संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1254 of 4582

Abhanga 1254

English: We — abaḷā — followed with you; don't keep kaḷā in your anga, Hari — don't make us hīna.

When you're the abaḷā who followed Hari — don't keep cunning within; save our lajjā in both spaces (māhera and sāsurī)

The verse

तुजसवें आम्हीं अनुसरलों अबळा । नको अंगीं कळा राहों हरी हीन देऊं ॥१॥ सासुरवासा भीतों जीव ओढे तुजपाशीं । आतां दोहीविशीं लज्जा राखें आमुची ॥ध्रु.॥ न कळतां संग जाला सहज खेळतां । प्रवर्तली चिंता मागिलांचियावरि ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे असतां जैसें तैसें बरवें । वचन या भावें वेचुनियां विनटलों ॥३॥ ॥८॥

Literal translation

English: We — abaḷā — followed with you; don't keep kaḷā in your anga, Hari — don't make us hīna. Fearing sāsura-vāsa, the jīva is drawn to you — now save our lajjā in both spaces. Without knowing, sanga happened, simply playing — cintā arose for the previous (life). Tuka says: being-as-it-is is good — I have invested by spending vacana with this bhāva.

मराठी: तुझ्या-संगें आम्हीं अबळा अनुसरलों — हरि — अंगीं कळा (कावेबाजी) ठेवूं नकोस — आम्हांला हीन देऊं नकोस. सासुर-वासाला भितों — जीव तुज-पाशीं ओढतो — आतां दोन्ही ठायीं माझी लज्जा राखी. न-कळतां संग झाला — सहज खेळतां — मागच्या (जन्मांच्या) चिंता प्रवर्तल्या. Tukā म्हणे — आहें-तसें-च बरवें — या भावानें वचन वेचून विनटलों (= गुंतवून बसलों). ॥८॥

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
तुजसवें आम्हीं अनुसरलों अबळा "we — abaḷā (weak/woman) — followed (anusaralōm) with you"
नको अंगीं कळा राहों हरी हीन देऊं "don't keep kaḷā (cunning/skill) within (your anga); Hari, don't make (us) hīna"
सासुरवासा भीतों जीव ओढे तुजपाशीं "fearing sāsura-vāsa, the jīva is drawn (ōḍhē) to you"
आतां दोहीविशीं लज्जा राखें आमुची "now save our lajjā in both spaces (dōhī-viśīm)"
न कळतां संग जाला सहज खेळतां "without knowing — sanga (union) happened — simply playing"
प्रवर्तली चिंता मागिलांचियावरि "cintā arose for the previous (ones / earlier life)"
असतां जैसें तैसें बरवें "being-as-it-is is good (baravēm)"
वचन या भावें वेचुनियां विनटलों "I invested (vinaṭalōm) by spending vacana with this bhāva"
॥८॥ "(closes the 8 abhangs)"

What it means

Closes the Sāsuravāsa ॥८॥ sub-series. This last abhang names the register most explicitly: abaḷāweak (one) / woman — is how Tuka has been speaking throughout. The whole 8-abhang sequence is the abaḷā-bhakta-bride's voice from the sāsurī, longing for the māhera.

The closing requests: 1. Don't keep kaḷā in your anga — Hari, don't be devious — straightforward dealing. 2. Don't make us hīna — don't diminish us; the bride's status depends on the māhera-side's recognition. 3. Dōhī-viśīm lajjā rākhē āmucīsave our lajjā in both spaces — both in the māhera (your māhera) and the sāsurī (samsāra). 4. Asatām jaisēm taisēm baravēmbeing as it is is good — finally, acceptance.

The closing — vacana yā bhāvē vēcuniyām vinaṭalōmI have invested (= become entangled, vinaṭalōm) by spending vacana with this bhāva — is the bhakta-bride's seal: I have invested all my speech in this one bhāva; whatever comes, comes.

The marker ॥८॥ closes the sub-series. Eight abhangs: 1. (1247) Lost-child-in-vana 2. (1248) Waiting-for-mūḷa from māhera 3. (1249) Hari-tāḍ within the bride's mode 4. (1250) Burn-my-karma; Hari-pets-the-laḷā at last 5. (1251) Why-have-you-made-me-sāsura-vāsī (most explicit) 6. (1252) Burn-the-obstacles; let-aruci-come; your-load-on-your-head 7. (1253) You-know-without-telling but the longing is anāvara 8. (1254) We abaḷā followed; save our lajjā in both spaces

The arc: from helplessness (1) through complaint (2-3) and self-recrimination (4) to explicit naming (5), release-letter (6), longing-as-sevā (7), and final acceptance with the abaḷā-name (8).

[T]

For someone today

For today: the abaḷā-bhakta closes the season — being-as-it-is is good; ask only that lajjā be saved in both spaces (māhera and sāsurī) — and that he not keep cunning within.

Where this applies

Related verses