संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1533 of 4582

Abhanga 1533

English: Make such jōḍī — hold Rāma at kaṇṭha — by which garbha-vāsa-phērā escapes.

When you'd see how to escape rebirth-cycle — Rāma at throat; firm name-boat-caravan; strike Kāḷa with Hari-Rāma-arrows

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

English: 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 "suchjōḍī (acquisition) — make; — Rāma — at the kaṇṭhahold"
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 veryfruit"
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 Kāḷastrike — 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-vāsamake such acquisition; — 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 phaḷathe perishablebother — of priyā-putra-dhana; — whose bīja — is sīṇa (= toil); — that very — is the fruit. 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 pāvēthe nāva (= boat / name) — firm-upsaharā (= caravan / convoy) — of nāmas; — which — reaches — bhava-sindhu's thaḍī (= 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-bāṇīmto Kāḷastrike — on (the) tōṇḍa (face); — the bhātā (quiver) — fill — with Hari-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; wife-son-wealth-pursuit's seed and fruit are both 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.

Where this applies

Related verses