Abhanga 1631
Protect a sacred gathering from corrosive talk with blunt courage, and let devotion itself become the only reward you crave, not even liberation.
The verse
येथें बोलोनियां काय । व्हावा गुरू तरि जाय ॥१॥ मज न साहे वांकडें । ये विठ्ठलकथेपुढें ॥ध्रु.॥ ऐकोनि मरसी कथा। जंव आहेसि तुं जीता ॥२॥ हुरमतीची चाड । तेणें न करावी बडबड ॥३॥ पुसेल कोणी त्यास । जा रे करीं उपदेश ॥४॥ आम्ही विठ्ठलाचे वीर । फोडूं कळिकाळाचें शीर ॥५॥ घेऊं पुढती जन्म । वाणूं कीर्त मुखें नाम ॥६॥ तुका म्हणे मुक्ती । नाहीं आस चि ये चित्ती ॥७॥
Literal translation
What's the use of speaking here? — if you want to be guru, go. I cannot bear vāṇkaḍē-talk before this Viṭhṭhal-kathā. By listening to such kathā, you will die while alive. If you have regard for hurmati, don't do baḍa-baḍa. If any asks for that, go, give upadeśa. We are Viṭhṭhal's warriors — we will break Kali-kāla's head. We will take more births — sing kīrti, mouth-the-nāma. Tuka says: mukti — no longing for it in this chitta.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| येथें बोलोनियां काय | "here — what (use) — speaking" |
| व्हावा गुरू तरि जाय | "if you (want to) be guru — go" |
| मज न साहे वांकडें | "to me — cannot bear — bent / perverse" |
| ये विठ्ठलकथेपुढें | "before this — Viṭhṭhal-kathā" |
| ऐकोनि मरसी कथा | "by listening (to such) kathā — you will die" |
| जंव आहेसि तुं जीता | "while — you are alive" |
| हुरमतीची चाड | "regard for hurmati (honor)" |
| तेणें न करावी बडबड | "because of that — don't do — chatter" |
| पुसेल कोणी त्यास | "if any asks for him" |
| जा रे करीं उपदेश | "go — give upadeśa" |
| आम्ही विठ्ठलाचे वीर | "we — Viṭhṭhal's warriors" |
| फोडूं कळिकाळाचें शीर | "will break — Kali-kāla's head" |
| घेऊं पुढती जन्म | "we will take — more births" |
| वाणूं कीर्त मुखें नाम | "praise — kīrti — mouth — nāma" |
| तुका म्हणे मुक्ती | "Tuka says — mukti" |
| नाहीं आस चि ये चित्ती | "no longing — at all — in this chitta" |
What it means
Anti-fake-guru + Viṭhṭhal-warrior + take-more-births abhang. A 7-verse strong-rebuke of those who speak perverse-counter-bhakti-talk in the kīrtana-assembly, plus a positive-affirmation of warkari-warrior-identity.
Section 1 (vv. 1-2) — anti-fake-guru: yēthē bōlōniyām kāya — vhāvā gurū tari jāya / maja na sāhē vāṇkaḍē — yē Viṭhṭhala-kathē-puḍhē — what's the use of speaking here? — if you want to be guru, go elsewhere; I cannot bear vāṇkaḍē (= bent, perverse, twisted-talk) before this Viṭhṭhal-kathā. (= Tukaram is shutting down a fake-guru who came to disrupt the kīrtana-assembly with non-bhakti-talk.)
Section 2 (vv. 3-4) — death-warning + honor-appeal: aikōni marasī kathā — jamva āhēsi tūm jītā / hurmatīcī cāḍa — tēṇē na karāvī baḍa-baḍa — by listening to (such) kathā, you will die while alive; if you have regard for hurmati, don't do baḍa-baḍa (chatter). Hurmati = honor, dignity; baḍa-baḍa = chatter, idle-talk.
Section 3 (v. 5) — go-elsewhere: pusēla kōṇī tyāsa — jā rē karīm upadēśa — if anyone asks for that — go, give upadeśa elsewhere. (= find your own audience elsewhere.)
Section 4 (vv. 6-7) — positive-warkari-identity: āmhī Viṭhṭhalācē vīra — phōḍūm kaḷi-kāḷācē śīra / ghē'ūm puḍhatī janma — vāṇūm kīrti mukhē nāma — we are Viṭhṭhal's warriors — we will break Kali-kāla's head; we will take more births — sing kīrti, mouth-the-nāma. The famous Viṭhṭhal-warrior line: Viṭhṭhalācē vīra (= warriors of Viṭhṭhal); Kali-kāla's-head-we-break. The take-more-births claim: ghē'ūm puḍhatī janma — we will take more births — to keep singing the kīrti and mouthing the nāma.
Section 5 (v. 8) — closing: Tukā mhaṇē muktī — nāhīm āsa chi yē chittī — Tuka says: mukti — no longing for it in this chitta. The no-longing-for-mukti warkari touchstone (companion to 1457, 1579).
This abhang combines anti-fake-guru rebuke + Viṭhṭhal-warrior-identity + take-more-births + no-mukti-longing — a complete warkari self-articulation.
[T]
For someone today
For today: what's the use of you speaking here? — if you want to be a guru, go elsewhere; I cannot bear bent perverse-talk before this Viṭhṭhal-kathā; by listening to such kathā you will die while still alive; if you have any regard for honor, don't chatter here; if anyone asks for that kind of teaching, go give your upadeśa elsewhere; we are Viṭhṭhal's warriors — we will break the head of Kali-kāla itself; we will take more births to sing his glory and mouth his name; Tuka says — mukti, there is no longing for it in this chitta at all.
Where this applies
- When someone barges into your prayer group or study circle just to argue and derail the mood
- When you feel pressured to let corrosive or cynical talk go unanswered in a space meant for devotion
- When you are tempted to argue with every critic instead of guarding your own focus and dignity
- When you want the courage to call yourself committed to your practice for life after life, not just for a season