संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1384 of 4582

Abhanga 1384

For today: karma-dharma is incomplete by any uṇa; the nāmāvalī works at any kāla, easy for the innocent-faithful; prāyaścittas fall at the feet of singing vaiṣṇavas; make the ghōṣa with ānanda.

When karma-dharma seems incomplete — the nāmāvalī works at any kāla; prāyaścittas fall at the feet of vaiṣṇavas who sing

The verse

कर्म धर्म नव्हती सांग । उण्या अंगें पतन ॥१॥ भलत्या काळें नामावळी । सुलभ भोळी भाविकां ॥ध्रु.॥ प्रायिश्चत्तें पडती पायां । गाती तयां वैष्णवां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नुपजे दोष । करा घोष आनंदे ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Karma-dharma is not sānga — by uṇa, the body falls. At any kāla, the nāmāvalī — sulabha for the bhōḷē-bhāvika. Prāyaścittas fall at the feet of those vaiṣṇavas who sing. Tuka says: no dōṣa arises — make the ghōṣa with ānanda.

मराठी: कर्म-धर्म — सांग नाहींत — उण्या अंगानें पतन (होतें). भलत्या काळें — नामावळी — सुलभ — भोळ्या भाविकांना. प्रायिश्चत्तें — गाणार्‍या वैष्णवांच्या पायीं — पडतीं. Tukā म्हणे — दोष न-उपजे — आनंदे घोष करा.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
कर्म धर्म नव्हती सांग "karma-dharma — is not sānga (complete / fully-executed)"
उण्या अंगें पतन "by uṇa (lacking) — the body falls (patana)"
भलत्या काळें नामावळी "at any (bhalatyā) kāla — the nāmāvalī"
सुलभ भोळी भाविकां "(is) sulabha (easy) — for the bhōḷē-bhāvika (innocent-faithful)"
प्रायिश्चत्तें पडती पायां "prāyaścittas (penances / atonements) — fall at the feet"
गाती तयां वैष्णवां "(of) those vaiṣṇavas — who sing"
तुका म्हणे नुपजे दोष "Tuka says — no dōṣa arises (nupajē)"
करा घोष आनंदे "make (karā) — the ghōṣa (shout / clamor) — with ānanda"

What it means

Prāyaścittas-fall-at-vaiṣṇava-feet abhang. The opening: karma dharma navhatī sānga — uṇyā angē patanakarma-dharma is not sānga (= complete; with all its limbs / parts intact); by uṇa (lacking, missing-parts), the body patana (falls). The classical karma-mārga depends on complete-and-correct execution; any uṇa (missing-piece) and the whole structure collapses. (Note: sānga in this context is the technical opposite of uṇawith-all-limbs-intact vs. with-something-missing.)

The alternative: bhalatyā kāḷē nāmāvalī — sulabha bhōḷī bhāvikāmat any kāla, the nāmāvalīsulabha (easy) for the bhōḷē-bhāvika (innocent-faithful). Unlike karma-dharma which requires correct kāla-and-procedure, the nāmāvalī (chain-of-names) works at any time, and is easy for the innocently-faithful (no priestly expertise required).

The remarkable line: prāyaścittē paḍatī pāyām — gātī tayām vaiṣṇavāmprāyaścittas (penances) fall at the feet of those vaiṣṇavas who sing. The reversal: classical prāyaścitta (purificatory penance / atonement) is what the sinner performs to remove pāpa. Here, the prāyaścittas themselves fall at the feet of singing vaiṣṇavas. The traditional purificatory-rituals are subordinated to the singing of Hari-bhaktas.

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē nupajē dōṣa — karā ghōṣa ānandēTuka says — no dōṣa arises — make the ghōṣa (shout / loud-cry) with ānanda. Where the singing-with-ānanda happens, no dōṣa arises. The kīrtana-shout is itself the prāyaścitta and the prevention.

[T]

For someone today

For today: karma-dharma is incomplete by any uṇa; the nāmāvalī works at any kāla, easy for the innocent-faithful; prāyaścittas fall at the feet of singing vaiṣṇavas; make the ghōṣa with ānanda.

Where this applies

Related verses