Abhanga 915
Vitthal welcomes anyone regardless of caste or status, values a humble offering made with love over a grand one made without feeling, and cannot be coerced into coming to anyone.
The verse
तुज ऐसा कोण उदाराची रासी । आपुलें चि देसी पद दासा ॥१॥ शुद्ध हीन कांहीं न पाहासी कुळ । करिसी निर्मळ वास देहीं ॥२॥ भावें हें कदान्न खासी त्याचे घरीं । अभक्तांची परी नावडेती ॥३॥ न वजासी जेथें दुरी दवडितां । न येसी जो चित्ता योगियांच्या ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे ऐसीं ब्रीदें तुझीं खरीं । बोलतील चारी वेद मुखें ॥५॥
Literal translation
Udārā-rāsi — pada — dāsa. Śuddha-hīna — kuḷa — none. Nirmaḷa-vāsa — dēha. Bhāva — kadanna — gharī. Abhakta — nāvaḍētī. Davaḍitām — far. Yōgi-citta — none. Tuka says: brīda — four-Vedas — speak.
मराठी: तुज ऐसा कोण उदाराची राशी? — आपुलें-च पद दासा देसि. शुद्ध-हीन काही न पाहासि — कुळ — निर्मळ वास देहीं करिसि. भावानं त्याच्या घरीं कदान्न खासि — अभक्तांची परी नावडेती. न-वजासि जेथें दुरी-दवडितां — न-येसि जो योगियांच्या चित्ता. Tuka म्हणे: ऐसी तुझी ब्रीदें खरीं — चारी वेद मुखें बोलतील.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तुज ऐसा कोण उदाराची रासी | "You — udārā — rāsi" |
| आपुलें चि देसी पद दासा | "pada — dāsa" |
| शुद्ध हीन कांहीं न पाहासी कुळ | "śuddha-hīna — kuḷa" |
| करिसी निर्मळ वास देहीं | "nirmaḷa — vāsa — dēha" |
| भावें हें कदान्न खासी त्याचे घरीं | "bhāva — kadanna" |
| अभक्तांची परी नावडेती | "abhakta — nāvaḍētī" |
| न वजासी जेथें दुरी दवडितां | "davaḍitām" |
| न येसी जो चित्ता योगियांच्या | "yōgi — citta" |
| ऐसीं ब्रीदें तुझीं खरीं | "brīda" |
| बोलतील चारी वेद मुखें | "four — Vedas — speak" |
What it means
A who-is-as-generous-as-You-give-own-pada-to-dāsa-don't-look-at-purity-or-kula-make-pure-vāsa-in-deha-eat-bad-food-at-bhakta's-house-with-bhāva-don't-like-abhaktās-don't-go-where-driven-don't-come-to-yogis'-citta-true-brīdas-four-vedas-speak abhang. Hari's-true-brīdas-four-vedas-speak register. Five claims:
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उदारा-राशी — आपलें-पद-दासा. Generous-give-Your-own-pada-claim. Who is as generous as You?; You give Your-ownpadatodāsa. Generosity-of-Hari-supreme.
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शुद्ध-हीन-कुळ-न-पाहासि — निर्मळ-वास-देहीं. No-purity-or-caste-distinction-claim. You don't look atśuddha-hīnaorkuḷa; (You) makenirmaḷa vāsain (his)dēha. No-caste-or-purity-screen-You-purify-the-body-where-You-dwell.
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भावें-कदान्न-घरीं-खासि — अभक्तांची-परी-नावडेती. Eat-poor-food-at-bhakta's-house-claim. Withbhāva, You eat kadanna at his gharī; but theabhaktas' kind, You don'tnāvaḍētī. Bhāva-trumps-quality-of-food. (Famous-image — at Hari's-table, kadanna with bhāva is preferred over fine-food with no-bhāva. Vidura's kadanna in the Mahābhārata.)
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न-वजासि-दुरी-दवडितां — न-येसि-योगि-चित्ता. Don't-go-where-driven-don't-come-to-yogi-claim. You don't go where (You're)davaḍitām; You don't come into theyōgis'citta(who try-to-make-You). Won't-be-driven; won't-be-coerced.
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Tuka: ब्रीदें-खरीं — चारी-वेद-बोलतील. Four-vedas-speak-claim. Tuka says: such are Your truebrīdas; the fourVedaswill speak them with mouth. Vedas-attest-Your-brīdas.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram praises Vitthal as impossibly generous: he hands his own place to his servant, and he never checks anyone's purity or family background before making their body his home. He would rather eat plain, humble food offered with love in a devotee's house than fine food offered without feeling, and he refuses to be dragged anywhere by force, not even by yogis who try to summon him through discipline. Tuka says these are not exaggerations, they are the plain truth, and even the four Vedas will say so. The comfort here is that love matters more than credentials, and nothing genuine can be forced.
मराठी: तुकाराम विठ्ठलाच्या औदार्याचे वर्णन करतात, तो आपल्या दासाला स्वतःचेच स्थान देतो आणि कोणाची जात किंवा शुद्धता न पाहता प्रत्येकाच्या देहात निर्मळ वास करतो. फार चांगले अन्न भाव नसताना खाण्यापेक्षा भक्ताच्या घरी प्रेमाने दिलेले साधे अन्न तो आनंदाने खातो, आणि त्याला जबरदस्तीने कुठेही खेचता येत नाही, अगदी योग्यांच्या साधनेनेही नाही. तुका म्हणतात हे काही अतिशयोक्ती नाही, ही साधी सत्ये आहेत आणि चार वेदही हेच सांगतील. यातून हा धडा मिळतो की भाव हा पात्रतेपेक्षा मोठा असतो आणि खरी गोष्ट कधीच जबरदस्तीने मिळत नाही.
Where this applies
- Generous. Pada-given.
- No-screen. Caste-blind.
- Bhāva-trumps. Quality-of-food.
- Not-coerced. Free.
- Vedas-attest. Four-vedas.