संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 848 of 4582

Abhanga 848

Even rough, imperfect words become sweet when spoken with real love, and nothing can truly measure up to what you are trying to praise.

When let us give upamā with longing; what is comparable to You? — and you have to recognize this register
When the vāṇī is rough but sweet on-top when taken to the ear — and you accept this image
When Tuka plays with longing; fulfill the festivities — and you receive this final tender petition

The verse

देऊं ते उपमा । आवडीनें पुरुषोत्तमा ॥१॥ पाहातां काशा तूं सारिखा । तिंहीं लोकांच्या जनका ॥ध्रु.॥ आरुष हे वाणी । गोड वरूनि घेतां कानीं ॥२॥ आवडीनें खेळे । तुका पुरवावे सोहाळे ॥३॥

Literal translation

Let-give — upamā — with-āvaḍī — Puruṣōttama. Looking — kāśā — sārikhā — three — lōka — janaka. Āruṣa — vāṇī — gōḍa — on-top — taken — kāna. With-āvaḍī — plays — Tuka — fulfill — sōhāḷē.

मराठी: उपमा देऊं — आवडीनें, हे Puruṣōttama. पाहातां, कशासारखा तूं? — तिन्ही लोकांच्या जनका. ही वाणी आरुष (खडबडीत) — पण कानीं घेतां वरून गोड. आवडीनें खेळे — Tukaचे सोहाळे पुरवावे.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
देऊं ते उपमा "let-us-give — upamā"
आवडीनें पुरुषोत्तमा "with-āvaḍī — Puruṣōttama"
पाहातां काशा तूं सारिखा "looking — kāśā — sārikhā"
तिंहीं लोकांच्या जनका "three — lōka — janaka"
आरुष हे वाणी "āruṣa — vāṇī"
गोड वरूनि घेतां कानीं "gōḍa — on-top — taken — kāna"
आवडीनें खेळे "with-āvaḍī — plays"
तुका पुरवावे सोहाळे "Tuka — fulfill — sōhāḷē"

What it means

A give-upamā-with-longing-Puruṣōttama-what-comparable-three-worlds'-father-rough-vāṇī-yet-sweet-on-top-Tuka-plays-with-longing-fulfill-festivities abhang. Fulfill-Tuka's-festivities register. Three claims:

  1. उपमा-देऊं-आवडीनें-Puruṣōttama — कशा-सारिखा — तिन्ही-लोकांच्या-जनका. Give-upamā-with-longing-and-no-comparison-claim. Let us give theupamā(simile, comparison) — withāvaḍī, O Puruṣōttama; looking, tokāśā (whom) are You sārikhā (comparable), O janakā (father) of the three lōkas?Give-upamā-with-longing; but-no-comparison-three-worlds'-father.

  2. आरुष-वाणी — गोड-वरूनि-कानीं-घेतां. Rough-vāṇī-sweet-on-top-claim. Thisvāṇī(my speech) isāruṣa (rough, harsh, unpolished);yet, taken into the kāna, it is gōḍa (sweet) varūni (on-top, on-the-surface).Rough-words-yet-sweet-when-heard. (Tuka's-self-aware claim about his ownvāṇī: it's rough — but when taken into the bhakta's-ear, thebhāva makes-it-sweet.)

  3. आवडीनें-खेळे — Tukaचे-सोहाळे-पुरवावे. Tuka-plays-fulfill-festivities-claim. (Tuka) plays withāvaḍī — Tuka says: fulfill thesōhāḷē (festivities).Tuka-plays-with-longing; fulfill-the-festivities. (Closing-tender petition: Tukaplays(with words, with bhajan) withāvaḍī; (Hari, please)fulfillthesōhāḷē (the festive-celebrations, the inner-celebration).)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the pattern of fulfilling Tuka's joy:

  1. Let us offer a comparison out of love, O Purushottama; but to whom can You really be compared, O father of the three worlds? No comparison is possible.

  2. This speech is rough, but it turns sweet once it reaches the ear. Rough, yet sweet.

  3. Tuka plays out of love; fulfill his celebration. Fulfill his celebration.

For today: let us offer a comparison out of love, O Purushottama; but to whom, O father of the three worlds, can You truly be compared? This speech is rough, yet it turns sweet once it reaches the listening ear; Tuka plays out of love — let his celebration be fulfilled.

This abhang is one of Tukaram's most tender statements of playful petition. Compare 0694, where the same impossibility of praise appears, saying no one, not even Shesha with his many tongues, is equal to praising You — the same theme, but here it is worked out through offering a comparison out of love and through speech that is rough yet becomes sweet. "Fulfill Tuka's celebration" is the precise tender plea with which this abhang closes.

मराठी: ही ओवी तुकाचा उत्सव पूर्ण करण्याचा नमुना सांगते:

  1. प्रेमाने एक उपमा देऊया, हे पुरुषोत्तमा; पण तिन्ही लोकांच्या जनका, तुला खरोखर कशाची उपमा द्यावी? कोणतीही उपमा शक्य नाही.

  2. ही वाणी आरुष आहे, पण कानी पडताच ती गोड होते. आरुष तरी गोड.

  3. तुका प्रेमाने खेळतो; त्याचा सोहळा पूर्ण करावा. त्याचा सोहळा पूर्ण करणे.

आजसाठी: प्रेमाने एक उपमा देऊया, हे पुरुषोत्तमा; पण तिन्ही लोकांच्या जनका, तुला खरोखर कशाची उपमा शोभेल? ही वाणी आरुष आहे, तरी कानी पडताच ती गोड होते; तुका प्रेमाने खेळतो — त्याचा सोहळा पूर्ण करावा.

ही ओवी तुकारामांच्या सर्वात हळुवार, खेळकर विनवणीच्या विधानांपैकी एक आहे. ओवी क्र. ०६९४ शी तुलना करता येईल — तिथेही हीच स्तुती-अशक्यता आहे, शेषालाही अनेक जिभांनी तुझी स्तुती करता येत नाही असे सांगणारी — तोच विषय, पण इथे तो प्रेमाने उपमा देणे आणि आरुष तरी गोड होणारी वाणी यांतून मांडला आहे. "तुकाचा सोहळा पूर्ण करावा" हीच या ओवीच्या शेवटची हळुवार विनवणी आहे.

Where this applies

Bhakti Mother / Family bond

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