संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1072 of 4582

Abhanga 1072

English: Jana-Dēva — pāya — svabhāva — no cāḍa.

When if jana is Dēva, fall at feet — but don't need character — and you have to recognize this register
When fire's kindness is cold-removal — but tying and carrying isn't possible — and you accept this image
When scorpion, snake, Nārāyaṇa — bow from far, don't touch — and you receive this final bold claim

The verse

जन देव तरी पायां चि पडावें । त्याचिया स्वभावें चाड नाहीं ॥१॥ अग्नीचें सौजन्य शीतनिवारण । पालवीं बांधोनि नेतां नये ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे विंचु सर्प नारायण । वंदावे दुरोन शिवों नये ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Jana-Dēva — pāya — svabhāva — no cāḍa. Saujanya — śīta-nivāraṇa — pālavīm. Tuka says: vimcu sarpa Nārāyaṇa — durōn vandāvē.

मराठी: जन-Dēva तरी पायांच पडावें — त्याचिया स्वभावें चाड नाहीं. अग्नीचें सौजन्य शीत-निवारण — पालवीं बांधोनि नेतां नये. Tuka म्हणे: विंचु, सर्प, Nārāyaṇa — दुरोन वंदावे — शिवों नये.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
जन देव तरी पायां चि पडावें "jana-Dēva — pāya"
त्याचिया स्वभावें चाड नाहीं "svabhāva — no cāḍa"
अग्नीचें सौजन्य शीतनिवारण "saujanya — śīta-nivāraṇa"
पालवीं बांधोनि नेतां नये "pālavīm"
विंचु सर्प नारायण "vimcu sarpa Nārāyaṇa"
वंदावे दुरोन शिवों नये "durōn vandāvē"

What it means

A if-people-are-Dēva-fall-at-their-feet-but-don't-need-their-character-the-fire's-kindness-is-cold-removal-but-tying-it-in-the-garment-edge-and-carrying-isn't-possible-scorpion-snake-Nārāyaṇa-bow-to-them-from-far-touching-is-not-possible abhang. Bow-from-far-don't-touch register. The deliberately startling triplet that lumps vimcu-sarpa-Nārāyaṇa together. Three claims:

  1. जन-Deva — पाय — स्वभाव-चाड-नाहीं. Don't-need-character-claim. If jana is Dēva, then fall at the pāya; no cāḍa (need, demand) for (their) svabhāva (character). (Honor them as Dēva — but don't expect the svabhāva to be Dēva-like; don't try to associate* with their character.)

  2. अग्नि-सौजन्य-शीत — पालव-बंधन-न. Fire-can't-be-tied-claim. The agni's saujanya (kindness) is *śīta-nivāraṇa (cold-removal); tying it in pālavīm (garment-edge) and carrying isn't possible. (Fire is kind in driving away cold, but you can't carry it tied in your sari-end*.)

  3. Tuka: विंचु-सर्प-Nārāyaṇa — दुरोन-वंदावें. Bow-from-far-don't-touch-claim. Tuka says: vimcu, sarpa, Nārāyaṇa; to-be-bowed from durōn (a distance), touching is not possible. (The triple lump — scorpion, snake, Nārāyaṇa — is shocking. Tuka is making an irreverent point: some sacred things, like some dangerous things, are best honored from a safe distance.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the bow-from-far-don't-touch register:

  1. If jana is Dēva, fall at feet — but don't need character. Honor-but-don't-associate.

  2. Fire's kindness is cold-removal — but can't tie and carry. Fire-can't-be-tied.

  3. Scorpion, snake, Nārāyaṇa — bow from far, don't touch. Bow-from-far.

For today: jana-Dēva, pāya-paḍ, svabhāva-cāḍa नाहीं; agni-saujanya śīta-nivāraṇa, pālava-baṇḍha-na; vimcu-sarpa-Nārāyaṇa, durōn vandāvē, śivōm na yē.

This abhang is Tukaram's bow-from-far-don't-touch register — one of the most-precise honor-but-don't-associate statements. The vimcu sarpa Nārāyaṇa vandāvē durōn śivōm na yē (scorpion-snake-Nārāyaṇa: bow from far, don't touch) is the precise bow-from-far claim.

मराठी: ही ओवी bow-from-far-don't-touch register नाव सांगते:

  1. जन-Deva-स्वभाव. Honor-but-don't-associate.

  2. अग्नि-पालव. Fire-can't-be-tied.

  3. विंचु-सर्प-Nārāyaṇa. Bow-from-far.

आज: Jana-Dēva pāyām paḍāvē, svabhāvē cāḍa नाहीं; Agnī-saujanya śīta-nivāraṇa, pālavīm bāndhōni nētām na yē; Vimcu sarpa Nārāyaṇa, durōn vandāvē, śivōm na yē.

Tukaram च-bow-from-far-don't-touch-register — Most-precise honor-but-don't-associate statements पैकी एक. Vimcu sarpa Nārāyaṇa precise bow-from-far claim.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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