Abhanga 1572
For today: crown on head, earrings in ears spread radiance; red lips with diamond-teeth shine neatly; jaya Catur-bhuja, radiance-of-beauty — I circle the ārtī, samsāra-deliverer; even Brahmā the bard recites you, even six-and-eighteen (śāstras-Purāṇas) limp on your form; many terrible tapas-yogas, gave samsāra peace; but mere nāma destroys bhava-sins and grief — siddhas and sādhakas bow at your feet; you play the natural bāla-līlā; Tuka folds hands and asks.
The verse
मस्तकीं मुगुट कानीं कुंडलां तेज फांके । आरक्त दंत हिरे कैसे शोभले निके ॥१॥ जय देवा चुतर्भुजा जया लावण्यतेजा । आरती ओवाळीन भवतारिया हा वोजा । जय. ॥ध्रु.॥ भाट हा चतुर्मुखें अनुवाद करिती । पांगलीं साही अठरा रूप न गति ॥२॥ साधनें योग नाना तपें दारुण किती । सांडिलें सुख दिली संसारा शांती ॥३॥ नासति नाममात्रें भवपातकें शोक । पाउलें वंदिताती सिद्ध आणि साधक ॥४॥ खेळसि बाळलीळा अवतार सहज । विनवितो दास तुका कर जोडोनि तुज ॥५॥
Literal translation
Crown on mastaka, kuṇḍalas in kāna — tēja phānkē. Red danta, diamonds — how niko śōbhē. Jaya Catur-bhujā, lāvaṇya-tējā — I will circle ārtī, bhava-tāriyā, this vōjā. The four-mouthed bard (Brahmā) recites — six-eighteen (śāstras-Purāṇas) limp on form. Sādhanas, yoga, many terrible tapas — abandoned sukha, gave samsāra peace. Destroyed by mere nāma — bhava-pātaka and grief; siddhas and sādhakas bow to feet. You play bāla-līlā — avatāra is sahaja. Tuka, dāsa, folds hands — requests.
मराठी: मस्तकीं — मुगुट — कानीं — कुंडलां — तेज — फांके; — आरक्त — दंत — हिरे — कैसे — शोभले — निके. जय — देवा — चुतर्भुजा — जया — लावण्य-तेजा; — आरती — ओवाळीन — भव-तारिया — हा — वोजा. भाट — हा — चतुर्-मुखें — अनुवाद — करिती; — पांगलीं — साही — अठरा — रूप — न — गति. साधनें — योग — नाना — तपें — दारुण — किती; — सांडिलें — सुख — दिली — संसारा — शांती. नासति — नाम-मात्रें — भव-पातकें — शोक; — पाउलें — वंदिताती — सिद्ध — आणि — साधक. खेळसि — बाळ-लीळा — अवतार — सहज; — विनवितो — दास — Tukā — कर — जोडोनि — तुज.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मस्तकीं मुगुट कानीं कुंडलां तेज फांके | "on head — crown; — in ears — kuṇḍala; — tēja — spreads" |
| आरक्त दंत हिरे कैसे शोभले निके | "red — danta (= teeth/lips); — diamonds — how — shine — neatly" |
| जय देवा चुतर्भुजा जया लावण्यतेजा | "jaya Devā Catur-bhujā — jayā lāvaṇya-tējā" |
| आरती ओवाळीन भवतारिया हा वोजा | "ārtī — I will circle — bhava-tāriyā (samsāra-deliverer) — this vōjā (great being)" |
| भाट हा चतुर्मुखें अनुवाद करिती | "the bhāṭa (bard) — by four-mouths (Brahmā) — makes anuvāda" |
| पांगलीं साही अठरा रूप न गति | "limped — six-(śāstra)s, eighteen-(Purāṇas); — form — no gati" |
| साधनें योग नाना तपें दारुण किती | "sādhanas, yoga, many tapas — terrible — how many?" |
| सांडिलें सुख दिली संसारा शांती | "abandoned — sukha; — gave — samsāra — peace" |
| नासति नाममात्रें भवपातकें शोक | "destroyed — by mere name — bhava-pātaka — grief" |
| पाउलें वंदिताती सिद्ध आणि साधक | "feet — bow-to-them — siddha and sādhaka" |
| खेळसि बाळलीळा अवतार सहज | "you play — bāla-līlā; — avatāra — sahaja" |
| विनवितो दास तुका कर जोडोनि तुज | "requesting — dāsa Tuka — folded hands — to you" |
What it means
Catur-bhuja-ārtī. A 5-verse Viṣṇu-iconographic ārtī. The opening: mastakīm muguṭa kānīm kuṇḍalām tēja phānkē — āraktā danta hīrē kaisē śōbhalē nikē — on thehead—crown; — in (the)ears—earrings; —radiance—spreads; —red—teeth/lips— likediamonds—how—shine—neatly. The full facial-iconographic-description — crown-and-earrings-radiance, red-lips with diamond-teeth.
The middle-difficulty: bhāṭa hā catur-mukhēm anuvāda karitī — pāngalīm sā'ī aṭhārā rūpa na gati — thebhāṭa(= bard / praise-singer) — byfour-mouths(= Brahmā) — makesanuvāda; —limped—six-(śāstras), eighteen-(Purāṇas)—form—no gati(no gait/way). Even Brahmā with his four-mouths recites; even all śāstras-Purāṇas limp at expressing your form.
The contrast-claim: sādhanēm yōga nānā tapēm dāruṇa kitī — sāṇḍilēm sukha dilī samsārā śānti — manysādhanas,yoga, nānā(various)terrible tapas—how many?; — (people)abandoned sukha(for them); —gave to samsāra—śānti(peace). (= even practiced terrible tapas, gave up worldly-pleasure.) But...
The simple-key: nāsati nāma-mātrēm bhava-pātakē śōka — pā'ulēm vandi-tātī siddha āṇi sādhaka — destroyed — by mere nāma — bhava-pātaka and śōka; — (your) feet — bow-to-them — siddhas and sādhakas. By mere nāma, bhava-sins and grief destroyed; even siddhas-and-sādhakas bow at your feet. (= simpler-and-stronger than tapas.)
The closing-humility: khēḷasi bāḷa-līḷā avatāra sahaja — vinavitō dāsa Tukā kara jōḍōnī tuja — you-playbāla-līlā; —avatāraissahaja(natural); —requesting—dāsaTuka —folded hands— to you. You play your-natural baby-līlā; Tuka folds hands and requests.
[T]
For someone today
For today: crown on head, earrings in ears spread radiance; red lips with diamond-teeth shine neatly; jaya Catur-bhuja, radiance-of-beauty — I circle the ārtī, samsāra-deliverer; even Brahmā the bard recites you, even six-and-eighteen (śāstras-Purāṇas) limp on your form; many terrible tapas-yogas, gave samsāra peace; but mere nāma destroys bhava-sins and grief — siddhas and sādhakas bow at your feet; you play the natural bāla-līlā; Tuka folds hands and asks.
Where this applies
- When you exhaust yourself with difficult self-improvement routines and forget that a simple, sincere habit might work just as well
- When you feel that words or scripture cannot fully capture something beautiful you have witnessed
- When you notice highly accomplished or disciplined people humbling themselves before something simple and sincere
- When you allow yourself playful, lighthearted joy instead of treating every part of life as serious struggle