Abhanga 1674
For today: with me, dispute does not fit — happiness lies in both-sides' dialogue; by what claim are you alone superior? — what is the head without the feet?; I will bear your burden — enduring boundless suffering for it; Tuka says — there is no distinction between us — Devā, don't make this a dispute.
The verse
मजशीं पुरे न पडे वादें । सुख दोहींच्या संवादें ॥१॥ तूं चि आगळा काशानें । शिर काय पायांविणे ॥ध्रु.॥ वाहों तुझा भार । दुःख साहोनि अपार ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नाहीं भेद । देवा करूं नये वाद ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: With me, dispute doesn't fit — sukha is in both-sides' samvāda. By what are you alone more excellent? — what is the head without the feet? Will bear your burden, enduring boundless duḥkha. Tuka says: no bhēda — Devā, don't make vāda.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मजशीं पुरे न पडे वादें | "with me — enough — doesn't fall — in dispute" |
| सुख दोहींच्या संवादें | "sukha — of both — in samvāda" |
| तूं चि आगळा काशानें | "you alone — more excellent — by what" |
| शिर काय पायांविणे | "head — what — without feet" |
| वाहों तुझा भार | "will bear — your burden" |
| दुःख साहोनि अपार | "enduring — boundless duḥkha" |
| तुका म्हणे नाहीं भेद | "Tuka says — no bhēda" |
| देवा करूं नये वाद | "Devā — don't make — vāda" |
What it means
Mutual-need + head-without-feet + no-bhēda abhang.
The opening: maja-śīm purē na paḍē vādē — sukha dōhīñcyā samvādē — with me, dispute doesn't fit — sukha is in both-sides' samvāda. Vāda = dispute, argument; samvāda = dialogue, mutual-conversation. Sukha lies in mutual-dialogue, not in dispute.
The head-feet-image: tūm chi āgaḷā kāśānē — śira kāya pāyām-vīṇē — by what are you alone more excellent? — what is the head without the feet? Āgaḷā = more excellent, separate-and-superior. By what claim are you alone superior? — the head needs the feet (head-cannot-stand-alone). (= Lord-needs-bhakta-as-much-as-bhakta-needs-Lord; the mutual-dependence-claim.)
The burden-bearing: vāhōm tujhā bhāra — duḥkha sāhōni apāra — will bear your burden — enduring boundless duḥkha. I'll bear your burden, enduring boundless suffering for it.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē nāhīm bhēda — Devā karūm nayē vāda — Tuka says: no bhēda — Devā, don't make vāda. No distinction (bhēda) between us; don't make a dispute.
The whole abhang asserts the deep-non-distinction of bhakta-and-Lord, with the head-without-feet image asserting Lord's-dependence-on-bhakta.
[T]
For someone today
For today: with me, dispute does not fit — happiness lies in both-sides' dialogue; by what claim are you alone superior? — what is the head without the feet?; I will bear your burden — enduring boundless suffering for it; Tuka says — there is no distinction between us — Devā, don't make this a dispute.
Where this applies
- Dispute-doesn't-fit-sukha-by-samvāda.* Vādē-na-dōhīñcyā-samvādē.
- You-alone-more-excellent-by-what-head-without-feet.* Tūm-chi-āgaḷā-śira-pāyām-vīṇē.
- Will-bear-your-burden-boundless-duḥkha.* Tujhā-bhāra-duḥkha-apāra.
- No-bhēda-no-vāda.* Bhēda-na-vāda-na.