Abhanga 1654
For today: Mathurā-king — my full-body-prostration to your feet; I am the one nourished by your grace — please take my news; the nāma is held in my throat — but I am an afflicted-being in my belly; what is in my heart — please know it — Tuka says, Nārāyaṇa.
The verse
मथुरेच्या राया । माझें दंडवत पायां ॥१॥ तुमचे कृपेचें पोसनें । माझा समाचार घेणें ॥ध्रु.॥ नाम धरिलें कंठीं । असें आर्तभूत पोटीं ॥२॥ जीवींचें ते जाणा । तुका म्हणे नारायणा ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Mathurā-king — my daṇḍavat to your feet. Your kṛpā's nourished-one — take my news. Nāma held in throat — being ārta-bhūta in belly. The heart's news — know — Tuka says, Nārāyaṇa.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मथुरेच्या राया | "Mathurā-king" |
| माझें दंडवत पायां | "my — daṇḍavat — to (your) feet" |
| तुमचे कृपेचें पोसनें | "your kṛpā's — nourished-one" |
| माझा समाचार घेणें | "my news — take" |
| नाम धरिलें कंठीं | "nāma — held — in throat" |
| असें आर्तभूत पोटीं | "being — ārta-bhūta — in belly" |
| जीवींचें ते जाणा | "the heart's — that — know" |
| तुका म्हणे नारायणा | "Tuka says — Nārāyaṇa" |
What it means
Mathurā-letter abhang. Fourth and final of 4-letter-cluster (1651-1654).
The opening: Mathurēcyā rāyā — mājhēm daṇḍavata pāyām — Mathurā-king — my daṇḍavat to your feet. Mathurā-rāya = the king-of-Mathurā = Kṛṣṇa (Mathurā being Kṛṣṇa's birth-place; the Mathurā-yātrā being a major Vaiṣṇava-pilgrimage). Daṇḍavat = full-body-prostration.
The status: tumacē kṛpēcēm pōsanēm — mājhā samācāra ghēṇē — your kṛpā's nourished-one — take my news. Pōsanēm = nourished-one, the one fed-and-cared-for. I am your-kṛpā-fed; please take note of my news. Samācāra ghēṇē = take my news / inquire about my well-being (= the standard letter-vocabulary).
The body-news: nāma dharilēm kaṇṭhīm — asēm ārta-bhūta pōṭīm — nāma held in throat — ārta-bhūta in belly. Nāma in the throat (= the constant-recitation); ārta-bhūta in the belly (= the afflicted-state inside). The bhakta is two-layered: outer-recitation, inner-affliction.
The closing: jīvīñcēm tē jāṇā — Tukā mhaṇē Nārāyaṇā — the heart's — know — Tuka says, Nārāyaṇa. Know what is in my heart (= even what I haven't-explicitly-said). The omniscient-Lord-knows-without-words — trust in Lord's-knowing.
This is the fourth-and-final of the Bhāgīrathī-letter-cluster (1651-1654 sent via the yātrīs going Vārāṇasī → Gayā → Mathurā). The complete-letter-circuit: 1. Bhāgīrathī (1651) — Gangā at Vārāṇasī 2. Viśva-nātha (1652) — Śiva at Vārāṇasī (with bhātukē-request) 3. Gayā-varjana (1653) — done-without-traveling 4. Mathurā-rāya (1654) — Kṛṣṇa at Mathurā
This four-letter sequence establishes Tukārām's pan-Indian-bhakti-network with a single piece of paper.
[T]
For someone today
For today: Mathurā-king — my full-body-prostration to your feet; I am the one nourished by your grace — please take my news; the nāma is held in my throat — but I am an afflicted-being in my belly; what is in my heart — please know it — Tuka says, Nārāyaṇa.
Where this applies
- Mathurā-king-daṇḍavat-pāyām.* Mathurā-rāyā-daṇḍavat-pāyām.
- Your-kṛpā's-nourished-take-my-news.* Kṛpēcēm-pōsanēm-samācāra-ghēṇē.
- Nāma-throat-ārta-bhūta-belly.* Nāma-kaṇṭhīm-ārta-bhūta-pōṭīm.
- Heart's-Nārāyaṇa-knows.* Jīvīñcēm-Nārāyaṇā-jāṇā.