Abhanga 706
Tukaram vows to become a beggar, a pilgrim walking to Pandharpur. This alone, he says, is his rule and his religion: everything is Vithoba's name. This alone is his worship: clinging to the feet of the saints. And he says he will offer God a simple, guileless kind of service — not clever or sophisticated, just plain devotion made of bhajan and walking.
The verse
होईन भिकारी । पंढरीचा वारकरी ॥१॥ हा चि माझा नेम धर्म । अवघें विठोबाचें नाम ॥ध्रु.॥ हे चि माझी उपासना । लागन संतांच्या चरणा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देवा । करीन ते भोळी सेवा ॥३॥
Literal translation
I will become a bhikārī — a Pandharī vārakarī. This-only is my nēma-dharma — all is Viṭhōbā's nāma. This-only is my upāsanā — lāgana to santām-caraṇa. Tuka says: deva — I will do that bhōḷī sēvā.
मराठी: भिकारी होईन — पंढरीचा वारकरी. हा च माझा नेम-धर्म — सर्व विठोबाचं नाम. हीच माझी उपासना — संतांच्या चरणीं लागन. Tuka म्हणे: देवा — करीन ती भोळी सेवा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| होईन भिकारी | "I-will-become — bhikārī" |
| पंढरीचा वारकरी | "Pandharī-vārakarī" |
| हा चि माझा नेम धर्म | "this-only — my nēma-dharma" |
| अवघें विठोबाचें नाम | "all — Viṭhōbā-nāma" |
| हे चि माझी उपासना | "this-only — my upāsanā" |
| लागन संतांच्या चरणा | "lāgana (clinging) — santām-caraṇa" |
| करीन ते भोळी सेवा | "will-do — that — bhōḷī sēvā" |
What it means
A I-will-be-Pandharī-vārakarī-Viṭhōbā-nāma-as-niyama-cling-to-santas-feet-bhōḷī-sēvā abhang. Vārakarī-vow register. Three claims (in just six lines):
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भिकारी होईन — पंढरीचा-वारकरी. Beggar-vārakarī-vow-claim. I will become abhikārī(a beggar) — avārakarī of Pandharī. Beggar-not-rich; vārakarī-of-Pandharī. (The vārakarī tradition: walking to Pandharī twice-yearly on āṣāḍhī and kārtikī ekādaśī, often as beggars-with-no-resources, singing-and-walking.)
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नेम-धर्म — विठोबाचं नाम — उपासना — संत-चरणीं-लागन. Niyama-and-upāsanā-claim. This only is mynēma(niyama, regular-rule) anddharma: all is Viṭhōbā'snāma. This only is myupāsanā(worship-mode):lāgana(clinging) to thesantām-caraṇa(santas' feet). Niyama-Viṭhōbā-nāma-upāsanā-cling-santas-feet.
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Tuka: देवा — भोळी सेवा करीन. Bhōḷī-sēvā-vow-claim. Tuka says:deva — I will do that bhōḷī sēvā (simple-minded / innocent / unsophisticated sēvā).Not-clever-sēvā but bhōḷī-sēvā. (Thebhōḷā/bhōḷīin Vārkarī vocabulary is the simple-minded, naïve, innocent — un-clever; this is the proper-mode ofsēvā.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram vows to become a beggar, a pilgrim walking to Pandharpur. This alone, he says, is his rule and his religion: everything is Vithoba's name. This alone is his worship: clinging to the feet of the saints. And he says he will offer God a simple, guileless kind of service — not clever or sophisticated, just plain devotion made of bhajan and walking.
मराठी: तुकाराम प्रतिज्ञा करतात की ते भिकारी होतील, पंढरीचा वारकरी होतील. हाच त्यांचा नेम आणि धर्म आहे — सर्व काही विठोबाचे नाम आहे. हीच त्यांची उपासना आहे — संतांच्या चरणी लागून राहणे. आणि ते देवाला भोळी सेवा अर्पण करतील असे म्हणतात — शहाणपणाची किंवा चतुर नव्हे, तर भजन आणि वारी यातून घडणारी साधी, निर्मळ भक्ती.
Where this applies
- Bhikārī — vārakarī. Beggar-vow.
- Viṭhōbā-nāma = nēma-dharma. Niyama.
- Lāgana santām-caraṇa. Cling-feet.
- Bhōḷī-sēvā. Simple-mode.