Abhanga 1054
Tukaram admits he is offering praise to God even though, by his own reckoning, he has no real standing to judge whether he is worthy of doing so. He calls himself God's servant, the weakest among the saints, and asks simply to be looked after and kept at God's feet. He describes chanting the Rama-Krishna-Hari mantra, the name of God repeated aloud, as something that is dear to Vitthal, the deity of Pandharpur. Then he says he is only fit to eat God's leftovers, the humblest share, and asks forgiveness for being bold enough to speak up and praise at all. The lesson is that you do not need to feel qualified or worthy to reach out in devotion or gratitude; you can offer it honestly, admit your own smallness, and still ask to be cared for.
The verse
स्तुति करीं जैसा नाहीं अधिकार । न कळे विचार योग्यतेचा ॥१॥ तुमचें मी दास संतांचें दुर्बळ । करूनि सांभाळ राखा पायीं ॥ध्रु.॥ रामकृष्णहरि मंत्र उच्चारणा । आवडी चरणां विठोबाच्या ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे तुमचें सेवितों उच्चिष्ट । क्षमा करीं धीट होऊनियां ॥३॥
Literal translation
Stuti — adhikāra — yōgyatā vicāra. Dāsa — durbaḷa — sāmbhāḷa — pāya. Rāma-Krishna-Hari — mantra-uccāraṇa — āvaḍī — Viṭhōbā. Tuka says: uchchhiṣṭa — kṣamā — dhīṭa.
मराठी: स्तुति करीं — जैसा नाहीं अधिकार — योग्यतेचा विचार न कळे. तुमचें मी दास — संतांचें दुर्बळ — सांभाळ करूनि पायीं राखा. Rāma-Krishna-Hari मंत्र-उच्चारणा — Viṭhōbāच्या चरणां आवडी. Tuka म्हणे: तुमचें उच्चिष्ट सेवितों — धीट होऊनियां, क्षमा करीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| स्तुति करीं जैसा नाहीं अधिकार | "stuti — adhikāra" |
| न कळे विचार योग्यतेचा | "yōgyatā vicāra" |
| तुमचें मी दास संतांचें दुर्बळ | "dāsa — durbaḷa" |
| करूनि सांभाळ राखा पायीं | "sāmbhāḷa — pāya" |
| रामकृष्णहरि मंत्र उच्चारणा | "Rāma-Krishna-Hari — mantra-uccāraṇa" |
| आवडी चरणां विठोबाच्या | "āvaḍī — Viṭhōbā" |
| तुमचें सेवितों उच्चिष्ट | "uchchhiṣṭa" |
| क्षमा करीं धीट होऊनियां | "kṣamā — dhīṭa" |
What it means
A I-do-praise-though-I-have-no-authority-I-don't-know-the-judgment-of-worthiness-I-am-your-servant-the-weakest-among-saints-care-for-me-keep-me-at-your-feet-the-mantra-Rāma-Krishna-Hari-is-loved-by-Viṭhōbā's-feet-I-am-eating-your-leftovers-forgive-me-for-becoming-bold abhang. Forgive-me-for-becoming-bold register. Four claims:
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स्तुति-न-अधिकार — योग्यता-न. No-authority-claim. I dostutithough I have noadhikāra;I don't know the vicāra of yōgyatā (worthiness).
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दास-दुर्बळ — सांभाळ-पायीं. Weakest-among-saints-claim. I am yourdāsa, durbaḷa among samtas;sāmbhāḷa, keep me at (your)pāya.
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Rāma-Krishna-Hari — Viṭhōbा-चरण-आवडी. Mantra-loved-by-Viṭhōbā-claim. Rāma-Krishna-Hari mantra-uccāraṇā;āvaḍī (preferred) by Viṭhōbā's caraṇa.
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Tuka: उच्चिष्ट — क्षमा-धीट. Forgive-me-for-becoming-bold-claim. Tuka says: I'm serving youruchchhiṣṭa (leftovers); forgive (me) (for) becomingdhīṭa (bold). (I'm only-fit-to-serve your leftovers — please forgive my boldness in even speaking.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram admits he is offering praise to God even though, by his own reckoning, he has no real standing to judge whether he is worthy of doing so. He calls himself God's servant, the weakest among the saints, and asks simply to be looked after and kept at God's feet. He describes chanting the Rama-Krishna-Hari mantra, the name of God repeated aloud, as something that is dear to Vitthal, the deity of Pandharpur. Then he says he is only fit to eat God's leftovers, the humblest share, and asks forgiveness for being bold enough to speak up and praise at all. The lesson is that you do not need to feel qualified or worthy to reach out in devotion or gratitude; you can offer it honestly, admit your own smallness, and still ask to be cared for.
मराठी: तुकाराम महाराज कबूल करतात की, आपल्याला खरं तर देवाची स्तुती करण्याचा अधिकार आहे की नाही, आपली योग्यता किती आहे, हे त्यांना स्वतःलाच नीट कळत नाही, तरीही ते स्तुती करतात. ते स्वतःला देवाचा दास, संतांमध्ये सर्वात दुर्बळ असं म्हणतात आणि फक्त एवढीच विनंती करतात की देवाने त्यांची काळजी घ्यावी आणि त्यांना आपल्या चरणांशी ठेवावं. राम-कृष्ण-हरी हा नामजप, देवाचं नाव मोठ्याने घेणं, विठोबाच्या चरणांना विशेष प्रिय आहे असं ते सांगतात. मग ते म्हणतात की आपण फक्त देवाचं उच्चिष्ट म्हणजे उरलेलं, सर्वात कनिष्ठ असं अन्न खाण्याच्याच लायकीचे आहोत, आणि एवढं धीट होऊन बोलल्याबद्दल क्षमा मागतात. यातून शिकवण अशी की भक्ती किंवा कृतज्ञता व्यक्त करण्यासाठी स्वतःला पात्र किंवा योग्य वाटणं गरजेचं नाही; स्वतःचा लहानपणा मान्य करूनही मनापासून हाक मारता येते आणि काळजी घेण्याची विनंती करता येते.
Where this applies
- No-authority. Adhikāra.
- Weakest-among. Durbaḷa.
- Mantra-loved. Rāma-Krishna-Hari.
- Forgive-bold. Uchchhiṣṭa.