संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1433 of 4582

Abhanga 1433

For today: do nāma-cintana openly, wherever you are; my master will redeem (this is the dāsa-vow); kīrtana skips virtue-fault audits, prema wins Hari; the world tastes bitter, the body responds with rising hair and choked throat.

When you'd practice nāma-cintana publicly — do it wherever you are; my master will redeem; kīrtana skips merits-faults, prema wins Hari; the world tastes bitter, body responds

The verse

नामाचें चिंतन प्रगट पसारा । असाल तें करा जेथें तेथें ॥१॥ सोडवील माझा स्वामी निश्चयेसीं । प्रतिज्ञा हे दासीं केली आम्हीं ॥ध्रु.॥ गुण दोष नाहीं पाहात कीर्तनीं । प्रेमें चक्रपाणी वश्य होय ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे कडु वाटतो प्रपंच । रोकडे रोमांच कंठ दाटे ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Name-cintana — prakaṭa pasārā — wherever you are, do it. My svāmī will redeem with niścaya — this pratijñā as dāsas we have made. In kīrtana, guṇa-dōṣa is not looked at — by prema, Cakra-pāṇī is won-over. Tuka says: prapañca tastes kaḍu — rōkaḍē rōmāñca, throat chokes.

मराठी: नामाचें — चिंतन — प्रगट — पसारा; — असाल — तें — करा — जेथें — तेथें. सोडवील — माझा — स्वामी — निश्चयेसीं; — प्रतिज्ञा — हे — दासीं — केली — आम्हीं. गुण — दोष — नाहीं — पाहात — कीर्तनीं; — प्रेमें — चक्रपाणी — वश्य — होय. Tukā म्हणे — कडु — वाटतो — प्रपंच; — रोकडे — रोमांच — कंठ — दाटे.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
नामाचें चिंतन प्रगट पसारा "of nāmacintana (contemplation) — prakaṭa pasārā (= open public expanse)"
असाल तें करा जेथें तेथें "wherever you are (asāla tēm) — do (karā) — jēthēm tēthēm (wherever)"
सोडवील माझा स्वामी निश्चयेसीं "will redeem (sōḍavīla) — my svāmī — with niścaya (certainty)"
प्रतिज्ञा हे दासीं केली आम्हीं "this pratijñā (vow / oath) — by (us as) dāsas — we have made (kēlī āmhīm)"
गुण दोष नाहीं पाहात कीर्तनीं "guṇa-dōṣa — not (nāhīm) — looked at (pāhāta) — in kīrtana"
प्रेमें चक्रपाणी वश्य होय "by prēmaCakra-pāṇī (Hari) — becomes vaśya (won-over)"
तुका म्हणे कडु वाटतो प्रपंच "Tuka says — prapañca — tastes (vāṭatō) — kaḍu (bitter)"
रोकडे रोमांच कंठ दाटे "rōkaḍē (palpably) — rōmāñca (horripilation) — kaṇṭha (throat) — chokes (dāṭē)"

What it means

Open-public-name-cintana abhang. The opening democratization: nāmācēm cintana prakaṭa pasārā — asāla tēm karā jēthēm tēthēmthe cintana of the nāma — should be — prakaṭa pasārā (= open public expanse); — wherever you aredo it, wherever. Two strong claims: (1) prakaṭaopen / public / unhidden (not the secret-japa of yogic-tradition); (2) jēthēm tēthēmanywhere. (= radical democratization-of-japa — the gṛhastha-bhakta's japa is out-loud, in-public, anywhere.)

The contractual-promise: sōḍavīla mājhā svāmī niścayēsīm — pratijñā hē dāsīm kēlī āmhīmmy svāmī — will sōḍavīla (redeem) — with niścaya (certainty); — this pratijñā (vow / oath) — we have made — as dāsas. Tuka claims a contractual-vow between Hari (svāmī) and bhakta (dāsa): the master will redeem; we as dāsas have already taken our oath. (Compare 1413's māgatām-vibhāga — demanding-share — same contractual-mode, here as cooperative-vow rather than confrontation.)

The kīrtana-principle: guṇa-dōṣa nāhīm pāhāta kīrtanīm — prēmēm Cakra-pāṇī vaśya hōyain kīrtanaguṇa-dōṣanotlooked-at; — by prēmaCakra-pāṇī (Hari) — becomes vaśya (won-over). Kīrtana doesn't audit virtues-and-faults; — prēma is what wins-over Cakra-pāṇī. (= the kīrtana-as-leveler: it doesn't matter who you are; the prema is what counts.)

The closing physical-response: kaḍu vāṭatō prapañca — rōkaḍē rōmāñca kaṇṭha dāṭēprapañca — tastes kaḍu (bitter); — palpably (rōkaḍē) — rōmāñca (horripilation), — kaṇṭha chokes (dāṭē). The bodily-signs of bhakti: the world's-flavor turns bitter; body-hairs rise; throat chokes with emotion. (= the classical aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāva* signs of mature bhakti.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: do nāma-cintana openly, wherever you are; my master will redeem (this is the dāsa-vow); kīrtana skips virtue-fault audits, prema wins Hari; the world tastes bitter, the body responds with rising hair and choked throat.

Where this applies

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