संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1452 of 4582

Abhanga 1452

For today: no other talk pleases me except Paṇḍharī-nātha; only his kathā-kīrtana is sweet to hear; saints may say what they will — beyond Viṭhṭhala, I take nothing to mind.

When you'd refuse all non-Viṭhṭhal talk — no other matter pleases; only his kathā/kīrtana is sweet; let saints say what they will

The verse

आणीक कांहीं मज नावडे मात । एक पंढरिनाथ वांचुनिया ॥१॥ त्याची च कथा आवडे कीर्तन । तें मज श्रवणें गोड लागे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे संत म्हणोत भलतें । विठ्ठलापरतें न मनी कांहीं ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: No other māta pleases me — except one Paṇḍharī-nātha. His alone, kathā, pleases — kīrtana — that, by śravaṇa, strikes me gōḍa. Tuka says: let samtas say bhalatēm — beyond Viṭhṭhala, I don't manī anything.

मराठी: आणीक — कांहीं — मज — नावडे — मात; — एक — पंढरि-नाथ — वांचुनिया. त्याची — च — कथा — आवडे — कीर्तन; — तें — मज — श्रवणें — गोड — लागे. Tukā म्हणे — संत — म्हणोत — भलतें; — विठ्ठलापरतें — न — मनी — कांहीं.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
आणीक कांहीं मज नावडे मात "any other (āṇīka) — māta (talk) — to me — na āvaḍē (does not please)"
एक पंढरिनाथ वांचुनिया "(except) one Paṇḍharī-nātha — apart from (vāñcuniyā)"
त्याची च कथा आवडे कीर्तन "his alone (chi) — kathā — pleases — kīrtana"
तें मज श्रवणें गोड लागे "that — to me — by śravaṇa (hearing) — gōḍa (sweet) — strikes (lāgē)"
तुका म्हणे संत म्हणोत भलतें "Tuka says — samtas — let them say (mhaṇōta) — bhalatēm (anything, whatever)"
विठ्ठलापरतें न मनी कांहीं "beyond Viṭhṭhala (paratēm) — I don't take to mind (na manī) — anything"

What it means

Only-Paṇḍharī-nātha-talk-pleases abhang. A direct extension of 1430's Viṭhṭhalāvāñcūnī-vāṇī-nā'ikēm (no non-Viṭhṭhal-speech in ears) and 1437's vācē-Viṭhṭhala-na-bōla-nāvaḍatī (no Viṭhṭhal in speech, words don't please). The opening: āṇīka kāhīm maja nāvaḍē māta — ēka Paṇḍharī-nātha vāñcuniyāno other māta (talk) pleases me — except one Paṇḍharī-nātha. (= the single-topic-of-interest: only the Paṇḍharī-king's matter.)

The aesthetic-claim: tyācī chi kathā āvaḍē kīrtana — tēm maja śravaṇēm gōḍa lāgēonly his kathā pleases — kīrtana; — that — by śravaṇa — strikes me as gōḍa (sweet). The kathā-kīrtana (= the narration-and-singing genre) is the sweet-genre; — for the bhakta, only this is rasa.

The closing tolerance: samta mhaṇōta bhalatēm — Viṭhṭhalā-paratēm na manī kāhīm(let) the samtas — say (mhaṇōta) — bhalatēm (anything); — beyond Viṭhṭhala — I don't take to mind (na manī) — anything. Even saints may say what they willI won't take any non-Viṭhṭhal-content to mind. (Striking firmness: not even saints' non-Viṭhṭhal-talk is admitted. This is one-pointed-bhakti-discrimination at its most strict.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: no other talk pleases me except Paṇḍharī-nātha; only his kathā-kīrtana is sweet to hear; saints may say what they will — beyond Viṭhṭhala, I take nothing to mind.

Where this applies

Related verses