Abhanga 1497
For today: I stand at the door as petitioner-mendicant; Devā, give me some alms — send the prema-meal; don't make me run around; Tuka says: give the gift without taking service.
The verse
ठाकलोंसें द्वारीं । उभें याचक भीकारी ॥१॥ मज भीक कांहीं देवा । प्रेमभातुकें पाठवा ॥ध्रु.॥ याचकाचा भार । नये घेऊं येरझार ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे दान । सेवा घेतल्यावांचून ॥३॥ सदाशिवावर अभंग ॥ २ ॥
Literal translation
English: I have ṭhākalōmsē at (the) door — standing, yācaka-bhīkārī. Give me bhīka, some, Devā — prēma-bhātukēm, send. Yācaka's bhāra — should not be made yēra-jhāra. Tuka says: dāna — without taking sēvā.
मराठी: ठाकलोंसें — द्वारीं; — उभें — याचक — भीकारी. मज — भीक — कांहीं — देवा; — प्रेम-भातुकें — पाठवा. याचकाचा — भार; — नये — घेऊं — येर-झार. Tukā म्हणे — दान; — सेवा — घेतल्यावांचून. सदाशिवावर अभंग ॥ २ ॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ठाकलोंसें द्वारीं | "I have come-and-stood (ṭhākalōmsē) — at (the) door" |
| उभें याचक भीकारी | "standing (ubhē) — yācaka (petitioner) — bhīkārī (mendicant)" |
| मज भीक कांहीं देवा | "to me — bhīka (alms) — some (kāhīm) — Devā" |
| प्रेमभातुकें पाठवा | "prēma-bhātukēm (= love-portion / play-meal of love) — send (pāṭhavā)" |
| याचकाचा भार | "of yācaka — bhāra (load)" |
| नये घेऊं येरझार | "should not be made (nayē ghē'ūm) — yēra-jhāra (= running-around / back-and-forth)" |
| तुका म्हणे दान | "Tuka says — dāna" |
| सेवा घेतल्यावांचून | "without taking (ghētalyāvāñcūna) — sēvā (service)" |
| सदाशिवावर अभंग ॥ २ ॥ | "(end-marker) — abhangs on Sadāśiva — ॥२॥ (= 2 abhangs)" |
What it means
Petitioner-at-the-door abhang. Closes a 2-abhang sub-series on Sadāśiva (= Śiva, the Sadā-śubha), marker ॥२॥ at end. The opening self-positioning: ṭhākalōmsē dvārī — ubhē yācaka bhīkārī — I have come-and-stood — at (the) door; — standing — as yācaka-bhīkārī (= petitioner-mendicant). (Striking — Tuka usually rejects the bhīkā-panca (begging) in critical mode (cf. 1473's hāta-pasarī-jiṇē-dhig); here he embraces spiritual-begging at Hari's door — note the difference: human-door begging is shameful, Hari's-door begging is the bhakta's-honor.)
The petition: maja bhīka kāhīm Devā — prēma-bhātukēm pāṭhavā — to me — bhīka (alms) — some — Devā; — prēma-bhātukēm — send. Prēma-bhātukēm — the bhātukēm (= the children's pretend-meal, cf. 1484) of prēma. I'm a child-petitioner; send me the prema-meal. (Striking prema-as-children's-meal image; pairs with 1484's bhātukēm-kavataka in mother-Hari abhang. Sequential continuation possible.)
The petitioner's-rights: yācakācā bhāra — nayē ghē'ūm yēra-jhāra — the yācaka's bhāra; — should not be made — yēra-jhāra (= running-around back-and-forth). The petitioner's load shouldn't be made to run-around; give-or-deny but don't make him toil. (= classical yācaka-rights: not to be sent away on empty-promises.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē dāna — sēvā ghētalyāvāñcūna — Tuka says — give the dāna — without taking — sēvā (service). Give the gift without exacting service in return. (= asking for unconditional grace. Compare 1428's true-guru-doesn't-take-service; here Tuka asks Hari to be like the true-guru: give without taking service.)
The closing-marker ॥२॥ and सदाशिवावर अभंग (Sadāśivā-vara abhanga = abhangs on Sadāśiva) — indicates this and the previous abhang form a Sadāśiva-2-abhang sub-series. (Sadāśiva = Śiva. So 1496-1497 are Tuka's abhangs addressed to Śiva — interesting: the anti-fortune-teller-and-yogic-power register of 1496 + the standing-at-door of 1497 are Śiva-aimed abhangs. Tuka generally a Viṣṇu-bhakta but here addresses Śiva. This is a small but important data-point for the inter-pantheon-engagement of warkari bhakti.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: I stand at the door as petitioner-mendicant; Devā, give me some alms — send the prema-meal; don't make me run around; Tuka says: give the gift without taking service.
Where this applies
- Standing-at-door-as-petitioner-mendicant.* Ṭhākalōmsē-dvārī-yācaka-bhīkārī.
- Send-the-prema-play-meal.* Prēma-bhātukēm-pāṭhavā.
- Don't-make-petitioner-run-around.* Yācakā-bhāra-yēra-jhāra-na.
- Give-without-taking-service.* Dāna-sēvā-ghētalyāvāñcūna.