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 1001 of 4582

Abhanga 1001

English: Kavitva — say — someone — not — vāṇī — padara.

When someone may say I'm doing poetry — but my speech is not of my own storehouse — and you have to recognize this register
When not of my own skill — Viśvambhara makes me speak — and you accept this image
When what would I a pāmara know — Govinda speaks, I just speak — and you allow this image

The verse

करितों कवित्व म्हणाल हें कोणी । नव्हे माझी वाणी पदरींची ॥१॥ माझिये युक्तीचा नव्हे हा प्रकार । मज विश्वंभर बोलवितो ॥ध्रु.॥ काय मी पामर जाणे अर्थभेद । वदवी गोविंद तें चि वदें ॥२॥ निमित्त मापासी बैसविलों आहें । मी तों कांहीं नव्हे स्वामिसत्ता ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे आहें पाईक चि खरा । वागवितों मुद्रा नामाची हे ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: Kavitva — say — someone — not — vāṇī — padara. Yukti — prakāra — Viśvambhara — makes-speak. Pāmara — artha-bhēda — Gōvinda — speaks — that-itself speak. Nimitta — māpa — set — I — nothing — svāmi-sattā. Tuka says: pāīka-ci kharā — vāgavitōm — mudrā — nāma.

मराठी: कवित्व करितों — कोणी म्हणाल हें — नव्हे माझी वाणी पदरींची. माझिये युक्तीचा हा प्रकार नव्हे — मज Viśvambhara बोलवितो. मी पामर — अर्थ-भेद काय जाणे? — Gōvinda वदवी, तें-च वदें. निमित्त मापासि बैसविलों आहें — मी कांहीं नव्हे — स्वामि-सत्ता. Tuka म्हणे: पाईक-च खरा आहें — नामाची मुद्रा वागवितों.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
करितों कवित्व म्हणाल हें कोणी "kavitva — say — someone"
नव्हे माझी वाणी पदरींची "not — vāṇī — padara"
माझिये युक्तीचा नव्हे हा प्रकार "yukti — prakāra"
मज विश्वंभर बोलवितो "Viśvambhara — makes-speak"
काय मी पामर जाणे अर्थभेद "pāmara — artha-bhēda"
वदवी गोविंद तें चि वदें "Gōvinda — vadavī — that-itself speak"
निमित्त मापासी बैसविलों आहें "nimitta — māpa — set"
मी तों कांहीं नव्हे स्वामिसत्ता "I — nothing — svāmi-sattā"
आहें पाईक चि खरा "pāīka-ci — kharā"
वागवितों मुद्रा नामाची हे "vāgavitōm — mudrā — nāma"

What it means

A someone-may-say-I'm-doing-poetry-but-speech-not-of-my-own-storehouse-not-of-my-own-skill-Viśvambhara-makes-me-speak-what-would-pāmara-me-know-of-meaning-Govinda-speaks-I-speak-instrument-on-the-measure-I-am-nothing-master's-authority-truly-a-servant-carrying-the-mudrā-of-nāma abhang. Servant-carrying-the-mudrā-of-nāma register. Tukaram's foundational authorship-theology — the most-cited statement of his self-understanding as a poet. Five claims:

  1. कवित्व-म्हणाल — वाणी-पदरी-ची-नव्हे. Speech-not-of-my-own-storehouse-claim. Someone may say, 'I am doing kavitva (poetry)'; (but) my vāṇī is not of (my own) *padara (the fold of one's garment, used metaphorically for one's own storehouse / what is one's own)*. (Tuka denies authorship.)

  2. युक्तीचा-प्रकार-नव्हे — Viśvambhara-बोलवितो. Viśvambhara-makes-me-speak-claim. This is not of my (own) yukti (cleverness) — its prakāra (kind, manner); Viśvambhara (the All-Sustainer) makes me speak*.

  3. पामर-अर्थ-भेद-काय-जाणे — Gōvinda-वदवी-तेंच-वदें. Govinda-speaks-I-just-speak-claim. What would I, a pāmara (lowly, wretched one), know of *artha-bhēda (distinctions of meaning)?; Gōvinda makes (me) speak — that-itself I speak. (Pure passive-instrument-claim.)

  4. निमित्त-माप-बैसविलों — मी-नव्हे — स्वामि-सत्ता. Instrument-on-the-measure-master's-authority-claim. I am set as a nimitta (instrument, occasion-cause) on the *māpa (the measure-stand — the platform of measuring); I am nothing — (it is) the svāmi-sattā (the master's authority, the lord's power).

  5. Tuka: पाईक-खरा — मुद्रा-नामाची-वागवितों. Servant-carrying-the-mudrā-of-nāma-claim. Tuka says: I am truly a pāīka (servant, foot-soldier); I carry the mudrā (mark, seal, royal-stamp) of *nāma (the Name). (The classic Tuka-mudra: pāīka of Pāṇḍuranga, carrying the seal of the Name*.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the servant-carrying-the-mudrā-of-nāma register — Tukaram's foundational authorship-theology:

  1. Someone may say I'm doing poetry; my speech is not of my own storehouse. Not-mine.

  2. Not of my own skill; Viśvambhara makes me speak. Viśvambhara-speaks.

  3. What would pāmara me know of meaning; Govinda speaks, I just speak. Govinda-speaks.

  4. I am set as instrument on the measure; I am nothing — master's authority. Instrument-on-measure.

  5. I am truly a servant; I carry the mudrā of nāma. Servant-carrying-mudrā-of-nāma.

For today: kavitva who? vāṇī not of padara; not yukti-prakāra, Viśvambhara speaks; pāmara me, artha-bhēda unknown, Gōvinda speaks, that I speak; nimitta on māpa, I'm nothing, svāmi-sattā; pāīka kharā, carrying mudrā of nāma**.

This abhang is Tukaram's servant-carrying-the-mudrā-of-nāma register — the foundational authorship-theology statement of the corpus. Compare 1001-style other-not-mine-Govinda-speaks abhangs (Tuka's mudra). The vāgavitōm mudrā nāmācī hē (I carry the mudrā of nāma) is the precise servant-mudrā claim*.

मराठी: ही ओवी servant-carrying-the-mudrā-of-nāma register नाव सांगते — Tukaram-ची foundational authorship-theology:

  1. वाणी-पदरी-नव्हे. Not-mine.

  2. Viśvambhara-बोलवितो. Viśvambhara-speaks.

  3. Gōvinda-वदवी-वदें. Govinda-speaks.

  4. निमित्त-माप; स्वामि-सत्ता. Instrument-on-measure.

  5. पाईक-मुद्रा-नामाची. Servant-carrying-mudrā-of-nāma.

आज: Kavitva कोण म्हणे, vāṇī padarīmcī नव्हे; Yukti-प्रकार नव्हे, Viśvambhara बोलवितो; Pāmara me, artha-bhēda काय जाणे, Gōvinda वदवी, तेंच वदें; Nimitta-māpa-baisavilōm, मी कांहीं नव्हे, svāmi-sattā; Pāīka kharā, mudrā nāmācī वागवितों*.

Tukaram च-servant-carrying-the-mudrā-of-nāma-register — Foundational authorship-theology. Vāgavitōm mudrā nāmācī hē precise servant-mudrā claim.

Where this applies

Name Bhakti

Related verses