संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1003 of 4582

Abhanga 1003

English: Take Dēva, anyone — āitā — came — ghara — asking.

When take Dēva, He came asking the house — and you have to recognize this register
When we don't need Dēva, storage full at the place — and you accept this image
When Dēva's rate is down, bhāva has sunk — and you allow this image

The verse

देव घ्या कोणी देव घ्या कोणी । आइता आला घर पुसोनी ॥१॥ देव न लगे देव न लगे । सांटवणेचे रुधले जागे ॥ध्रु.॥ देव मंदला देव मंदला । भाव बुडाला काय करूं ॥२॥ देव घ्या फुका देव घ्या फुका । न लगे रुका मोल कांहीं ॥३॥ दुबळा तुका भावेंविणें । उधारा देव घेतला रुणें ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: Take Dēva, anyone — āitā — came — ghara — asking. Dēva — na lagē — sāṭavaṇa — rudhalē — jāga. Dēva — mandalā — bhāva — buḍālā — what. Phukā — rukā — mōla — none. Dubaḷā Tuka — no bhāva — udhārā — ruṇa.

मराठी: Dēva घ्या कोणी, Dēva घ्या कोणी — आइता आला, घर पुसोनी. 'Dēva न लगे, Dēva न लगे — सांटवणेचे जागे रुधले'. 'Dēva मंदला, Dēva मंदला — भाव बुडाला, काय करूं?' 'Dēva फुका घ्या, Dēva फुका घ्या — रुका मोल कांहीं न लगे'. दुबळा Tuka, भावें-विणें — उधारा-रुणें Dēva घेतला.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
देव घ्या कोणी देव घ्या कोणी "take Dēva, anyone"
आइता आला घर पुसोनी "āitā — came — ghara — asking"
देव न लगे देव न लगे "Dēva — na lagē"
सांटवणेचे रुधले जागे "sāṭavaṇa — rudhalē — jāga"
देव मंदला देव मंदला "Dēva — mandalā"
भाव बुडाला काय करूं "bhāva — buḍālā — what to do"
देव घ्या फुका देव घ्या फुका "phukā — for free"
न लगे रुका मोल कांहीं "rukā — mōla"
दुबळा तुका भावेंविणें "dubaḷā Tuka — without bhāva"
उधारा देव घेतला रुणें "udhārā — ruṇa"

What it means

A take-Dēva-He-came-asking-the-house-we-don't-need-storage-full-Dēva's-rate-down-faith-sunk-take-Dēva-for-free-weak-Tuka-bought-Dēva-on-credit abhang. Bought-Dēva-on-credit register. One of Tukaram's most-brilliant marketplace-satire abhangs. The bhāva pun — meaning both faith and market-rate — runs throughout. Five voices/scenes:

  1. 'देव-घ्या-कोणी — आइता-आला-घर-पुसोनी.' Take-Dēva-claim. (The seller's cry:) 'Anyone, take Dēva, take Dēva'; (He) has come of-himself (āitā, ready-made), asking-the-*ghara (going-house-to-house). (Hari is being peddled door-to-door* like a vendor's wares.)

  2. 'देव-न-लगे — सांटवणे-रुधले.' Buyer-rejects-claim. (The buyer's response:) 'We don't need Dēva, don't need *Dēva' — the sāṭavaṇa (storage-spaces, store-rooms) are rudhalē (full, blocked) at the jāga (place)*. (We have no room for Dēva — our houses are already full of other things.)

  3. 'देव-मंदला — भाव-बुडाला.' Dēva's-rate-down-faith-sunk-claim. 'Dēva is mandalā (rate-dropped, demand-low), Dēva is *mandalā' — the bhāva (the price-rate — and pun: the faith) has buḍālā (sunk), what to do? (The market for Dēva has crashed — bhāva is both price and bhakti*; both have sunk together.)

  4. 'देव-घ्या-फुका — रुका-मोल-नाहीं.' Take-Dēva-for-free-claim. (The desperate seller:) 'Take Dēva for phukā (free), take for free'; not even a *rukā (small copper coin) price. (Even free, no one wants. The bhāva* is so dead that giving-away doesn't move stock.)

  5. Tuka: दुबळा — भाव-विण — उधार-रुणें-घेतला. Bought-Dēva-on-credit-claim. Weak Tuka, without bhāva; bought Dēva on *udhārā (debt), on ruṇa (loan). (The wry self-confession: I, weak Tuka, without bhāva — bought Dēva on credit. Even though I had no faith / no cash, I took Him on a debt-promise. The udhārā and ruṇa are the bhakti-debt one promises to repay.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the bought-Dēva-on-credit register:

  1. Take Dēva — He came asking the house. Came-himself.

  2. We don't need — storage full. Buyer-rejects.

  3. Dēva's rate is down — faith has sunk. Bhāva-pun.

  4. Take Dēva for free — no price. Free-no-buyers.

  5. Weak Tuka, without bhāva — bought Dēva on credit. On-credit.

For today: take Dēva, anyone — He came āitā, asking the ghara; 'don't need' — sāṭavaṇa rudhalē; 'Dēva mandalā, *bhāva buḍālā'; 'take phukā, no rukā mōla'; dubaḷā Tuka, without bhāva, took on udhārā ruṇa**.

This abhang is Tukaram's bought-Dēva-on-credit register — one of the most-brilliant marketplace-satire statements. The bhāva pun (price-rate / faith) is the entire structural device. The udhārā Dēva ghētalā ruṇē (bought Dēva on credit, on loan) is the precise on-credit claim.

मराठी: ही ओवी bought-Dēva-on-credit register नाव सांगते — Tukaram-ची marketplace-satire:

  1. Dēva-घ्या; आइता-आला. Came-himself.

  2. न-लगे; सांटवणे-रुधले. Buyer-rejects.

  3. मंदला; भाव-बुडाला. Bhāva-pun.

  4. फुका-घ्या; रुका-मोल-नाहीं. Free-no-buyers.

  5. दुबळा-Tuka; उधार-रुणें. On-credit.

आज: Dēva घ्या कोणी — āitā आला, ghara पुसोनी; 'Dēva न लगे — sāṭavaṇa rudhalē'; 'Dēva mandalā, bhāva buḍālā'; 'phukā घ्या, rukā mōla नाहीं'; दुबळा Tuka, bhāva-विणें — udhārā ruṇa Dēva घेतला.

Tukaram च-bought-Dēva-on-credit-register — Most-brilliant marketplace-satire statements पैकी एक. Udhārā Dēva ghētalā ruṇē precise on-credit claim.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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