Abhanga 844
Seeing your own faults clearly is only the first step; real change also needs a guide to steer you and a plea for grace to carry you across.
The verse
आम्हां आपुलें नावडे संचित । चरफडी चत्ति कळवळ्यानें ॥१॥ न कळतां जाला खोळंब मारगा । जगीं जालों जगा बहुरूपी ॥ध्रु.॥ कळों आलें बरें उघडले डोळे । कर्णधार मिळे तरि बरें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे व्हाल ऐकत करुणा । तरि नारायणा उडी घाला ॥३॥
Literal translation
Us — own — nāvaḍē — samcita. Caraphaḍī — citta — kaḷavaḷā. Without-knowing — khōḷamba — mārga. Jaga — bahurūpī. Kaḷōm ālē — barē — opened — ḍōḷē. Karṇa-dhāra — joins — then — barē. Tuka says: if-You-be — aikata — karuṇā — then — Nārāyaṇa — uḍī ghālā.
मराठी: आम्हाला आपुलं संचित नावडे — कळवळ्यानं चित्त चरफडी. न-कळतां मार्गा खोळंब झाला — जगीं जगाला बहुरूपी जालों. कळों आलं, बरं — डोळे उघडले — कर्ण-धार (नावाडी) मिळे तर बरं. Tuka म्हणे: व्हाल ऐकत करुणा — तर Nārāyaṇa, उडी घाला.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आम्हां आपुलें नावडे संचित | "us — own — nāvaḍē — samcita" |
| चरफडी चत्ति कळवळ्यानें | "caraphaḍī — citta — kaḷavaḷā" |
| न कळतां जाला खोळंब मारगा | "without-knowing — khōḷamba — mārga" |
| जगीं जालों जगा बहुरूपी | "in-jaga — became — jaga — bahurūpī" |
| कळों आलें बरें उघडले डोळे | "kaḷōm ālē — barē — opened — ḍōḷē" |
| कर्णधार मिळे तरि बरें | "karṇa-dhāra — joins — then — barē" |
| व्हाल ऐकत करुणा | "if-You-be — aikata — karuṇā" |
| तरि नारायणा उडी घाला | "then — Nārāyaṇa — uḍī ghālā" |
What it means
A don't-like-own-samcita-citta-thrashes-with-kaḷavaḷā-way-jammed-bahurūpī-eyes-opened-helmsman-needed-Nārāyaṇa-leap abhang. Helmsman-petition-and-Nārāyaṇa-leap register. Three claims:
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आपुलं-संचित-नावडे — चित्त-चरफडी-कळवळ्यानं — मार्गा-खोळंब — जगीं-बहुरूपी. Don't-like-own-samcita-and-bahurūpī-in-world-claim. We don't like our ownsamcita (the karma-store accumulated);the citta caraphaḍī (thrashes) with kaḷavaḷā (anguished-distress);without (my)-knowing, the mārga got-khōḷamba (jammed);in the jaga, I became a bahurūpī (multi-form-actor — a bahurūpī was the professional-impersonator who took different-roles for-money) for the jaga itself.Don't-like-samcita; way-jammed-unaware; bahurūpī-in-the-world. (Vivid self-image: I became abahurūpī— a paid-impersonator who plays-many-roles —jagā (for the world) — i.e., I performed-roles for the world's-applause; not for-myself.)
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कळों-आलं — डोळे-उघडले — कर्ण-धार-मिळे-तर-बरें. Eyes-opened-helmsman-needed-claim. It has come-to-be-kaḷōm (known), barē (well);the ḍōḷē opened;if a karṇa-dhāra (helmsman / boatman who steers — the rudder-holder — Karṇa-dhāra is a Sanskrit-term for the helmsman of a boat) joins (us), it'd be barē (good).Eyes-opened-but-still-need-a-helmsman. (Two-sequential-realizations: now I see (eyes-opened); but I need a helmsman to actually-cross. Thekarṇa-dhāra — the steerer — is the saint, the guru, the Hari-himself.)
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Tuka: व्हाल-ऐकत-करुणा — Nārāyaṇa-उडी-घाला. If-You-hear-karuṇā-Nārāyaṇa-leap-claim. Tuka says: if You willaikata (be hearing) the karuṇā (the cry-of-pity);then, Nārāyaṇa, uḍī ghālā (throw / make the leap).Hear-the-pity-and-leap. (Closing-petition: if You hear-the-cry, then leap-down to-rescue. Sameuḍī-ghālā image from 0831 — Pāṇḍuranga's-leap.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram confesses that he doesn't even like the pile of past actions and habits he has built up over time, and it makes his heart writhe with anguish. Without realizing it, he drifted off the path, and in trying to please the world he played so many different roles that he became like a paid performer acting for an audience instead of living for himself. Now his eyes have opened and he can see this clearly, but seeing alone is not enough; he still needs someone to actually steer him across, the way a boat needs a helmsman. So he closes with a plea: if you can hear the cry of my anguish, Narayana, then leap in and save me.
मराठी: तुकाराम कबूल करतात की त्यांना स्वतःच्या साठलेल्या कर्माचा, म्हणजे संचिताचा, तिटकाराच वाटतो, आणि त्यामुळे मन अस्वस्थतेने तळमळत राहतं. नकळतच ते मार्गावरून भरकटले आणि जगाला खूश करण्याच्या नादात इतक्या वेगवेगळ्या भूमिका वठवल्या की स्वतःच एक बहुरूपी, म्हणजे पैशासाठी सोंगं आणणारा कलाकार, बनून गेले. आता डोळे उघडले आहेत आणि हे स्पष्ट दिसतंय, पण नुसतं दिसणं पुरेसं नाही. नावेला जसा नावाडी लागतो तसा त्यांनाही कोणीतरी हात धरून पैलतीरी नेणारा हवा आहे. म्हणून ते शेवटी विनवतात, माझी ही तळमळ जर तुला ऐकू येत असेल, नारायणा, तर उडी घाल आणि मला वाचव.
Where this applies
- Bahurūpī. Self-image.
- Helmsman. Need-for-guide.
- Nārāyaṇa-leap. Rescue-petition.