संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 712 of 4582

Abhanga 712

English: Satya-sāca-kharē — Viṭhōbā's nāma is barē — by which bandhanas are cut — and by which kīrti in ubhaya-lōka.

When Viṭhōbā's nāma is true-genuine-real — and you have to recognize this register
When bhāva in the knot brings immediate benefit — and you accept this image
When the bhōḷā wins the kalikāla — and you receive this final claim

The verse

सत्य साच खरें । नाम विठोबाचें बरें ॥१॥ जेणें तुटती बंधनें । उभयलोकीं कीर्ति जेणें ॥ध्रु.॥ भाव ज्याचे गांठी । त्यासी लाभ उठाउठी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे भोळा । जिंकुं जाणे कळिकाळा ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Satya-sāca-kharē — Viṭhōbā's nāma is barē — by which bandhanas are cut — and by which kīrti in ubhaya-lōka. One in whose gāṇṭhī is bhāva — gets lābha uṭhā-uṭhī. Tuka says: the bhōḷā — knows how to win the kalikāla.

मराठी: सत्य-साच-खरें — विठोबाचं नाम बरें — ज्याने बंधनं तुटतात — आणि उभय-लोकीं कीर्ति. भाव ज्याच्या गांठीं — त्याला लाभ उठा-उठीं. Tuka म्हणे: भोळा — कलिकाळा जिंकूं जाणे.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
सत्य साच खरें "satya-sāca-kharē"
नाम विठोबाचें बरें "Viṭhōbā-nāmabarē"
जेणें तुटती बंधनें "by-which — bandhanas — cut"
उभयलोकीं कीर्ति जेणें "ubhaya-lōkakīrti — by-which"
भाव ज्याचे गांठी "bhāva — whose gāṇṭhī"
त्यासी लाभ उठाउठी "lābhauṭhā-uṭhī"
भोळा "bhōḷā"
जिंकुं जाणे कळिकाळा "win — knows — kalikāla"

What it means

A satya-sāca-Viṭhōbā-nāma-best-bandhanas-cut-bhāva-in-knot-bhōḷā-wins-kalikāla abhang. Viṭhōbā-nāma-and-bhōḷā-wins register. Three claims:

  1. सत्य-साच-खरें — विठोबा-नाम बरें — बंधनं तुटतात — उभय-लोकीं कीर्ति. Viṭhōbā-nāma-best-claim. Satya-sāca-kharē (the truly-genuine-real): Viṭhōbā's nāma is barē (good, fitting, the right one); by which the bandhanas (bonds) are cut; by which kīrti (fame, glory) in ubhaya-lōka (both-worlds, this-world and next). Viṭhōbā-nāma-cuts-bonds-and-grants-kīrti-in-both-worlds*.

  2. भाव गांठीं — लाभ उठा-उठी. Bhāva-in-knot-immediate-benefit-claim. One in whose gāṇṭhī (knot — the cloth-knot at the waistband or shoulder, where one keeps coins or treasured-things) is bhāva; gets lābha (benefit / profit) uṭhā-uṭhī (immediately, the very-moment of getting up). Bhāva-in-the-knot-immediate-profit. (The gāṇṭhī image: bhāva is what you carry-tied-into-your-cloth-knot, the way one carries coins; with bhāva* in the knot, profit comes the moment-you-rise.)

  3. Tuka: भोळा कलिकाळा जिंकूं जाणे. Bhōḷā-wins-kalikāla-claim. Tuka says: the bhōḷā (simple-minded, naïve, un-clever); knows how to jinka (win) the kalikāla (the Kali-time / time-of-decline). The-simple-minded-knows-how-to-win-the-kalikāla. (One of Tukaram's most-distinctive claims: in the kali-yuga, it is the bhōḷā — the simple-minded bhakta — who wins, not the clever-philosopher.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the Viṭhōbā-nāma-best-and-bhōḷā-wins register:

  1. Viṭhōbā's nāma is true-real, cuts bonds, grants kīrti in both worlds. Viṭhōbā-nāma-best.

  2. Bhāva in the knot — immediate benefit on rising. Bhāva-knot-immediate.

  3. The bhōḷā knows how to win the kalikāla. Bhōḷā-wins.

For today: Viṭhōbā's nāma is the truly-genuine-real; cuts the bandhanas; grants kīrti in both worlds; the one with bhāva tied-into-the-cloth-knot gets profit immediately; the bhōḷā (simple-minded), not the clever-one, wins the kalikāla.

This abhang is Tukaram's Viṭhōbā-nāma-and-bhōḷā-wins registerone of the most-distinctive Vārkarī claims. Compare 0706 vārakarī-vow-bhōḷī-sēvā (Tuka's mudra); same bhōḷī-sēvā praise but here organized through Viṭhōbā-nāma-best and bhōḷā-wins-kalikāla. The gāṇṭhī-image (cloth-knot for treasure) is uniquely-Marathi*.

मराठी: ही ओवी Viṭhōbā-nāma-best-and-bhōḷā-wins register नाव सांगते:

  1. Viṭhōbā-nāma सत्य-real; बंधनं तुटतात; उभय-लोकीं कीर्ति. Viṭhōbā-nāma-best.

  2. भाव-गांठीं — लाभ उठा-उठीं. Bhāva-knot-immediate.

  3. भोळा कलिकाळ-जिंकतो. Bhōḷā-wins.

आज: Viṭhōbā-nāma truly-genuine-real; Bandhanas cuts; ubhaya-lōka-कीर्ति देतं; Bhāva cloth-knot-त-tied असेल तर profit immediate; Bhōḷā (simple-minded), clever-नाही, कलिकाळ wins.

Tukaram च-Viṭhōbā-nāma-and-bhōḷā-wins-registerMost-distinctive Vārkarī claims पैकी एक. 0706 vārakarī-vow-bhōḷī-sēvā (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच bhōḷī-sēvā praise पण इथे Viṭhōbā-nāma-best आणि bhōḷā-wins-kalikāla च्या मार्गाने. Gāṇṭhī-image (cloth-knot for treasure) uniquely-Marathi.

Where this applies

Related verses