Abhanga 1537
Remembering God is a stronger claim on grace than any sin is a mark against you.
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
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 | "dōṣa — stronger — what — than that (= the remembering)?" |
| ऐशा विचाराचे घालूनि कोंडणी | "of such — vicāra — having placed — kōṇḍaṇī (= containment / enclosure)" |
| काय चक्रपाणी निजलेती | "what — Cakra-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) taking — how — was carried-away — duḥkha?" |
| तुका म्हणे अहो वैकुंठनायका | "Tuka says — O Vaikuṇṭha-nāyakā" |
| चिंता कां सेवका तुमचिया | "cintā — why — 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 tayāhūnī — if I were to call myselfpāpī— yet Irememberyourpāya; — whatdōṣa— isstronger— thanthat(= 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 nijalētī — havingplaced— suchvicāra— askōṇḍaṇī(= enclosure / containment-fence); —what—Cakra-pāṇī— are yousleeping? 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 duḥkha — justone time— by whom — for theson's sake —taken(= taken to bhakti); —how— wasduḥkha 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 tumacīyā — OVaikuṇṭha-nāyakā(king-of-Vaikuṇṭha); —why—cintā(anxiety) — to yoursēvaka? 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
- When you feel too flawed or guilty to deserve God's attention
- When you keep returning to prayer even though you doubt you're good enough
- When you're waiting for help and start to wonder if anyone is listening
- When someone tells you your faith doesn't count because you aren't perfect