Abhanga 1002
Devotion is open to everyone and needs no special skill or performance, just honest feeling expressed without shame or laziness.
The verse
आम्हीं गावें तुम्हीं कोणीं कांहीं न म्हणावें । ऐसें तंव आम्हां सांगितलें नाहीं देवें ॥१॥ म्हणा रामराम टाळी वाजवा हातें । नाचा डोला प्रेमें आपुलिया स्वहितें ॥ध्रु.॥ सहज घडे तया आळस करणें तें काई । अग्नीचें भातुकें हात पाळितां कां पायीं ॥२॥ येथें नाहीं लाज भक्तिभाव लौकिक । हांसे तया घडे ब्रम्हहत्यापातक ॥३॥ जया जैसा भाव निरोपण करावा । येथें नाहीं चाड ताळविताळ या देवा ॥४॥ सदैव ज्यां कथा काळ घडे श्रवण । तुका म्हणे येर जन्मा आले पाषाण ॥५॥
Literal translation
"We sing — you say nothing" — Dēva didn't tell us. Rāma-Rāma — ṭāḷī — hātē — dance, sway — prēma — sva-hita. Sahaja — āḷasa — what — agnī-bhātukē — hāta — pāya. No lāja — bhakti-bhāva-laukika — hāmsē — brahma-hatyā-pātaka. Bhāva — nirōpaṇa — no cāḍa — tāḷa-vitāḷa — Dēva. Sadaiva — kathā — śravaṇa — Tuka says: yēra — janma — pāṣāṇa.
मराठी: आम्हीं गावें — तुम्हीं कोणीं कांहीं न म्हणावें — ऐसें Deva-नें आम्हांस सांगितलें नाहीं. म्हणा Rāma-Rāma — हातें टाळी वाजवा — आपुलिया स्व-हितें प्रेमें नाचा-डोला. सहज घडे त्या — आळस करणें तें काई? — अग्नीचें भातुकें — हात पायीं पाळितां कां? येथें नाहीं लाज — भक्ति-भाव-लौकिक — हांसे त्या ब्रह्म-हत्या-पातक घडे. जया जैसा भाव — निरोपण करावा — येथें या Dēvा-शी ताळ-विताळ-चाड नाहीं. सदैव ज्यांस कथा-काळ श्रवण घडे — Tuka म्हणे: येर जन्मा आले पाषाण.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आम्हीं गावें तुम्हीं कोणीं कांहीं न म्हणावें | "we sing — you say nothing" |
| ऐसें तंव आम्हां सांगितलें नाहीं देवें | "such — Dēva didn't tell us" |
| म्हणा रामराम टाळी वाजवा हातें | "Rāma-Rāma — ṭāḷī — hātē" |
| नाचा डोला प्रेमें आपुलिया स्वहितें | "dance, sway — prēma — sva-hita" |
| सहज घडे तया आळस करणें तें काई | "sahaja — āḷasa — what" |
| अग्नीचें भातुकें हात पाळितां कां पायीं | "agnī-bhātukē — hāta — pāya" |
| येथें नाहीं लाज भक्तिभाव लौकिक | "lāja — bhakti-bhāva-laukika" |
| हांसे तया घडे ब्रम्हहत्यापातक | "hāmsē — brahma-hatyā-pātaka" |
| जया जैसा भाव निरोपण करावा | "bhāva — nirōpaṇa" |
| येथें नाहीं चाड ताळविताळ या देवा | "cāḍa — tāḷa-vitāḷa — Dēva" |
| सदैव ज्यां कथा काळ घडे श्रवण | "sadaiva — kathā — śravaṇa" |
| येर जन्मा आले पाषाण | "yēra — janma — pāṣāṇa" |
What it means
A we-should-sing-not-others-Dēva-didn't-tell-us-that-say-Rāma-Rāma-clap-dance-sway-with-prema-in-your-own-welfare-what-laziness-in-natural-things-do-you-fold-hands-at-fire's-feet-for-fire's-offering-here-no-shame-bhakti-bhāva-laukika-whoever-laughs-commits-brahma-killing-sin-each-by-his-own-bhāva-no-rhythm-out-of-rhythm-need-with-this-Dēva-fortunate-those-whose-time-spent-in-kathā-listening-rest-came-in-birth-as-stones abhang. Rest-came-as-stones register. Tukaram's prema-naachno-shame manifesto. Five claims:
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आम्हीं-गावें-तुम्ही-नका — Deva-नें-असें-नाहीं-सांगितलें — Rāma-Rāma-टाळी-नाचा-स्व-हित. We-should-sing-you-too-claim. 'We should sing, you (others) should say nothing' — Dēva did not tell us such a thing. SayRāma-Rāma, clap (your) hands, dance, sway with prēma in your own sva-hita (your-own-welfare). (No exclusivity to bhakti —everyone should sing and dance.)
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सहज-आळस-नाहीं — अग्नी-भातुकें-पायी-नाहीं. No-laziness-in-natural-claim. What is theāḷasa(laziness) in (doing) what issahaja (natural, easy)?;do you fold (your) hāta at (the fire's) pāya for the agnī'sbhātukē (offering / pot)?(Bhakti isnatural like sitting near a fire — no special posture needed.)
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लाज-नाहीं-भक्ति — हांसे-ब्रह्म-हत्या-पातक. No-shame-laughing-brahma-hatyā-claim. Here there is nolāja(shame) ofbhakti-bhāva-laukika (the worldly-onlooker's-view of bhakti-emotion);(whoever) hāmsē (laughs at it) commits brahma-hatyā-pātaka (the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa = the gravest sin). (Don't be ashamed; whoever laughs at bhakti is committing the gravest sin.)
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भाव-निरोपण — Dēva-शी-ताळ-विताळ-चाड-नाहीं. Each-by-his-bhāva-claim. Each shouldnirōpaṇa(describe, narrate) by his (own)bhāva;there is no cāḍa (need, demand) of tāḷa-vitāḷa (rhythm-out-of-rhythm) for this Dēva. (No technical-rhythm-purity needed; just your bhāva.)
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Tuka: कथा-श्रवण-सदैव — येर-जन्मा-पाषाण. Rest-came-as-stones-claim. Fortunate are those whose kāḷa (time) is spent in śravaṇa (listening) of kathā;Tukasays:the yēra (rest, others) came in their janma (birth) as pāṣāṇa (stones). (Those who don't listen to kathā might as well have been born as stones.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram insists devotion is not reserved for a special few, God never said only some people should sing while everyone else stays quiet. Say the divine name, clap your hands, dance and sway with love for your own good, it is as natural as sitting near a fire, there is no excuse for laziness about something so simple. Do not feel embarrassed to show devotion in public, anyone who mocks it commits the gravest kind of sin. There is no need for technical perfection or a precise rhythm, just bring your own honest feeling, that is all God asks. And those who spend their time listening to sacred stories are the fortunate ones, everyone else, Tukaram says, might as well have been born as stones.
मराठी: तुकाराम महाराज ठामपणे सांगतात की भक्ती ही फक्त काही खास लोकांसाठी राखीव नाही; देवाने कधीच असे सांगितले नाही की केवळ आम्हीच गावे आणि बाकीच्यांनी गप्प बसावे. रामनाम घ्या, टाळ्या वाजवा, स्वतःच्या हितासाठी प्रेमाने नाचा-डोला, हे तर अग्नीजवळ बसण्याइतके सहज आहे, त्यात आळस कशाला? सार्वजनिक ठिकाणी भक्तिभाव दाखवायला लाज बाळगू नका, जो कोणी त्याची थट्टा करतो त्याला ब्रह्महत्येसारखे मोठे पाप लागते. इथे तालसुरांची कोणतीही तांत्रिक परिपूर्णता लागत नाही, फक्त आपला मनापासूनचा प्रामाणिक भाव पुरेसा आहे, देवाला याहून काही अधिक नको आहे. जे आपला वेळ कथाश्रवणात घालवतात तेच खरे भाग्यवान, बाकीचे, तुकाराम म्हणतात, दगडासारखे जन्माला आले असे समजावे.
Where this applies
- Everyone-sings. Inclusive.
- Clap-and-dance. Sva-hita.
- No-shame. Laughing-brahma-hatyā.
- Each-by-bhāva. No-rhythm-need.
- Rest-came-as-stones. Pāṣāṇa.