संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1519 of 4582

Abhanga 1519

For today: Hari-name made into a boat — I crossed the samsāra-ocean; it has come, now coiled at saints' feet; Hari-name as weapon-and-horse cleaved formidable samsāra; Hari-name's bow-arrow turns Kali-Time's face away; by this strength we prevail in all three worlds; we have truly become Viṭhṭhala's squires.

When you'd see Hari-name as the warrior's full arsenal — boat-weapon-horse-bow-arrow; we became Viṭhṭhal's squires

The verse

हरिनामाचें करूनि तारूं । भवसिंधुपार उतरलों ॥१॥ फावलें फावलें आतां । पायीं संतां विनटलों ॥ध्रु.॥ हरिनामाचा शस्त्र घोडा । संसार गाढा छेदिला ॥२॥ हरिनामाचीं धनुष्यकांडें । विन्मुख तोंडें कळिकाळ ॥३॥ येणें चि बळें सरते आम्ही । हरिचे नामें लोकीं तिहीं ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे जालों साचे । श्रीविठ्ठलाचे डिंगर ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: By Hari-nāma made into tārūm — I have crossed bhava-sindhu-pāra. Phāvalēm phāvalēm now — coiled at saints' feet. Hari-nāma's śastra and ghōḍa — gāḍha samsāra has been chēdilā. Hari-nāma's dhanuṣya-kāṇḍa — kaḷi-kāḷa's tōṇḍa is vinmukha. By this very baḷa, we prevail — by Hari's nāma in the three lōkas. Tuka says: we have become truly — Śrī-Viṭhṭhala's ḍingara.

मराठी: हरि-नामाचें — करूनि — तारूं; — भव-सिंधु-पार — उतरलों. फावलें — फावलें — आतां; — पायीं — संतां — विनटलों. हरि-नामाचा — शस्त्र — घोडा; — संसार — गाढा — छेदिला. हरि-नामाचीं — धनुष्य-कांडें; — विन्मुख — तोंडें — कळि-काळ. येणें — चि — बळें — सरते — आम्ही; — हरिचे — नामें — लोकीं — तिहीं. Tukā म्हणे — जालों — साचे; — श्री-विठ्ठलाचे — डिंगर.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
हरिनामाचें करूनि तारूं "the Hari-nāma — having made (karūnī) — tārūm (boat)"
भवसिंधुपार उतरलों "bhava-sindhu — to the other shore — I have crossed (utaralōm)"
फावलें फावलें आतां "phāvalēm phāvalēm (= it has come, it has come) — now"
पायीं संतां विनटलों "at samtas' feet — I have vinaṭalōm (= coiled / gathered self)"
हरिनामाचा शस्त्र घोडा "Hari-nāma's — śastra (weapon) — ghōḍa (horse)"
संसार गाढा छेदिला "samsāragāḍha (= dense / formidable) — has been cleaved (chēdilā)"
हरिनामाचीं धनुष्यकांडें "Hari-nāma's — dhanuṣya-kāṇḍa (bow and arrow)"
विन्मुख तोंडें कळिकाळ "vinmukha (turned-away) — tōṇḍa (face) — kaḷi-kāḷa"
येणें चि बळें सरते आम्ही "by this very strengthwe prevail (saratē)"
हरिचे नामें लोकीं तिहीं "by Hari's nāma — in the three lōkas"
तुका म्हणे जालों साचे "Tuka says — we have become — truly (sācē)"
श्रीविठ्ठलाचे डिंगर "Śrī-Viṭhṭhala's — ḍingara (= squires / bodyguards / footmen)"

What it means

Hari-name-as-warrior's-arsenal abhang. A 5-verse bhakta-warrior climax. The opening: Hari-nāmācēm karūnī tārūm — bhava-sindhu-pāra utaralōmHari-nāma — made into a boat; — bhava-sindhucrossed. The name is the boat that has-already-crossed me. (Compare 1518 (just-prior)'s nāma-bhava-sāgarīm-tārūm*; same image, here in past-tense witnessing.)

The arrival-celebration: phāvalēm phāvalēm ātām — pāyīm samtām vinaṭalōmit has come, it has come — now; — at saints' feet — I have coiled-myself. Vinaṭalōmcoiled / gathered / nestled; the bhakta has taken refuge at saints' feet*.

The arsenal-list:

(1) Hari-nāmācā śastra ghōḍā — samsāra gāḍha chēdilāHari-name's — weapon and horse; — the formidable samsārahas been cleaved*. The name is both my weapon and my horse; samsāra has been cut. (Equestrian-warrior-image.)

(2) Hari-nāmācīm dhanuṣya-kāṇḍē — vinmukha tōṇḍē kaḷi-kāḷaHari-name's bow-and-arrow; — the kaḷi-kāḷa (= time-of-end / Kali-Yuga's-Time) — turns its face away. Even Time-itself flees from Hari-nāma's bow-and-arrow.

(3) yēṇē chi baḷē saratē āmhī — Haricē nāmē lōkīm tihīmby this very strength — we prevail — in the three lōkas — by Hari's name. We have currency / standing in all three worlds.

The closing-self-naming: Tukā mhaṇē jālōm sācē — Śrī-Viṭhṭhalācē ḍingaraTuka says — we have truly become — Śrī-Viṭhṭhala's ḍingara. Ḍingarasquires / bodyguards / liveried-footmen; Tuka and his bhakta-fellows are Viṭhṭhala's official-guard. Striking image: bhakta-as-Viṭhṭhala's-armed-retainer*.

[T]

For someone today

For today: Hari-name made into a boat — I crossed the samsāra-ocean; it has come, now coiled at saints' feet; Hari-name as weapon-and-horse cleaved formidable samsāra; Hari-name's bow-arrow turns Kali-Time's face away; by this strength we prevail in all three worlds; we have truly become Viṭhṭhala's squires.

Where this applies

Related verses