Abhanga 868
Tukaram reduces all religion to simply speaking God's name, and admits in humility that he doesn't even know his own worth, only that grace has reached him through the saints.
The verse
सकळ धर्म मज विठोबाचें नाम । आणीक त्यां वर्म नेणें कांहीं ॥१॥ काय जाणों संतां निरविलें देवें । करिती या भावें कृपा मज ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे माझा कोण अधिकार । तो मज विचार कळों यावा ॥३॥
Literal translation
All — dharma — Viṭhōbā — nāma. Other — varma — not-know. What — santa — niravilē — Dēva. Bhāva — kṛpā. Tuka says: my — adhikāra — vicāra — kaḷōm yāvā.
मराठी: सकळ धर्म मज Viṭhōbāचं नाम — आणीक त्यां वर्म नेणे कांहीं. काय जाणों — संतांना देवानं निरविलं — ते ह्या भावानं कृपा करिती मज. Tuka म्हणे: माझा अधिकार कोण? — तो विचार मज कळों यावा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सकळ धर्म मज विठोबाचें नाम | "all — dharma — nāma" |
| आणीक त्यां वर्म नेणें कांहीं | "other — varma — not-know" |
| काय जाणों संतां निरविलें देवें | "what — know — santa — niravilē — Dēva" |
| करिती या भावें कृपा मज | "do — bhāva — kṛpā" |
| माझा कोण अधिकार | "my — what — adhikāra" |
| तो मज विचार कळों यावा | "vicāra — kaḷōm yāvā" |
What it means
A all-dharma-Viṭhōbā's-nāma-don't-know-any-other-varma-Dēva-entrusted-me-to-saints-they-show-kṛpā-what-is-my-adhikāra-let-this-vicāra-be-known abhang. Saints'-kṛpā-and-my-adhikāra register. Three claims:
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सकळ-धर्म-Viṭhōbāचं-नाम — आणीक-वर्म-नेणे. All-dharma-is-Viṭhōbā's-nāma-claim. Alldharmato me — isViṭhōbā'snāma; I don't know any othervarma. Single-dharma; Name-only. (The Vārkarī-anti-multi-dharma claim: all dharma condenses into Viṭhōbā-nāma; no other varma (subtle-secret) is needed.)
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संतांना-देवानं-निरविलं — कृपा-भावानं-करिती. Dēva-entrusted-me-to-saints-claim. (I don't know how, but) —Dēvaniravilē(entrusted, handed-over) me to thesantas;they show kṛpā with this bhāva (= with the bhāva of the entrustment).Dēva-entrusted-saints-show-kṛpā.
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Tuka: माझा-अधिकार-कोण — विचार-कळों-यावा. What-is-my-adhikāra-claim. Tuka says: what is my adhikāra?—let-this vicāra come-to-be-kaḷōm. What-am-I-eligible-for; let-this-be-known-to-me. (Profound humility-claim: I don't even know-my-own-adhikāra — let it be revealed.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram strips away every complicated rule of religion and lands on one simple practice: chanting God's name. He doesn't claim to understand any deeper secret or technique, that's the whole of his dharma. He admits, with real humility, that he doesn't even know why God entrusted him to the care of saints, only that they treat him with grace because of it. And he ends by admitting he doesn't know what he deserves or is capable of, he simply asks for that to be revealed to him.
मराठी: तुकाराम धर्माचे सगळे किचकट नियम बाजूला सारून एका साध्या गोष्टीवर येऊन थांबतात, देवाचं नाम घेणं. आणखी काही गूढ रहस्य किंवा तंत्र मला माहीत नाही, हाच माझा संपूर्ण धर्म आहे, असं ते म्हणतात. अगदी खऱ्या नम्रतेने ते कबूल करतात की देवाने मला संतांच्या स्वाधीन का केलं हेही मला माहीत नाही, फक्त एवढं समजतं की त्यामुळे संत माझ्यावर कृपा करतात. आणि शेवटी ते सांगतात की माझी पात्रता किंवा माझा अधिकार काय आहे हेही मला माहीत नाही, फक्त तेवढं मला कळावं अशी विनंती करतात.
Where this applies
- Single-dharma. Name-only.
- Saints-via-Dēva. Mediation.
- Adhikāra-question. Humility.