संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1520 of 4582

Abhanga 1520

For today: this is not my gravity — speech is cloud-rain, for saints to hear; the rough word is Deva's prasāda — I just spoke as he made me; body given once-for-all as dāna — the source is the true mint; a fresh-butter spring has sprung — served, it fills the belly.

When you'd disclaim authorship of bhakti-speech — not my gurutva; rough word is Deva's prasāda; deha-piṇḍa given; nava-nīta-spring sprung

The verse

नव्हें हें गुरुत्व मेघवृष्टि वाणी । ऐकावी कानीं संतजनीं ॥१॥ आरुष हा शब्द देवाचा प्रसाद । करविला वाद तैसा केला ॥ध्रु.॥ देहपिंड दान दिला एकसरें । मुळिचें तें खरें टांकसाळ ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे झरा लागला नवनीत । सेविलिया हित पोट धाय ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: This is not my gurutva — megha-vṛṣṭi vāṇī — let saint-people hear in the ear. This āruṣa-śabda is Deva's prasāda — as vāda was karavilā, so I kēlā. Dēha-piṇḍa was given as dāna ēkasarēm — muḷicēm is the true ṭānkasāḷa. Tuka says: a jhara of nava-nīta has sprung — when served, hita, pōṭa is dhāya.

मराठी: नव्हें — हें — गुरुत्व — मेघ-वृष्टि — वाणी; — ऐकावी — कानीं — संत-जनीं. आरुष — हा — शब्द — देवाचा — प्रसाद; — करविला — वाद — तैसा — केला. देह-पिंड — दान — दिला — एकसरें; — मुळिचें — तें — खरें — टांकसाळ. Tukā म्हणे — झरा — लागला — नवनीत; — सेविलिया — हित — पोट — धाय.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
नव्हें हें गुरुत्व मेघवृष्टि वाणी "not (navhē) — thismy gurutva; — megha-vṛṣṭi (= rain from cloud) — vāṇī"
ऐकावी कानीं संतजनीं "let it be heard — in the ear — by samta-jana"
आरुष हा शब्द देवाचा प्रसाद "āruṣa (= rough / unrefined) — this śabda — is Deva's prasāda"
करविला वाद तैसा केला "as the vāda — was made (karavilā) — so — I did (kēlā)"
देहपिंड दान दिला एकसरें "dēha-piṇḍa (body-mass) — dāna — was givenēkasarēm (with one stroke / once-for-all)"
मुळिचें तें खरें टांकसाळ "muḷicēm (= original) — that — is kharēm (true) — ṭānkasāḷa (= mint)"
तुका म्हणे झरा लागला नवनीत "Tuka says — a jhara (spring) — has sprung (lāgalā) — of nava-nīta"
सेविलिया हित पोट धाय "when served — hita (welfare) — pōṭafull / satisfied (dhāya)"

What it means

Speech-is-rain-from-cloud-not-my-gurutva abhang. The opening disclaimer: navhē hēm gurutva mēgha-vṛṣṭi vāṇī — aikāvī kānīm samta-janīmthis is not — my own gurutva (= gravity / authority); — (it's) megha-vṛṣṭi (cloud-rain) vāṇī; — let it be heard — by samta-jana (= saint-people). I'm not the source — the cloud is; let saints hear it. (= the bhakta-poet disclaims authorship; the speech is sky-rain.)

The prasāda-claim: āruṣa hā śabda Devācā prasāda — karavilā vāda taisā kēlāthis āruṣa (= rough / unrefined / rustic) śabda — is Deva's prasāda; — as the vāda (talk) was made (= caused-to-be-made by Hari) — so I did. Even the rough-rusticity of my words is Deva's prasāda; I just spoke as he made me speak.

The dāna-image: dēha-piṇḍa dāna dilā ēkasarēm — muḷicēm tēm kharēm ṭānkasāḷathe dēha-piṇḍa (body-mass) — was given as dānaēkasarēm (= with one stroke / once-for-all); — muḷicēm (= original / source) — that — is the true ṭānkasāḷa (= mint / royal-coin-house). Body itself given once-for-all as dāna; the source / original is the true mint (= Hari is the coin-of-the-realm-mint; the bhakta's words are coined-by-him. Tuka's commercial-imagery, mint-as-source-of-genuine-coin.)

The closing-spring: jharā lāgalā nava-nīta — sēviliyā hita pōṭa dhāyaa jhara (spring) of nava-nīta (= fresh butter) — has sprung; — when servedhita (welfare) — the pōṭafull / satisfied. A spring of fresh-butter has sprung; served, it fills the belly. (= the abhanga-poetry is fresh-butter-spring*; whoever takes it is fully-satisfied.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: this is not my gravity — speech is cloud-rain, for saints to hear; the rough word is Deva's prasāda — I just spoke as he made me; body given once-for-all as dāna — the source is the true mint; a fresh-butter spring has sprung — served, it fills the belly.

Where this applies

Related verses