Abhanga 1381
For today: I have one dāna-request from the world: take Viṭṭhala-nāma at the pangati; paḷa-paḷa is being spent — summon strength; don't be anxious, the snare is empty.
The verse
वेळोवेळां हें चि सांगें । दान मागें जगासि ॥१॥ विठ्ठल हे मंगळवाणी । घेऊं धणी पंगती ॥ध्रु.॥ वेचतसे पळें पळ । केलें बळ पाहिजे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे दुश्चित नका । राहों फुका नाड हा ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Time-to-time, I say only this — I beg dāna from the world. Viṭṭhala is the mangaḷa-vāṇī — let's take the dhaṇī at the pangati. Paḷa-by-paḷa is being spent — strength must be made. Tuka says: don't stay duścita — this snare is phukā.
मराठी: वेळो-वेळां हें-च सांगें — जगाला दान मागें. विठ्ठल हें मंगळ-वाणी — पंगतीं धणी घेऊं. पळें-पळ वेचत आहे — बळ केलें पाहिजे. Tukā म्हणे — दुश्चित नका — राहूं — फुका — हा नाड (फास).
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| वेळोवेळां हें चि सांगें | "time-to-time — I say only this" |
| दान मागें जगासि | "I beg (māgēm) — dāna — from the jaga (world)" |
| विठ्ठल हे मंगळवाणी | "Viṭṭhala is — the mangaḷa-vāṇī (auspicious-speech)" |
| घेऊं धणी पंगती | "let's take the dhaṇī (brimming-fill) — at the pangati (table-row)" |
| वेचतसे पळें पळ | "paḷa-by-paḷa (= moment-by-moment) — is being spent (vēcatasē)" |
| केलें बळ पाहिजे | "baḷa (strength) — must be made (kēlē-pāhijē)" |
| दुश्चित नका राहों | "do not (nakō) — stay (rāhōm) — duścita (anxious)" |
| फुका नाड हा | "this nāḍa (snare / trap) is phukā (empty / for-nothing)" |
What it means
Tuka's repeated dāna-request abhang. The opening: vēḷō-vēḷām hē chi sāngēm — dāna māgēm jagāsi — time-to-time, I say only this — I beg dāna from the world. Tuka has one repeated request he makes from-the-world: the dāna of taking-up-Viṭṭhala-nāma. The reversal: usually the jaga (world) asks the bhakta for things; here the bhakta asks the world for one specific dāna — the practice of nāma.
The reason: Viṭṭhala hē mangaḷavāṇī — ghē'ūm dhaṇī pangatī — Viṭṭhala is the mangaḷa-vāṇī (auspicious-speech) — let us take the dhaṇī (= overflowing-fill) at the pangati (= warkari-table-row). Together, at the pangati, take the brimming-fill of the mangaḷa-vāṇī.
The urgency: vēcatasē paḷē paḷa — kēlē baḷa pāhijē — paḷa-by-paḷa is being spent — strength must be made. Paḷa is the smallest unit of time (about 24 seconds in Indian time-reckoning). Paḷa-paḷa-is-being-spent = the smallest-unit-of-time-by-smallest-unit is wasting away. Baḷa-kēlē-pāhijē — strength must be summoned.
The closing: duścita nakō rāhōm phukā nāḍa hā — don't stay anxious — this nāḍa (snare / trap) is phukā (empty, with-no-catch). Nāḍa is a snare; phukā nāḍa = the snare you're caught in is phukā (empty / for-nothing-at-all). Don't be anxious: the trap doesn't actually hold.
[T]
For someone today
For today: I have one dāna-request from the world: take Viṭṭhala-nāma at the pangati; paḷa-paḷa is being spent — summon strength; don't be anxious, the snare is empty.
Where this applies
- I-keep-asking-this-dāna.* Vēḷō-vēḷām-dāna-māgēm-jagāsi.
- Viṭṭhala-the-auspicious-speech-take-fill-at-table-row.* Mangaḷa-vāṇī-pangatī-dhaṇī.
- Paḷa-paḷa-being-spent-summon-strength.* Vēcatasē-paḷē-paḷa-baḷa.
- Don't-be-anxious-snare-is-empty.* Duścita-nakō-phukā-nāḍa.