संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1532 of 4582

Abhanga 1532

For today: I watch the Paṇḍharī-road continuously, hand on forehead; I send messages with travelers to my natal-home — why have you abandoned me at the in-laws (samsāra)?; over-there, someone appears Garuḍa-mounted, four-armed, just like Viṭhṭhala; my jīva has no patience — Pāṇḍuranga, when will you meet me?

When you'd be the bhakta-bride watching the Paṇḍharī-road — hand on forehead; abandoned at sāsura; await Hari arriving Garuḍa-mounted

The verse

पंढरीची वाट पाहें निरंतर । निडळावरी कर ठेवूनियां ॥१॥ जातियां निरोप पाठवीं माहेरा । कां मज सासुरा सांडियेलें ॥ध्रु.॥ पैल कोण दिसे गरुडाचे वारिकें । विठ्ठलासारिकें चतुर्भुज ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे धीर नाहीं माझ्या जीवा । भेटसी केधवां पांडुरंगा ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Paṇḍharī-vāṭa I watch nirantara — kara on niḍaḷā placed. Jātiyām, send nirōpa to māhēra — why have I been sāṇḍiyēlēm at sāsura? Pailā — kōṇa disē Garuḍa-vārikēm? — Viṭhṭhalā-sārikēm catur-bhuja. Tuka says: dhīra nāhīm to my jīva — kēdhavām will you bhēṭasī, Pāṇḍurangā?

मराठी: पंढरीची — वाट — पाहें — निरंतर; — निडळा-वरी — कर — ठेवूनियां. जातियां — निरोप — पाठवीं — माहेरा; — कां — मज — सासुरा — सांडियेलें? पैल — कोण — दिसे — गरुडाचे — वारिकें? — विठ्ठला-सारिकें — चतुर्भुज. Tukā म्हणे — धीर — नाहीं — माझ्या — जीवा; — भेटसी — केधवां — पांडुरंगा?

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
पंढरीची वाट पाहें निरंतर "the Paṇḍharī-vāṭa — I watchcontinuously"
निडळावरी कर ठेवूनियां "on (the) niḍaḷa (forehead) — kara (hand) — placed"
जातियां निरोप पाठवीं माहेरा "to those goingsend — a nirōpa (message) — to (the) māhēra (natal-home)"
कां मज सासुरा सांडियेलें "whyme — to sāsura (in-laws) — has been abandoned?"
पैल कोण दिसे गरुडाचे वारिकें "pailā (over-there) — whoappearsGaruḍa-vārikēm (= Garuḍa-mounted)"
विठ्ठलासारिकें चतुर्भुज "Viṭhṭhala-likecatur-bhuja (four-armed)"
तुका म्हणे धीर नाहीं माझ्या जीवा "Tuka says — patience — none — to my jīva"
भेटसी केधवां पांडुरंगा "(when) will you meetkēdhavāmPāṇḍurangā?"

What it means

Watching-the-Paṇḍharī-road bhakta-bride abhang. Classic vivāhitā-bhakta-bride / Sāsuravāsa register (cf. the Sāsuravāsa-cluster earlier in the corpus, c. 1311-1318). The opening: Paṇḍharīcī vāṭa pāhē nirantara — niḍaḷā-varī kara ṭhēvūniyāmthe Paṇḍharī-vāṭa — I watch continuously; — on (the) niḍaḷa (forehead) — (my) kara (hand) — placed. The forehead-hand-shading-eyes-watching-the-road image — classical posture of the wife-watching-for-her-husband-or-natal-family*.

The bride's-question: jātiyām nirōpa pāṭhavīm māhērā — kām maja sāsurā sāṇḍiyēlēmto those goingsend a message — to (the) māhēra (natal-home); — whyme — to sāsura (in-laws') — has been abandoned? The vivāhitā-stuck-at-sāsurasends a message via passing-pilgrims to her natal-home (= Paṇḍharī) — why was I abandoned at the in-laws' house? The natal-home is Paṇḍharī = Hari's-place; the sāsura is samsāra — the bhakta-bride feels stuck-at-samsāra-in-laws.

The recognition-image: pailā kōṇa disē Garuḍācē vārikēm — Viṭhṭhalā-sārikēm catur-bhujaover-there — who appears — Garuḍa-vārikēm (= mounted-on-Garuḍa); — Viṭhṭhala-likecatur-bhuja. Who's that I see in the distance, mounted on Garuḍa, four-armed, just like Viṭhṭhala? (The bhakta-bride spots-someone-arriving in the distance — might it be Hari coming to fetch me?*)

The closing-cry: dhīra nāhīm mājhyā jīvā — bhēṭasī kēdhavām Pāṇḍurangāno patience — to my jīva; — when — will you meetPāṇḍurangā? The classic bhakta-bride's-impatience. Strong-emotional-pull.

[T]

For someone today

For today: I watch the Paṇḍharī-road continuously, hand on forehead; I send messages with travelers to my natal-home — why have you abandoned me at the in-laws (samsāra)?; over-there, someone appears Garuḍa-mounted, four-armed, just like Viṭhṭhala; my jīva has no patience — Pāṇḍuranga, when will you meet me?

Where this applies

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