Abhanga 1620
For today: listen, paṇḍita-people — I venerate your feet; don't compose praises of mortal-men — please hear my request; food and clothing are under one's prārabdha (= one's own karma) — not under any patron's gift; Tuka says — your speech is precious — spend it happily on Nārāyaṇa.
The verse
ऐका पंडितजन । तुमचे वंदितों चरण ॥१॥ नका करूं नरस्तुति । माझी परिसा हे विनंती ॥ध्रु.॥ अन्न आच्छादन । हें तों प्रारब्धा अधीन ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे वाणी । सुखें वेचा नारायणीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Listen, paṇḍita-people — I venerate your feet. Don't do nara-stuti — please listen to my request. Food and clothing — that very is under prārabdha. Tuka says: speech — spend it happily in Nārāyaṇa.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ऐका पंडितजन | "listen — O paṇḍita-people" |
| तुमचे वंदितों चरण | "your — I venerate — feet" |
| नका करूं नरस्तुति | "don't — do — nara-stuti" |
| माझी परिसा हे विनंती | "my — please listen — this — request" |
| अन्न आच्छादन | "food, clothing" |
| हें तों प्रारब्धा अधीन | "that very — under prārabdha" |
| तुका म्हणे वाणी | "Tuka says — vāṇī (speech)" |
| सुखें वेचा नारायणीं | "happily — spend — in Nārāyaṇa" |
What it means
Anti-nara-stuti abhang. Closes the paṇḍita-triad (1618-1620). Where 1618 condemned bookish-paṇḍitas-as-fools and 1619 redefined paṇḍita-as-Viṭhṭhal-bhakta, 1620 addresses paṇḍitas directly with a practical-injunction: don't compose nara-stuti for patrons.
The respectful-address: aikā paṇḍita-jana — tumacē vanditum caraṇa — listen, paṇḍita-people — I venerate your feet. Tukaram, despite his criticisms, opens with respectful-foot-veneration — softening the rebuke.
The injunction: nakō karūm nara-stuti — mājhī parisā hē vinantī — don't do nara-stuti — listen to my request. Nara-stuti = praising-of-men (= writing praśasti, eulogies, panegyrics for kings, patrons, wealthy-householders to receive remuneration). The Sanskrit-poet's-traditional-occupation — that Tukaram roundly-rejects.
The reason: anna ācchādana — hēm tōm prārabdhā adhīna — food, clothing — that very is under prārabdha. The very-things-the-poet-flatters-for (food, clothing) are not in the patron's-gift-but-determined-by-prārabdha (one's own past-karma). No-need-to-flatter for prārabdha-determined goods.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē vāṇī — sukhē vēcā Nārāyaṇīm — Tuka says: speech — spend it happily in Nārāyaṇa. Vāṇī (= speech / poetic-power) is precious-currency; spend it on Nārāyaṇa, not on patrons. (The speech-as-currency-to-spend-wisely economic-image.)
This abhang is one of Tukaram's strongest direct-addresses to fellow Sanskrit-paṇḍitas — urging them to abandon the patronage-economy and devote their poetic-skill to bhakti-only.
[T]
For someone today
For today: listen, paṇḍita-people — I venerate your feet; don't compose praises of mortal-men — please hear my request; food and clothing are under one's prārabdha (= one's own karma) — not under any patron's gift; Tuka says — your speech is precious — spend it happily on Nārāyaṇa.
Where this applies
- Listen-paṇḍitas-I-venerate-your-feet.* Aikā-paṇḍita-jana-vanditum-caraṇa.
- Don't-do-nara-stuti-hear-my-request.* Nakō-nara-stuti-vinantī.
- Food-clothing-under-prārabdha-not-patronage.* Anna-ācchādana-prārabdhā-adhīna.
- Speech-spend-happily-in-Nārāyaṇa.* Vāṇī-vēcā-Nārāyaṇīm.