Abhanga 1214
For today: don't worry about your unworthiness; Hari's own name's-honor is at stake — he forcibly saves the surrendered because not saving would betray his own name.
The verse
याती मतिहीन रूपें लीन दीन । आणीक अवगुण जाणोनियां ॥१॥ केला त्या विठ्ठलें माझा अंगीकार । ऐसा हा विचार जाणोनियां ॥ध्रु.॥ जें कांहीं करितों तें माझे स्वहित । आली हे प्रचित कळों चित्ता ॥२॥ जालें सुख जीवा आनंद अपार । परमानंदें भार घेतला माझा ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे यासी नांवाचा अभिमान । म्हणोनि शरण तारी बळें ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: Low caste, mind-poor, form-low-and-pitiful, and other defects — knowing all these, that Viṭṭhala took me up. Knowing this very vicāra, whatever I do is for my own sva-hita; this conviction has come to the citta. Happiness to the jīva, immeasurable joy — Paramānanda has taken up my burden. Tuka says: he has the abhimāna of his own name — therefore he forcibly saves the one who surrenders.
मराठी: याती (कुळ) मतिहीन, रूप दीन-लीन, अनेक अवगुण — हें सर्व जाणून-च — त्या विठ्ठलानें माझा अंगीकार केला. ऐसें हें (मला आधींपासून जाणत आहे) — हा विचार समजल्यानें — जें-कांहीं करतो तें माझें-च स्व-हित — ही प्रतीति चित्तांत आली. जीवांत सुख — आनंद अपार — परमानंदानें माझा भार घेतला. Tukā म्हणे — यांना नांवाचा अभिमान — म्हणून शरणागताला बळें-च तारतो.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| याती मतिहीन रूपें लीन दीन | "low yāti (caste), mati-hīna (mind-poor), rūpa-līna-dīna (form low and poor)" |
| आणीक अवगुण जाणोनियां | "and other avaguṇa (defects), knowing all" |
| केला त्या विठ्ठलें माझा अंगीकार | "(yet) that Viṭṭhala took me up (angīkāra)" |
| ऐसा हा विचार जाणोनियां | "knowing this very vicāra" |
| जें कांहीं करितों तें माझे स्वहित | "whatever I do is for my own sva-hita" |
| आली हे प्रचित कळों चित्ता | "this pratīti (conviction) has come to citta" |
| जालें सुख जीवा आनंद अपार | "happiness has come to the jīva — apāra ānanda" |
| परमानंदें भार घेतला माझा | "Paramānanda has taken my bhāra (burden)" |
| यासी नांवाचा अभिमान | "he has nāma-abhimāna (pride-in-his-own-name)" |
| म्हणोनि शरण तारी बळें | "therefore he saves the surrendered (śaraṇa) — forcibly (baḷē)" |
What it means
Hari's nāma-abhimāna — the pride of his own name — is what saves the unworthy bhakta. Tuka stacks his disqualifications: yāti hīna (low caste — Tuka was a Kunbi, not brahmin), mati-hīna (poor of intellect), rūpa līna-dīna (form humble and poor), and "other defects" he knows about himself. Despite all that — and crucially, knowing all that — Viṭṭhala took him up.
The closing line is the key: yāsī nāmvācā abhimāna — mhaṇōni śaraṇa tārī baḷē. Hari has abhimāna — pride/concern — for his own name. His names are Patita-pāvana (purifier-of-the-fallen), Anātha-rakṣaka (orphan-protector), Dīna-bandhu (poor-friend). To not save the patita, the anātha, the dīna would be to forfeit his own names. So baḷē tārī — he forcibly saves — because not saving would damage his own reputation.
This reframes everything: the bhakta's worthiness is irrelevant; Hari's own nāma-abhimāna is the ground of salvation.
[T]
For someone today
For today: don't worry about your unworthiness; Hari's own name's-honor is at stake — he forcibly saves the surrendered because not saving would betray his own name.
Where this applies
- All-defects-known.* Yātī-mati-hīna-rūpa-līna-dīna-anya-avaguṇa.
- Yet-Hari-took-me-up.* Angīkāra-Viṭṭhalē.
- His-name's-honor.* Nāmvācā-abhimāna.
- Forcibly-saves.* Śaraṇa-tārī-baḷē.