संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1563 of 4582

Abhanga 1563

English: Paṇḍharī is my māhera, sājaṇī — by ōvī at kāṇḍaṇa, let us sing a gīta.

When you'd see Paṇḍharī as the warkari-māhera-with-saint-genealogy — Pāṇḍuranga the father; warkari saints the brothers and relatives

The verse

पंढरीये माझें माहेर साजणी । ओविये कांडणीं गाऊं गीत ॥१॥ राही रखुमाईं सत्यभामा माता । पांडुरंग पिता माहियेर ॥ध्रु.॥ उद्धव अक्रूर व्यास आंबॠषि । भाईं नारदासी गौरवीन ॥२॥ गरुड बंधु लडिवाळ पुंडलीक । यांचें कवतुक वाटे मज ॥३॥ मज बहु गोत संत आणि महंत । नित्य आठवीत ओवियेसी ॥४॥ निवृत्ति ज्ञानदेव सोपान चांगया । जिवलगा माझिया नामदेवा ॥५॥ नागोजन मित्रा नरहरि सोनारा । रोहिदास कबिरा सोईंरिया ॥६॥ परसो भागवता सुरदास सांवता । गाईंन नेणतां सकळांसी ॥७॥ चोखामेळा संत जिवाचे सोइरे । न पडे विसर यांचा घडी ॥८॥ जीवींच्या जीवना एका जनार्दना । पाटका कान्हया मिराबाईं ॥९॥ आणीक हे संत महानुभाव मुनि । सकळां चरणीं जीव माझा ॥१०॥ आनंदें ओविया गाईंन मी त्यांसी । जाती पंढरीसी वारकरी ॥११॥ तुका म्हणे माझा बळिया बापमाय । हरुषें नांदों सये घराचारी ॥१२॥

Literal translation

English: Paṇḍharī is my māhera, sājaṇī — by ōvī at kāṇḍaṇa, let us sing a gīta. Rāhī, Rakhumā'ī, Satyabhāmā are mothers — Pāṇḍuranga is the father of the māhiyēra. Uddhava, Akrūra, Vyāsa, Ambariṣa as brothers — I will honor Nārada. Garuḍa as brother, the petted Puṇḍalika — their kavataka pleases me. To me, many gota — saints and mahantas — always remembering by ōvī. Nivṛtti, Jñānadev, Sopāna, Cāngayā — my life-companion Nāmadeva. Nāgōja Mitra, Narahari Sonāra — Rōhidāsa, Kabīra as sōirē. Paraso Bhāgavata, Sūradāsa, Sāvantā — I will sing as nēṇatā to all. Cōkhāmēḷā, saint, life's sōirē — doesn't fall forgetting of them for a ghaḍī. Life-of-life Ēkā Janārdana — Pāṭaka, Kānhaya, Mīrābāī. And other saints, mahānubhavas, munis — at all (their) feet, my jīva. In bliss I will sing ōvīs to them — the vāra-karīs going to Paṇḍharī. Tuka says: my baḷiyā bāpa-māya — in bliss let us stay, sayē, running household-affairs.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
पंढरीये माझें माहेर साजणी "Paṇḍharīmy māhera (natal-home), sājaṇī (companion)"
ओविये कांडणीं गाऊं गीत "by ōvī — at kāṇḍaṇa (grain-pounding) — let us sing — a gīta"
राही रखुमाईं सत्यभामा माता "Rāhī, Rakhumā'ī, Satya-bhāmāmātās"
पांडुरंग पिता माहियेर "Pāṇḍurangapitā (father) — of (the) māhiyēra"
उद्धव अक्रूर व्यास आंबॠषि "Uddhava, Akrūra, Vyāsa, Ambariṣa"
भाईं नारदासी गौरवीन "(as) brothersNārada — I will honor (gauravīna)"
गरुड बंधु लडिवाळ पुंडलीक "Garuḍabrother; — laḍivāḷa (= petted) — Puṇḍalika"
यांचें कवतुक वाटे मज "their kavataka (= great-feat / wonder) — seems — to me"
मज बहु गोत संत आणि महंत "to me — manygota (relatives) — saints and mahantas"
नित्य आठवीत ओवियेसी "alwaysremembering — by ōvī"
निवृत्ति ज्ञानदेव सोपान चांगया "Nivṛtti, Jñānadev, Sopāna, Cāngayā"
जिवलगा माझिया नामदेवा "jīvalaga (= life-companion) — to my — Nāmadeva"
नागोजन मित्रा नरहरि सोनारा "Nāgōja Mitra, Narahari Sonāra"
रोहिदास कबिरा सोईंरिया "Rōhidāsa, Kabīra — as sōirē (= relatives by marriage)"
परसो भागवता सुरदास सांवता "Paraso Bhāgavata, Sūradāsa, Sāvantā"
गाईंन नेणतां सकळांसी "I will singas the unknowing one — to all"
चोखामेळा संत जिवाचे सोइरे "Cōkhāmēḷā — saint — life'ssōirē"
न पडे विसर यांचा घडी "doesn't fallforgetting of these — for a ghaḍī (moment)"
जीवींच्या जीवना एका जनार्दना "life-of-the-jīvaĒkā Janārdana"
पाटका कान्हया मिराबाईं "Pāṭaka, Kānhaya, Mīrābāī"
आणीक हे संत महानुभाव मुनि "and-others — these — saints, mahānubhavas, munis"
सकळां चरणीं जीव माझा "at all (their) feetmy jīva"
आनंदें ओविया गाईंन मी त्यांसी "in blissōvīs — I will sing — to them"
जाती पंढरीसी वारकरी "go to Paṇḍharī — the vāra-karī"
तुका म्हणे माझा बळिया बापमाय "Tuka says — mybaḷiyā (mighty) — bāpa-māya (father-mother)"
हरुषें नांदों सये घराचारी "in blisslet us staysayē (= friend) — runninghousehold-affairs"

What it means

Paṇḍharī-as-māhera-with-saint-genealogy abhang. A 12-verse warkari-saint-list; one of the most comprehensive sant-māhātmya-lists in the Gatha. The opening: Paṇḍharīyē mājhēm māhēra sājaṇī — ōviyē kāṇḍaṇīm gā'ūm gītaPaṇḍharīmy māhera, friendby ōvī, at grain-pounding, let us sing. The māhera-image: Paṇḍharī is my natal-home (= where my heart-belongs); let us sing folk-songs at grain-pounding (= the daily-domestic-bhakti-mode of women). The kāṇḍaṇī-ōvī genre — grain-pounding-songs — was the everyday-women's bhakti-poetry; Tuka adopts the woman's voice throughout (sājaṇī, sayē — feminine-vocative-particles).

The family-genealogy: - Mothers: Rāhī (Rādhā), Rakhumā'ī (Rukmiṇī), Satya-bhāmā (Kṛṣṇa's three queens) - Father: Pāṇḍuranga - Brothers: Uddhava, Akrūra, Vyāsa, Ambariṣa, Nārada, Garuḍa, Puṇḍalika - Many relatives (saints): Nivṛtti-Jñāneśvar-Sopān-Muktābāī (Cāngayā?), Nāmadev, Nāgōja Mitra, Narahari Sonāra, Rōhidāsa, Kabīra (north-Indian sants), Paraso Bhāgavata, Sūradāsa (Vraja-bhakta), Sāvantā Mālī, Cōkhāmēḷā (Mahar-saint), Ēkā Janārdana (= Eknath), Pāṭaka, Kānhaya, Mīrābāī

This is a trans-regional, trans-caste, trans-gender warkari-genealogy: Mahārāṣṭra-bhakta-saints + north-Indian-bhakta-sants + women-bhakta-saints + dalit-saints + brahmin-saints + tailor/weaver/cobbler-saints. Tuka claims them all as family. (One of the most-inclusive lists in any premodern Indian-bhakti-text.)

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē mājhā baḷiyā bāpa-māya — haruṣē nāndōm sayē gharā-cārīTuka says — my baḷiyābāpa-māya (father-and-mother); — in blisslet us stay, sayē — running household-affairs (gharā-cārī). We'll stay in our father-mother's house, in bliss, running the household-affairs of bhakti.

[T]

For someone today

For today: Paṇḍharī is my natal-home; let us sing the grain-pounding-folk-rhymes; mothers Rāhī-Rakhumā'ī-Satya-bhāmā, father Pāṇḍuranga, brothers Uddhava-Akrūra-Nārada-Puṇḍalika; saints from Nivṛtti to Mīrābāī are my relatives; in bliss let us run the household-affairs of bhakti.

Where this applies

Related verses