संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1537 of 4582

Abhanga 1537

For today: if I call myself a sinner — but I remember your feet, what fault is stronger than that?; placing such argument as my enclosure-fence — Cakra-pāṇī, how can you sleep?; just-one-time bhakti even for a son's sake removed all suffering — and you'd ignore my continuous-remembering?; Vaikuṇṭha-nāyakā, why does your servant have to feel anxious?

When you'd defeat the sinner-self-judgment by remembering Hari's feet — if i'm a sinner, yet i remember your feet — no fault stronger than that

The verse

पापी म्हणों तरि आठवितों पाय । दोष बळी काय तयाहूनि ॥१॥ ऐशा विचाराचे घालूनि कोंडणी । काय चक्रपाणी निजलेती ॥ध्रु.॥ एकवेळ जेणें पुत्राच्या उद्देशें । घेतल्याचें कैसें नेलें दुःख ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे अहो वैकुंठनायका । चिंता कां सेवका तुमचिया ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: If I call myself pāpī — yet I āṭhavitōm (your) pāya — what dōṣa is baḷī than that? Having placed such vicāra as kōṇḍaṇī — what, Cakra-pāṇī, are you sleeping? One time, by someone, for putra's uddēśa — ghētalyācēm — how was duḥkha nēlēm? Tuka says: O Vaikuṇṭha-nāyakā — why cintā to your sēvaka?

मराठी: पापी — म्हणों — तरि — आठवितों — पाय; — दोष — बळी — काय — तयाहूनि? ऐशा — विचाराचे — घालूनि — कोंडणी; — काय — चक्र-पाणी — निजलेती? एक-वेळ — जेणें — पुत्राच्या — उद्देशें; — घेतल्याचें — कैसें — नेलें — दुःख? Tukā म्हणे — अहो — वैकुंठ-नायका; — चिंता — कां — सेवका — तुमचिया?

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
पापी म्हणों तरि आठवितों पाय "pāpī — (if) I call (myself) — yet — I remember — (your) pāya"
दोष बळी काय तयाहूनि "dōṣastrongerwhat — than that (= the remembering)?"
ऐशा विचाराचे घालूनि कोंडणी "of suchvicāra — having placedkōṇḍaṇī (= containment / enclosure)"
काय चक्रपाणी निजलेती "whatCakra-pāṇī — are you sleeping (nijalētī)?"
एकवेळ जेणें पुत्राच्या उद्देशें "just one time — by whom — for the son's — uddēśa (sake)"
घेतल्याचें कैसें नेलें दुःख "of (one's) takinghow — was carried-awayduḥkha?"
तुका म्हणे अहो वैकुंठनायका "Tuka says — O Vaikuṇṭha-nāyakā"
चिंता कां सेवका तुमचिया "cintāwhy — to sēvaka — yours (tumacīyā)?"

What it means

No-sin-stronger-than-foot-remembrance abhang. The opening self-defense: pāpī mhaṇōm tarī āṭhavitōm pāya — dōṣa baḷī kāya tayāhūnīif I were to call myself pāpī — yet I remember your pāya; — what dōṣa — is stronger — than that (= than the foot-remembrance)? Brilliant-formulation: I might call-myself-a-sinner; but my feet-remembrance is stronger than any-fault. (Compare 1482's śuddha-nāhīm-citta-parī-mhaṇavitōm-bhakta — same self-defense by claiming the title.)

The challenge: aiśā vicārācē ghālūnī kōṇḍaṇī — kāya Cakra-pāṇī nijalētīhaving placed — such vicāra — as kōṇḍaṇī (= enclosure / containment-fence); — whatCakra-pāṇī — are you sleeping? I've placed this argument as a fence around-myself; with that, how can you remain asleep, Cakra-pāṇī? (= the sēvaka has produced an unanswerable case; Hari can't ignore it.)

The Prahlāda-or-similar reference: ēka-vēḷa jēṇē putrācyā uddēśēm — ghētalyācēm kaisēm nēlēm duḥkhajust one time — by whom — for the son's sake — taken (= taken to bhakti); — how — was duḥkha carried-away? The one-time-Prahlāda-mode — even-once-taken-to-bhakti, all suffering carried-away (cf. Prahlāda-saved-from-Hiraṇyakaśipu by single-pointed nāma). If even-one-time-taking saves so completely, how can you ignore my continuous-remembrance?

The closing-protest: Vaikuṇṭha-nāyakā — cintā kām sēvakā tumacīyāO Vaikuṇṭha-nāyakā (king-of-Vaikuṇṭha); — whycintā (anxiety) — to your sēvaka? Why does your servant have to feel anxious? (= the very-fact-of-having-anxiety is itself proof you're not doing your job as Vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka. Pairs with Hari-tāḍ register.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: if I call myself a sinner — but I remember your feet, what fault is stronger than that?; placing such argument as my enclosure-fence — Cakra-pāṇī, how can you sleep?; just-one-time bhakti even for a son's sake removed all suffering — and you'd ignore my continuous-remembering?; Vaikuṇṭha-nāyakā, why does your servant have to feel anxious?

Where this applies

Related verses