Abhanga 1522
Tukaram prays for the bodily signs of overwhelming devotion, a choked throat, a bursting heart, and constant tears, as a gift of grace rather than something he can force on himself.
The verse
सद्गदित कंठ दाटो । येणें फुटो हृदय ॥१॥ चिंतनाचा एक लाहो । तुमच्या अहो विठ्ठला ॥ध्रु.॥ नेत्रीं जळ वाहो सदां । आनंदाचे रोमांच ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे कृपादान । इच्छी मन हे जोडी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Let sad-gadita-kaṇṭha be full — by this, let hṛdaya burst. The lāhō of cintana — yours, O Viṭhṭhala. In nētra, water flow always — ānanda-rōmāñca. Tuka says: kṛpā-dāna — mana desires this jōḍī.
मराठी: सद्गदित — कंठ — दाटो; — येणें — फुटो — हृदय. चिंतनाचा — एक — लाहो; — तुमच्या — अहो — विठ्ठला. नेत्रीं — जळ — वाहो — सदां; — आनंदाचे — रोमांच. Tukā म्हणे — कृपा-दान; — इच्छी — मन — हे — जोडी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सद्गदित कंठ दाटो | "sad-gadita (= choked-with-emotion) — kaṇṭha — let it be full (dāṭō)" |
| येणें फुटो हृदय | "by this — let the hṛdaya — burst (phuṭō)" |
| चिंतनाचा एक लाहो | "of cintana — ēka — lāhō (= burning desire)" |
| तुमच्या अहो विठ्ठला | "yours, O Viṭhṭhala" |
| नेत्रीं जळ वाहो सदां | "in (the) nētra — water — flow (vāhō) — always (sadām)" |
| आनंदाचे रोमांच | "of ānanda — rōmāñca (= horripilation)" |
| तुका म्हणे कृपादान | "Tuka says — kṛpā-dāna (= gift of grace)" |
| इच्छी मन हे जोडी | "mana — desires (icchī) — this — jōḍī (= acquisition)" |
What it means
Sad-gadita-kaṇṭha-let-burst-heart abhang. A prayer for the aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāva (= the eight-bodily-signs of mature-bhakti). The opening: sad-gadita kaṇṭha dāṭō — yēṇē phuṭō hṛdaya — letsad-gadita(choked-with-emotion) —kaṇṭha(throat) — befull; — by this — let thehṛdaya—burst. Sad-gadita-kaṇṭha + hṛdaya-phūṭa are classical bhāva-marks; Tuka asks for them.
The cintana-burning: cintanācā ēka lāhō — tumacyā ahō Viṭhṭhalā — thelāhō(= burning-desire) — ofcintana; — yours, OViṭhṭhala. The burning-desire of contemplating you.
The further-marks: nētrīm jaḷa vāhō sadām — ānandācē rōmāñca — in (the)nētra(eyes) — water —flow— always; —ānanda-rōmāñca(= bliss-horripilation). Tears always flowing; rapture-tingles. (Compare 1433's rōkaḍē rōmāñca kaṇṭha dāṭē — adjacent to bhakti-experience-anubhava; here as requested state.)
The closing-prayer: kṛpā-dāna — icchī mana hē jōḍī — kṛpā-dāna (gift of grace); — the mana — desires — this — jōḍī (acquisition).Mind desires this acquisition — the gift-of-grace. (= theaṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāvaitself isgrace-given, notself-cultivated.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: let throat be choked with emotion, heart burst by it; let the burning of contemplating Viṭhṭhala be all I want; let eyes flow water always, bliss-rapture-tingles; this is the gift of grace the mind desires.
Where this applies
- When your throat tightens and your eyes well up thinking about someone or something you love deeply
- When you want your devotion to move your body, not just stay a routine of the mind
- When you assume devotion has to be earned and forget it can simply be received
- When you feel goosebumps or a rush of joy during prayer or chanting and wonder if that counts as real