Abhanga 1457
For today: Hari, don't give me mukti — whatever your wish is, that's the sukha set-apart; in vaiṣṇavas' home I desire prēma-sukha — even ṛddhi-siddhi stand humble at the door; don't want Vaikuṇṭha — that sukha ends; this kathā-time-rasa is wonderful; even Hari doesn't know his name's greatness — birth itself is sweet for this.
The verse
देवा ऐकें हे विनंती । मज नको रे हे मुक्ति । तया इच्छा गति । हें चि सुख आगळें ॥१॥ या वैष्णवांचे घरीं । प्रेमसुख इच्छा करी । रिद्धिसिद्धी द्वारीं । कर जोडूनि उभ्या ॥ध्रु.॥ नको वैकुंठींचा वास । असे तया सुखा नास । अद्भुत हा रस । कथाकाळीं नामाचा ॥२॥ तुझ्या नामाचा महिमा । तुज न कळे रे मेघशामा । तुका म्हणे आम्हां । जन्म गोड यासाटीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Deva, hear this vinanti — to me, don't this mukti — tayā icchā gati — this very sukha is āgaḷē. In the home of these Vaiṣṇavas — I desire prēma-sukha — ṛddhi-siddhī at the door — folded hands standing. Don't want Vaikuṇṭha-vāsa — that sukha has nāśa — adbhuta is this rasa — at kathā-kāḷa of nāma. Your nāma's mahima — you don't know, Mēgha-śyāma — Tuka says: to us — birth is gōḍa for this.
मराठी: देवा — ऐकें — हे — विनंती; — मज — नको — रे — हे — मुक्ति; — तया — इच्छा — गति; — हें — चि — सुख — आगळें. या — वैष्णवांचे — घरीं; — प्रेम-सुख — इच्छा — करी; — रिद्धि-सिद्धी — द्वारीं; — कर — जोडूनि — उभ्या. नको — वैकुंठींचा — वास; — असे — तया — सुखा — नास; — अद्भुत — हा — रस; — कथा-काळीं — नामाचा. तुझ्या — नामाचा — महिमा; — तुज — न — कळे — रे — मेघ-शामा; — Tukā म्हणे — आम्हां; — जन्म — गोड — यासाटीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देवा ऐकें हे विनंती | "Deva — hear (aikēm) — this vinanti (request)" |
| मज नको रे हे मुक्ति | "to me — don't (nakō) — re (vocative) — this mukti" |
| तया इच्छा गति | "tayā icchā gati — (the gati (way / fate) of his / your wish)" |
| हें चि सुख आगळें | "this very (hēm chi) — sukha — set-apart (āgaḷē)" |
| या वैष्णवांचे घरीं | "in the home (gharīm) — of these Vaiṣṇavas" |
| प्रेमसुख इच्छा करी | "prēma-sukha — I desire (icchā karī)" |
| रिद्धिसिद्धी द्वारीं | "ṛddhi-siddhi (= prosperity-and-powers) — at the dvāra (door)" |
| कर जोडूनि उभ्या | "kara jōḍūnī (folded-hands) — standing (ubhyā)" |
| नको वैकुंठींचा वास | "don't want — of Vaikuṇṭha — vāsa (dwelling)" |
| असे तया सुखा नास | "is — to that sukha — nāśa (destruction)" |
| अद्भुत हा रस | "adbhuta (wonderful) — this rasa" |
| कथाकाळीं नामाचा | "at the kathā-kāḷa (= kīrtana-time) — of the nāma" |
| तुझ्या नामाचा महिमा | "the mahima (greatness) — of your — nāma" |
| तुज न कळे रे मेघशामा | "to you (tuja) — does not (na) — know (kaḷē) — re — Mēgha-śyāma (= cloud-dark-Hari)" |
| तुका म्हणे आम्हां | "Tuka says — to us (āmhām)" |
| जन्म गोड यासाटीं | "janma (birth) — gōḍa (sweet) — for this sake (yā-sāṭīm)" |
What it means
Don't-want-mukti-want-prema-sukha-at-vaiṣṇava-home abhang. One of Tukaram's most beloved abhangs — quoted in every warkari kīrtana. The opening request: Devā aikēm hē vinanti — maja nakō rē hē mukti — tayā icchā gati — hēm chi sukha āgaḷē — Deva, hear this vinanti (request); — to me — don't (give) this mukti; — the gati (state) of your (his) wish (i.e., 'whatever you wish for me'); — this very — sukha — set-apart. The classic bhakti-rejects-mukti line: I don't want mukti; just whatever your-wish is, that's the special sukha.
The Vaiṣṇava-home request: yā Vaiṣṇavāñcē gharīm — prēma-sukha icchā karī — ṛddhi-siddhī dvārīm — kara jōḍūnī ubhyā — in the home of these Vaiṣṇavas — I desire prēma-sukha; — ṛddhi-siddhi — at the door — kara jōḍūnī (with folded hands) — standing. The vaiṣṇava-house image: bhakta wants to be inside the Vaiṣṇavas' home tasting prēma-sukha; meanwhile ṛddhi-siddhi (= worldly-prosperity and yogic-powers) — normally chased after — stand at the door with folded hands waiting (= they have no entry, they wait outside humbly). (One of the most charming images in the Gatha — the worldly powers stand humble at the door of the bhakti-home.)
The Vaikuṇṭha-rejection: nakō Vaikuṇṭhīñcā vāsa — asē tayā sukhā nāsa — adbhuta hā rasa — kathā-kāḷīm nāmācā — don't want — Vaikuṇṭha's vāsa (dwelling); — to that sukha — there is nāśa (destruction); — adbhuta (wonderful) — this rasa — at the kathā-kāḷa (= kīrtana-time) — of the nāma. Vaikuṇṭha-vāsa (= dwelling-in-paradise) — that sukha eventually ends; — but the kathā-kīrtana-rasa right here, right now, is adbhuta and undying. (= the bhakti-here-and-now is greater than paradise-after-death. Striking. Compare 1416's avaghā-ākāra-grāsiyēlā-kāḷē — all-form-swallowed-by-Time; even Vaikuṇṭha-sukha is in time-domain.)
The closing-claim: tujhyā nāmācā mahima — tuja na kaḷē rē Mēgha-śyāmā — Tukā mhaṇē āmhām — janma gōḍa yā-sāṭīm — the mahima of your nāma — you yourself don't know, O Mēgha-śyāma (= cloud-dark, Hari); — Tuka says — to us — birth is gōḍa (sweet) — for this sake. Two famous lines: (1) even Hari doesn't know his own nāma's greatness (= the nāma is bigger than the named); (2) birth is sweet for this — bhakta wants more births to keep tasting this nāma-rasa. (The birth-is-sweet line is a spiritual-paradox: bhakta seeks rebirth (= the opposite of the standard mokṣa-goal); for the kathā-rasa-of-nāma. Compare Bhāgavata-Purāṇa's bhava-bhayāhāriṇam — Hari, who removes birth-fear; here Tuka embraces birth.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: Hari, don't give me mukti — whatever your wish is, that's the sukha set-apart; in vaiṣṇavas' home I desire prēma-sukha — even ṛddhi-siddhi stand humble at the door; don't want Vaikuṇṭha — that sukha ends; this kathā-time-rasa is wonderful; even Hari doesn't know his name's greatness — birth itself is sweet for this.
Where this applies
- Don't-want-mukti-only-your-wish.* Nakō-mukti-tayā-icchā-gati.
- Vaiṣṇava-home-prema-sukha-ṛddhi-siddhi-at-door.* Vaiṣṇavāñcē-gharīm-prēma-sukha-ṛddhi-siddhi-dvārīm.
- Don't-want-Vaikuṇṭha-this-rasa-is-better.* Nakō-Vaikuṇṭha-kathā-kāḷīm-nāmācā-rasa.
- Hari-himself-doesn't-know-name's-mahima-birth-is-sweet-for-this.* Nāmācā-mahima-tuja-na-kaḷē-janma-gōḍa.