Abhanga 1092
Tukaram lists a few of the miracles connected with Rama: a stone, something heavy and lifeless, floats on water when it carries his name, the way the bridge to Lanka was built. He asks directly, if Rama can do that, why would you not surrender at his feet? He recalls how Ahalya, who had been turned to stone, became human again simply through the touch of Rama's footsteps. And he reminds us that it was ordinary monkeys, not warriors or kings, who managed to take Lanka by Rama's grace. The lesson is that grace can make the impossible, and the overlooked, capable of great things.
The verse
तारी ऐसे जड । उदकावरी जो दगड ॥१॥ तो हा न करी तें काईं । कां रे लीन नव्हां पायीं ॥ध्रु.॥ सीळा मनुष्य जाली । ज्याच्या चरणाचे चाली ॥२॥ वानरां हातीं लंका । घेवविली म्हणे तुका ॥३॥
Literal translation
Tārī jaḍa — udaka-dagaḍa. What doesn't do — līna pāyī. Śīḷā manuṣya — caraṇa-cālī. Vānara-hātī Lankā — ghēvavilī.
मराठी: तारी ऐसे जड — उदका-वरी जो दगड. तो हा न करी तें काईं? — कां रे लीन नव्हां पायीं? सीळा मनुष्य जाली — ज्याच्या चरणाचे चाली. वानरां हातीं लंका घेवविली — म्हणे Tuka.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तारी ऐसे जड | "tārī jaḍa" |
| उदकावरी जो दगड | "udaka-dagaḍa" |
| तो हा न करी तें काईं | "what doesn't do" |
| कां रे लीन नव्हां पायीं | "līna pāyī" |
| सीळा मनुष्य जाली | "śīḷā manuṣya" |
| ज्याच्या चरणाचे चाली | "caraṇa-cālī" |
| वानरां हातीं लंका | "vānara-hātī Lankā" |
| घेवविली म्हणे तुका | "ghēvavilī" |
What it means
Rāmacaritra abhanga 3. The Rāma-miracles abhang. Four claims:
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तारी-जड — दगड-उदक. Saves-stone-on-water-claim. Saves things-as-jaḍa(heavy); thedagaḍa(stone) on theudaka(water). (The stone with Rāma written on it floats — and the bridge to Lankā is built of such stones.)
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न-करी-काई — लीन-पायीं-नव्हां. Why-not-līna-claim. What does he not do?; why aren't (you)līnaatpāyī?
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शीला-मनुष्य — चरण-चाली. Stone-became-human-claim. Śīḷā (a stone, Ahalyā) became manuṣya;by whose caraṇa-cālī (foot-walk). (Ahalyā the stone-cursed-woman became human at the touch of Rāma's foot.)
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वानर-हातीं — लंका-घेवविली. Lankā-by-monkey-claim. In thevānaras' hātī, Lankā was-taken;Tuka says. (Even monkeys, by Rāma's grace, took Lankā.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram lists a few of the miracles connected with Rama: a stone, something heavy and lifeless, floats on water when it carries his name, the way the bridge to Lanka was built. He asks directly, if Rama can do that, why would you not surrender at his feet? He recalls how Ahalya, who had been turned to stone, became human again simply through the touch of Rama's footsteps. And he reminds us that it was ordinary monkeys, not warriors or kings, who managed to take Lanka by Rama's grace. The lesson is that grace can make the impossible, and the overlooked, capable of great things.
मराठी: तुकाराम रामाच्या काही चमत्कारांची आठवण करून देतात: जड आणि निर्जीव दगडसुद्धा रामाचं नाव घेऊन पाण्यावर तरंगतो, ज्यातून लंकेचा सेतू बांधला गेला. ते थेट विचारतात, असं जर राम करू शकतो, तर तू त्याच्या पायी लीन का होत नाहीस? अहल्या, जी दगड झाली होती, ती रामाच्या पावलांच्या स्पर्शानेच पुन्हा माणूस झाली, याची आठवण ते करून देतात. आणि लंका जिंकली ती वीरांनी नव्हे तर साध्या वानरांनी, रामाच्या कृपेने, हे लक्षात ठेवा. यातून हा धडा मिळतो की कृपा अशक्य आणि दुर्लक्षित गोष्टींनाही मोठं काम करण्यास सक्षम बनवते.
Where this applies
- Stone-on-water. Dagaḍa.
- Be-līna. Pāyī.
- Stone-Ahalyā. Caraṇa-cālī.
- Lankā-monkeys. Vānara.