संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1406 of 4582

Abhanga 1406

For today: by bhāva-strength, Viṣṇu-dāsas don't perish; by yoga-bhāgya, the powers come home walking with you; the father's wealth — no one deprives the son; sit at the parent's hip and be fully-supported / unburdened.

When bhāva-strength is your refuge — Viṣṇu-dāsas don't perish; the father's wealth is the son's; sit at the parent's hip and be fully-supported

The verse

भावबळें विष्णुदास । नाहीं नास पावत ॥१॥ योगभाग्यें घरा येती । सर्व शक्ति चालत ॥ध्रु.॥ पित्याचें जें काय धन । पुत्रा कोण वंचील ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे कडे बैसों । तेणें असों निर्भर ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: By bhāva-strength, Viṣṇu-dāsas don't undergo nāśa. By yōga-bhāgya, (the powers) come to (their) house — all śaktis walking (with them). The father's wealth — who would deprive the son? Tuka says: let us sit kaḍē — by that, let us be nirbhara.

मराठी: भाव-बळें — विष्णु-दास; — नाहीं — नास — पावत. योग-भाग्यें — घरा — येती; — सर्व — शक्ति — चालत. पित्याचें — जें-काय — धन; — पुत्रा — कोण — वंचील? Tukā म्हणे — कडे — बैसों; — तेणें — असों — निर्भर.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
भावबळें विष्णुदास "by bhāva-strength (bhāva-baḷē) — Viṣṇu-dāsa (servant-of-Viṣṇu)"
नाहीं नास पावत "don't (nāhīm) — nāśa (destruction) — undergo (pāvata)"
योगभाग्यें घरा येती "by yōga-bhāgya (yoga-good-fortune) — to (one's) house — come"
सर्व शक्ति चालत "all śaktis — walking (cālata, with them)"
पित्याचें जें काय धन "father's (pityācēm) — what (jēm kāya) — dhana (wealth)"
पुत्रा कोण वंचील "from the son (putrā) — who (kōṇa) — would deprive (vañcīla)?"
तुका म्हणे कडे बैसों "Tuka says — let us sit (baisōm) — kaḍē (= on the hip / aside / at the edge)"
तेणें असों निर्भर "by that — let us be (asōm) — nirbhara (= burden-laden / fully-supported / unburdened)"

What it means

Bhāva-strength-saves-Viṣṇu-dāsa abhang. The opening: bhāva-baḷēm Viṣṇu-dāsa — nāhīm nāśa pāvataby bhāva-strength — Viṣṇu-dāsas — don't undergo nāśa (= destruction). The Viṣṇu-dāsa's protection-mechanism is bhāva-baḷa (= the strength of bhāva, the felt-devotional disposition), not external prowess.

The corollary: yōga-bhāgyēm gharā yētī — sarva śakti cālataby yōga-bhāgya (= the good-fortune-of-yoga) — (the powers) come to (one's) home — all śaktis — walking (along with them). Yōga-bhāgya — the good-fortune that yoga producesbrings the powers home; the śaktis themselves walk with the bhakta. (Compare the aiśvaryas (the eight siddhis) coming as servants of the bhakta, classical formulation.)

The kinship-image: pityācēm jēm kāya dhana — putrā kōṇa vañcīlathe father's — what wealth (is) — from the son — who would deprive? The father-son inheritance image: the father's wealth automatically belongs to the son; no one can deprive the son. So the bhakta-as-Hari's-son automatically inherits Hari's dhana (= the divine wealth). (Compare 1395's samarthācē bāḷa jēvīm samartha — the powerful's child is powerful.)

The closing self-image: Tukā mhaṇē kaḍē baisōm — tēṇēm asōm nirbharaTuka says — let us sit kaḍē (= on (the parent's) hip / aside / at the edge); — by that — let us be nirbhara (= burden-laden = supported / unburdened). Kaḍē is the child's seat on the parent's hip. Nirbhara puns: bhara-less (= burdenless) / nis-bhara (= fully-laden), both meanings hold simultaneously — fully-supported and therefore unburdened. Sit at the parent's hip → fully-supported = unburdened.

[T]

For someone today

For today: by bhāva-strength, Viṣṇu-dāsas don't perish; by yoga-bhāgya, the powers come home walking with you; the father's wealth — no one deprives the son; sit at the parent's hip and be fully-supported / unburdened.

Where this applies

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