Abhanga 1533
The one acquisition worth making is holding God's name close, because chasing family and wealth alone yields only toil, while the name arms you to face death itself.
The verse
ऐसी जोडी करा राम कंठीं धरा । जेणें चुके फेरा गर्भवास ॥१॥ नासिवंत आटी प्रियापुत्रधन । बीज ज्याचा सीण तें चि फळ ॥ध्रु.॥ नाव धड करा सहजरा नामांची । जे भवसिंधूची थडी पावे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे काळा हाणा तोंडावरी । भाता भरा हरिरामबाणीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Make such jōḍī — hold Rāma at kaṇṭha — by which garbha-vāsa-phērā escapes. Nāśivanta-āṭī of priyā-putra-dhana — bīja-sīṇa is fruit-itself. Make firm the nāma-saharā-nāva — which reaches bhava-sindhu's thaḍī. Tuka says: strike Kāḷa on the tōṇḍa — fill bhātā with Hari-Rāma-bāṇī.
मराठी: ऐसी — जोडी — करा — राम — कंठीं — धरा; — जेणें — चुके — फेरा — गर्भ-वास. नासिवंत — आटी — प्रिया-पुत्र-धन; — बीज — ज्याचा — सीण — तें — चि — फळ. नाव — धड — करा — सहजरा — नामांची; — जे — भव-सिंधूची — थडी — पावे. Tukā म्हणे — काळा — हाणा — तोंडा-वरी; — भाता — भरा — हरि-राम-बाणीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ऐसी जोडी करा राम कंठीं धरा | "such — jōḍī (acquisition) — make; — Rāma — at the kaṇṭha — hold" |
| जेणें चुके फेरा गर्भवास | "by which — escapes (cukē) — the phērā (cycle) — of garbha-vāsa (womb-dwelling)" |
| नासिवंत आटी प्रियापुत्रधन | "nāśivanta (perishable) — āṭī (bother / chase) — priyā-putra-dhana" |
| बीज ज्याचा सीण तें चि फळ | "bīja — whose — sīṇa (toil); — that very — fruit" |
| नाव धड करा सहजरा नामांची | "the nāva (boat / name) — firm-up (dhaḍa karā) — saharā (caravan) — of nāmas" |
| जे भवसिंधूची थडी पावे | "which — to the bhava-sindhu's — thaḍī (= other shore) — reaches (pāvē)" |
| तुका म्हणे काळा हाणा तोंडावरी | "Tuka says — to Kāḷa — strike — on (the) face" |
| भाता भरा हरिरामबाणीं | "the bhātā (quiver) — fill — with Hari-Rāma-bāṇī (Hari-Rāma-arrows)" |
What it means
Make-such-acquisition-Rāma-at-throat abhang. Continues the take-the-name-as-acquisition register from 1527. The opening: aisī jōḍī karā Rāma kaṇṭhīm dharā — jēṇē cukē phērā garbha-vāsa — make suchacquisition; —hold Rāma at the kaṇṭha (throat); — by which — the phērā (cycle) of garbha-vāsa (= womb-dwelling) — escapes. Make this-acquisition; hold Rāma at the throat; the rebirth-cycle is escaped. (Compare 1508's bhāṇḍavala-nāma-kaṇṭhīm-dhariyēlēm; same image.)
The futility-of-others: nāśivanta āṭī priyā-putra-dhana — bīja jyācā sīṇa tēm chi phaḷa — theperishable—bother— ofpriyā-putra-dhana; — whosebīja— issīṇa(= toil); —that very— is thefruit. Wife-son-wealth-pursuit's bīja is toil, and the fruit is also toil. (= same seed-fruit principle as 1460; here applied to worldly-attachments.)
The boat-caravan: nāva dhaḍa karā saharā nāmāñcī — jē bhava-sindhūcī thaḍī pāvē — thenāva(= boat / name) —firm-up—saharā(= caravan / convoy) — ofnāmas; — which — reaches —bhava-sindhu'sthaḍī(= other shore). Saharā — the caravan-of-traders — applied to the convoy of names. Make the name-boat-caravan firm; it reaches the other-shore. (Tuka's commercial-mercantile imagery.)
The closing-warrior-image: kāḷā hāṇā tōṇḍa-varī — bhātā bharā Hari-Rāma-bāṇīm — toKāḷa—strike— on (the)tōṇḍa(face); — thebhātā(quiver) —fill— withHari-Rāma-arrows. Strike Kāḷa on the face; fill your quiver with Hari-Rāma-arrows. (Continues the Hari-name-as-arrow image from 1488 / 1493 / 1500 / 1509 / 1519. Hari-Rāma-bāṇī — distinctive combined Vaiṣṇava-form-of-the-name.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: make such an acquisition: hold Rāma at your throat — by it the rebirth-cycle escapes; the pursuit of wife, son, and wealth has both seed and fruit that are just toil; firm up the name-boat-caravan that reaches the samsāra-ocean's other shore; strike Kāḷa on the face — fill your quiver with Hari-Rāma-arrows.
मराठी: आजसाठी: अशी कमाई करा: रामाला कंठाशी धरा — त्यामुळे पुनर्जन्माचा फेरा चुकतो; बायको, मुलगा आणि धन यांच्या मागे धावण्याचं बीज आणि फळ दोन्ही केवळ शीणच आहे; भवसागराच्या पैलतीराला पोहोचणारी नामाची नाव-वाहतूक भक्कम करा; काळाच्या तोंडावर प्रहार करा — भाता हरि-रामबाणांनी भरा.
Where this applies
- When you realize the energy you pour into career, family, or possessions leaves you tired with little lasting to show for it
- When you want something solid to hold onto that will actually outlast this lifetime
- When you feel unprepared to face aging, loss, or death and want a source of real courage
- When you are looking for a daily practice sturdy enough to carry you through hard times, not just a passing comfort