: Listen, Pāṇḍuranga, one word — to say in private (ēkānta); if our ownsamcita(accumulated good karma) itself saves us — then what isucita(the right-share, the due, the proper-claim) of Yours?. If-samcita-saves-by-itself-then-Your-saving-grace-has-no-place. Bhakta-argues-grace-must-exceed-karma-balance-for-divine-glory-to-mean-anything.
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उसनें फेडितां धर्म कोण — मानवेल जन — भूषण मिरवून थोरपणा वांयां — paying-back-borrowed what dharma — will people praise — parading ornament vain greatness. The paying-back-borrowed-claim: if you only pay back what was already borrowed (= what was already due assamcita-fruit), whatdharma(merit, righteous-act) is that?; will peoplemānavēla(praise, accept-as-noble) such an act?; what's the use ofmiravūni bhūṣaṇa(parading-ornament) —vāyām thōrapaṇa(vain greatness) in the public?. Mere-karma-payback-isn't-divine-dharma-it's-vain.
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अन्न न-मिळणाऱ्याला देणें — आगांतुक उचित-पात्र — उपकार धन-मंत्री-पणें — आशा नाही — give to one without food — newcomer is right-recipient — favor with money-counsel — when no āśā. The true-dāna-claim: ifanna(food) is not-gotten by someone, give to that-one; theāgāntuka(newcomer, the unannounced-stranger) is theucita-pātra(right-recipient) fordāna; upakāra (favor, beneficence) is real only when given by dhana-mantrīpaṇē (money-and-counsel) and only when there's no dēṇē-ghēṇē (give-take, transactional-exchange) of āśā (expectation).Real-dāna-is-to-the-stranger-without-expectation. (This is a precisedāna-doctrine statement.)
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शूर — पाठीशीं दीन — रक्षणें — पार-पुण्य त्या भूषणाला नाही — Nārāyaṇa, ऐक — śūra — dīna on back — protects — no equal puṇya to that ornament — listen, Nārāyaṇa. The śūra-claim: theśūra(hero, brave-one) —bōlijē jāṇā(is-called, know!) — is he who pāṭhīśīm ghālūni rākhē dīna (puts the dīna (poor-helpless) on his own back and protects);no equal-puṇya to that bhūṣaṇa (adornment);listen, Nārāyaṇa, this word.True-śūra-protects-the-dīna; this-is-the-greatest-puṇya. (And by implication:Pāṇḍurangamust be thisśūra— must put Tuka thedīna on His back.)
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आतां पुढें काय? — मज तारिसी तरी च सही — वचन सिद्धी नेई — Tuka म्हणे: तई मज कळसी — what more — only if save me sahī — take vacana to siddhi — Tuka says: only-then known to me. The closing-only-if-saving-makes-You-known-claim: now what more to say?; only if You save me will it besahī(genuine, the-real-thing, the seal-of-truth); take Yourvacana(word, promise) tosiddhi(fulfillment, accomplishment); Tuka says: only-then (taī) You-are-known (kaḷasī) to me. Saving-Tuka-is-the-test-of-Your-promise-only-then-You-are-known-to-the-bhakta. Final-demand.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram speaks to Pandurang almost like a friend calling him out in private, and asks a bold question: if his own past good deeds are enough to save him, then what exactly does God contribute? Simply settling a debt, giving back only what was already owed, isn't real generosity, and no one should call it admirable. True giving means helping a stranger who has nothing and expects nothing back, not calculating who deserves it or what you'll get in return. A real hero is someone who carries the weak and helpless on his own back and protects them, no other merit compares to that. So Tukaram ends with a direct challenge: prove your promise is real by actually saving me, because only then will I truly know You.
मराठी: तुकाराम पंढरीनाथाशी जणू खासगीत, मित्रासारखे थेट बोलतात आणि एक धाडसी प्रश्न विचारतात, जर माझी स्वतःची पूर्वपुण्याई मला तारणार असेल, तर तुझा त्यात नेमका वाटा काय? आधीच देणे असलेले फक्त फेडणे यात काही विशेष उदारता नाही, आणि त्याला कोणी थोर मानणार नाही. खरे दान म्हणजे ज्याच्याकडे काहीच नाही अशा अनोळखी माणसाला, कसलीही अपेक्षा न ठेवता मदत करणे, कोण पात्र आहे किंवा त्यातून काय मिळेल याचा हिशोब न करता. खरा शूर तोच, जो दुर्बल आणि असहाय्य माणसाला स्वतःच्या पाठीवर घेऊन त्याचे रक्षण करतो, त्याहून मोठे पुण्य दुसरे नाही. शेवटी तुकाराम स्पष्ट आव्हान देतात, तुझे वचन खरे आहे हे मला तूच वाचवून दाखव, तेव्हाच मला तू खरेखुरा कळशील.
Where this applies
- Samcitatārīla —ucita kāya? Grace-beyond-karma.
- Usanē phēḍitām—dharma na. Beyond-balance.
- Āgāntuka—ucita-pātra. Dāna-doctrine.
- Śūra—pāṭhīśīm dīna—rākhē. Hero-image.
- Mā-tāriśī tarī ca sahī—taī maja kaḷasī. Final-demand.