Abhanga 658
God cannot be pinned to one quality: at once utterly complete yet content with leftovers, a fierce warrior yet endlessly gentle, the highest of the high and the lowest of the low, and none of it is false praise.
The verse
चांगला तरी पूर्णकाम । गोड तरी याचें चि नाम । दयाळ तरी अवघा धर्म । भला तरी दासा श्रम होऊं नेदी ॥१॥ उदार तरी लक्ष्मीयेसी । जुंझार तरी कळिकाळासी । चतुर तरी गुणांची च रासी । जाणता तयासी तो एक ॥ध्रु.॥ जुनाट तरी बहु काळा । न कळे जयाची लीळा । नेणता गोवळीं गोवळा । लाघवी अवळाभुलवणा ॥२॥ गांढ्या तरी भावाचा अंकित । बराडी तरी उच्छिष्टाची प्रीत । ओंगळ तरी कुब्जेशीं रत । भ्याड अनंत बहु पापा ॥३॥ खेळतो येणें चि खेळावा । नट तो येणें चि आवगावा । लपोनि जीवीं न कळे जीवा । धरितां देवा नातुडेसी ॥४॥ उंच तरी बहुत चि उंच । नीच तरी बहुत चि नीच । तुका म्हणे बोलिलों साच । नाहीं अहाच पूजा केली ॥५॥
Literal translation
Good? — pūrṇa-kāma. Sweet? — His nāma. Dayāḷa? — avaghā dharma. Bhalā? — doesn't allow śrama to the dāsa. Udāra? — to Lakṣmī. Junjhāra? — against kaḷikāḷa. Catura? — heap-of-guṇas. Jāṇatā? — only-one-knows. Junāṭa? — bahu-kāḷa. Līlā unknowable. Nēṇatā? — among cowherds, a cowherd. Lāghavī — captivates-the-strange. Gāṇḍhyā? — bhāva-ankita. Barāḍī? — ucchiṣṭa-prīti. Ongaḷa? — engaged-with-Kubjā. Bhyāḍa? — to abundant pāpa. Plays — this only the play. Naṭa — this only His town. Hidden in jīva, jīva doesn't know — grasped, deva, You don't fit. Unca — very unca. Nīca — very nīca. Tuka says: I have spoken true — no false pūjā done.
मराठी: चांगला? — पूर्णकाम; गोड? — याचें नाम; दयाळ? — अवघा-धर्म; भला? — दासा-श्रम-होऊं-नेदी. उदार? — लक्ष्मीला; जुंझार? — कळिकाळा-विरुद्ध; चतुर? — गुणांची राशी; जाणता? — एकच जाणतो. जुनाट? — बहुकाळ; लीळा अकळ्य; नेणता? — गोवळींगोवळा; लाघवी — अवळा-भुलवणा. गांढ्या? — भाव-अंकित; बराडी? — उच्छिष्ट-प्रीत; ओंगळ? — Kubjā रत; भ्याड? — बहु पापाला. खेळतो — हाच खेळ; नट — हाच गांव; जीवीं लपून — जीव कळेना; धरतां — देवा, न-तुडेसी. उंच? — बहु उंच; नीच? — बहु नीच; Tuka म्हणे: साच बोलिलों — अहाच पूजा नाही केली.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| चांगला तरी पूर्णकाम | "good — then pūrṇa-kāma" |
| गोड तरी याचें चि नाम | "sweet — then His nāma" |
| दयाळ तरी अवघा धर्म | "dayāḷa — then avaghā dharma" |
| भला तरी दासा श्रम होऊं नेदी | "bhalā — doesn't-allow-śrama to dāsa" |
| उदार तरी लक्ष्मीयेसी | "udāra — to Lakṣmī" |
| जुंझार तरी कळिकाळासी | "junjhāra — to kaḷikāḷa" |
| चतुर तरी गुणांची च रासी | "catura — heap-of-guṇas" |
| जाणता तयासी तो एक | "jāṇatā — only-one-knows-him" |
| जुनाट तरी बहु काळा | "junāṭa — bahu-kāḷa (much-time)" |
| न कळे जयाची लीळा | "whose līḷā unknowable" |
| नेणता गोवळीं गोवळा | "nēṇatā — among-cowherds-a-cowherd" |
| लाघवी अवळाभुलवणा | "lāghavī — avaḷā-bhulavaṇā (charming-captivator)" |
| गांढ्या तरी भावाचा अंकित | "gāṇḍhyā — bhāva-ankita (bhāva-marked)" |
| बराडी तरी उच्छिष्टाची प्रीत | "barāḍī — ucchiṣṭa-prīti" |
| ओंगळ तरी कुब्जेशीं रत | "ongaḷa — Kubjā engaged" |
| भ्याड अनंत बहु पापा | "bhyāḍa — to bahu pāpa" |
| खेळतो येणें चि खेळावा | "plays — this only the khēḷa" |
| नट तो येणें चि आवगावा | "the naṭa — this only His gāva" |
| लपोनि जीवीं न कळे जीवा | "hidden-in-jīva — jīva doesn't-know" |
| धरितां देवा नातुडेसी | "grasped, deva, You-don't-fit" |
| उंच तरी बहुत चि उंच | "unca — very unca" |
| नीच तरी बहुत चि नीच | "nīca — very nīca" |
| बोलिलों साच | "I-have-spoken-true" |
| नाहीं अहाच पूजा केली | "no — false-pūjā done" |
What it means
A pūrṇa-kāma-Kubjā-rata-unca-nīca-paradox-list abhang. List-of-paradoxical-qualities of Pāṇḍuranga register. The structure is if-X-then-Y — Pāṇḍuranga is X-in-this-way: each qualifier opens a paradox or unique-instance.
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Cāngalā — pūrṇa-kāma; gōḍa — His nāma; dayāḷa — avaghā dharma; bhalā — doesn't allow śrama to dāsa. Auspicious-quality-list: Good — then He ispūrṇa-kāma(totally-fulfilled, beyond-desire); sweet — then Hisnāma(sweetness is the very nāma); compassionate — then He isavaghā dharma(the totality-of-dharma); good-natured — He doesn't-allowśrama(toil) to Hisdāsa. Pāṇḍuranga's-goodness-is-his-quality-of-not-letting-the-dāsa-toil.
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Udāra — to Lakṣmī; junjhāra — against kaḷikāḷa; catura — heap-of-guṇas; jāṇatā — only-one-knows. Power-quality-list: Generous — to Lakṣmī Herself; warrior — againstkaḷikāḷa(Kali-time, time-of-evil); clever — a heap-of-guṇas; knowing — only-one-knows-him (i.e., He alone is the true-knower). Pāṇḍuranga-fights-the-Kali-age-Himself.
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Junāṭa — much-time; līlā unknowable; nēṇatā — among cowherds a cowherd; lāghavī — captivates-the-strange. Eternal-and-cowherd-list: Ancient — beyond much-time; Hislīlāunknowable; unknowing — among cowherds He is a cowherd (= He plays the cowherd's-role-without-self-display); charming — captivates-the-strange (the un-related). Eternal-yet-plays-cowherd-role.
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Gāṇḍhyā — bhāva-ankita; barāḍī — ucchiṣṭa-prīti; ongaḷa — Kubjā-rata; bhyāḍa — to bahu pāpa. Lower-paradox-list: Timid (gāṇḍhyā) — bound bybhāva(the bhakta's emotional-state); baraḍī (waiting-on-meals, scrounger) — loves ucchiṣṭa (leftovers — refers to eating Vidura's leftovers, Śabarī's tasted-fruits, etc.);ongaḷa(dirty / unrefined) — engaged-withKubjā (the hunchbacked-woman of Mathurā that Kṛṣṇa healed and visited); bhyāḍa (cowardly) — to abundant pāpa. He-takes-on-low-and-paradoxical-roles-out-of-love-for-the-bhakta. (The Kubjā-rata and ucchiṣṭa-prīti are particularly bold: God-eats-leftovers-and-loves-the-deformed.)
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Khēḷatō — this only the khēḷa; naṭa — this only His town; hidden-in-jīva-jīva-doesn't-know; grasped, deva, You don't fit. Hidden-actor-list: He plays — this only is thekhēḷa(sport); thenaṭa(actor) — this only is His town; hidden-in-the-jīva, thejīvadoesn't know; grasped,deva, You-don't-fit. Hidden-cosmic-play-which-can't-be-grasped.
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Unca — very unca; nīca — very nīca; Tuka says: spoken-truth, no false-pūjā done. High-low-and-Tuka-stamp: unca — very high; nīca — very low (= the highest of the high and the lowest of the low — both extremes equally Pāṇḍuranga); Tuka says: I have spoken-truth (sāca); no false (ahāca)pūjādone (= I do not engage in deceptive-praise). Both-extremes-and-Tuka's-truth-stamp.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram builds a list of paradoxes to describe God: perfectly complete and fulfilled, yet happy eating leftovers; a warrior fierce enough to fight time and evil itself, yet so tender he will not let his devotee toil or suffer. He is ancient beyond memory, yet plays an ordinary cowherd among cowherds without any show; he loves the outcast Kubja and shares scraps without shame. He is the highest of the high and the lowest of the low at the same moment, and Tukaram insists this is not flattery or invented praise -- every contradictory quality he names is literally true of the one he worships.
मराठी: तुकाराम देवाचे वर्णन करताना एका पाठोपाठ एक विरोधाभास मांडतात. देव पूर्णपणे तृप्त आणि परिपूर्ण आहे, तरीही तो उष्ट्या अन्नातही आनंदाने रमतो. तो काळालाही आणि अनिष्टालाही भिडणारा योद्धा आहे, तरीही आपल्या भक्ताला कष्ट किंवा त्रास होऊ देत नाही इतका कोमल आहे. तो अनादी आणि अगणित काळापासूनचा आहे, तरीही कोणताही डामडौल न करता गोवळ्यांमध्ये साधा गोवळी बनून वावरतो. तो उपेक्षित कुब्जेवर प्रेम करतो आणि लाजिरवाणे न वाटता उष्टे स्वीकारतो. तो एकाच वेळी सर्वोच्च आणि सर्वात लीन आहे, आणि तुकाराम स्पष्टपणे सांगतात की हे खोटे स्तुतिवाचन नाही, तर आपण ज्याची पूजा करतो त्याच्याविषयीचे प्रत्येक परस्परविरोधी विधान खरे आहे.
Where this applies
- Pūrṇa-kāma—His nāma. Auspicious-quality.
- Junjhāra—kaḷikāḷa. Power-quality.
- Junāṭa—gōvaḷīm-gōvaḷā. Eternal-cowherd.
- Ucchiṣṭa-prīti—Kubjā-rata. Low-paradox.
- Uncaandnīca — both. Both-extremes.