Abhanga 1663
Real devotion means being willing to serve humbly at the feet of those who embody it, because that closeness matters more than pride or status.
The verse
सेवीन उच्छिष्ट लोळेन अंगणीं । वैष्णवां चरणीं होइन जोडा ॥१॥ ऐसें जन्म आतां मज देई देवा । आवडी हे जीवा सर्व काळ ॥ध्रु.॥ त्यांचे चरणरज येती अंगावरी । वंदीत ते शिरीं जाइन मागें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे येथें राहिलासे भाव । सकळ ही वाव जाणोनियां ॥३॥
Literal translation
Will eat the ucchiṣṭa, roll in the courtyard, become the jōḍā at vaiṣṇavas' feet. Give me such a janma now, Devā — this longing in soul all the time. Their caraṇa-rajas come on body — venerating on head, will go behind. Tuka says: here bhāva has remained — knowing all else is vain.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सेवीन उच्छिष्ट लोळेन अंगणीं | "will eat — ucchiṣṭa; — will roll — in the courtyard" |
| वैष्णवां चरणीं होइन जोडा | "at vaiṣṇavas' feet — will become — jōḍā (sandals)" |
| ऐसें जन्म आतां मज देई देवा | "such janma — now — to me — give, Devā" |
| आवडी हे जीवा सर्व काळ | "this longing — to soul — all the time" |
| त्यांचे चरणरज येती अंगावरी | "their caraṇa-rajas — come — on body" |
| वंदीत ते शिरीं जाइन मागें | "venerating — on head — will go — behind" |
| तुका म्हणे येथें राहिलासे भाव | "Tuka says — here — bhāva has remained" |
| सकळ ही वाव जाणोनियां | "all — vain — knowing" |
What it means
Vaiṣṇava-foot-jōḍā + ucchiṣṭa-eating-self-abasement abhang. Joins the pāya-pōsa (foot-rag) image of 1633.
The opening: sēvīna ucchiṣṭa lōḷēna angaṇīm — vaiṣṇavām caraṇīm hō'ina jōḍā — will eat the ucchiṣṭa, roll in the courtyard, become the jōḍā at vaiṣṇavas' feet. Ucchiṣṭa = leftover-food / left-on-plate (= ritually-impure-leftovers); jōḍā = sandals. Will eat the saints' leftovers; roll in their courtyard; become the very sandals at their feet. The triple self-abasement — eating leftovers, rolling in dust, becoming-sandals.
The longing-petition: aisēm janma ātām maja dē'ī Devā — āvaḍī hē jīvā sarva kāḷa — give me such a janma now, Devā — this longing in soul all-the-time. Don't give me a different birth — give me this birth-of-vaiṣṇava-foot-service.
The dust-on-body: tyāñcē caraṇa-raja yētī angāvarī — vandīta tē śirīm jā'ina māgē — their caraṇa-rajas come on body — venerating on head, will go behind. Caraṇa-raja = foot-dust (= the holiest possible-thing). Will receive their foot-dust on my body; venerate it on my head; go behind them.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē yēthē rāhilāsē bhāva — sakaḷa hī vāva jāṇōniyām — Tuka says: here bhāva has remained — knowing all (else) is vain. Bhāva has settled here only; all-other-things-known-as-vain.
This abhang together with 1633 (tyāñcē pāyīm pāya-pōsa hō'uniyām vāsa karina tēthē) and 1654's Mathurā-rāyā daṇḍavat pāyām establishes Tukaram's self-position-at-the-saints'-feet as the consistent identity-claim.
[T]
For someone today
For today: I will eat the leftover-food, I will roll in the courtyard, I will become the sandals at the vaiṣṇavas' feet; give me such a birth now, Devā — this is my soul's longing all-the-time; their foot-dust comes upon my body — venerating it on my head, I will walk behind them; Tuka says — bhāva has remained here only — knowing all-else is vain.
Where this applies
- When pride is stopping you from serving or learning from someone you deeply respect
- When you feel above small, humble tasks done for people wiser than you
- When you're chasing status or recognition instead of nearness to what genuinely matters
- When you wonder whether devotion or ambition actually organizes your life