Abhanga 1718
For today: the saints are going to Paṇḍharī — send the message in their hand: let me not be forgotten — Tuka, your servant, requests; I am the broom at the great-door, eternally; I am the shoe-stand at your feet — its leather is my body-and-mind; I am the spittoon for your tāmbūla, my mouth wide-open; I am the sweep-up of your iṣṭā, my body the mortar; the dust under your pādukās — I am that under-clay; Tuka says — Paṇḍhari-nāthā, hold no second-thought at all.
The verse
संत पंढरीस जाती । निरोप धाडीं तया हातीं ॥१॥ माझा न पडावा विसर । तुका विनवितो किंकर ॥ध्रु.॥ केरसुणी महाद्वारीं । ते मी असें निरंतरीं ॥२॥ तुमचे पायीं पाइतन । मोचे माझे तन मन ॥३॥ तांबुलाची पिकधरणी । ते मी असें मुख पसरूनि ॥४॥ तुमची इष्टा पंढरीराया । ते सारसुबी माझी काया ॥५॥ लागती पादुका । ते मी तळील मृत्तिका ॥६॥ तुका म्हणे पंढरिनाथा । दुजें न धरावें सर्वथा ॥७॥
Literal translation
English: The saints go to Paṇḍharī — send the message in their hand. Let me not be forgotten — Tuka, the kinkara, requests. The broom at the great-door — that I am, eternally. The pā'itana at your feet — leather, my body-mind. The tāmbūla-spittoon — that I am, mouth-spreading. Your iṣṭā at Paṇḍharī-rāya — the sweep-up, my body. The touching pādukās — I am the under-clay. Tuka says: Paṇḍhari-nāthā — hold no second at all.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| संत पंढरीस जाती | "saints — go to Paṇḍharī" |
| निरोप धाडीं तया हातीं | "send the message — in their hand" |
| माझा न पडावा विसर | "let me not be forgotten" |
| तुका विनवितो किंकर | "Tuka — requests — the kinkara" |
| केरसुणी महाद्वारीं | "broom — at the great-door" |
| ते मी असें निरंतरीं | "that I am — eternally" |
| तुमचे पायीं पाइतन | "at your feet — pā'itana (shoe-protector)" |
| मोचे माझे तन मन | "leather — my body-mind" |
| तांबुलाची पिकधरणी | "of tāmbūla — spittoon" |
| ते मी असें मुख पसरूनि | "that I am — spreading mouth" |
| तुमची इष्टा पंढरीराया | "your iṣṭā — Paṇḍharī-rāya" |
| ते सारसुबी माझी काया | "the sweep-up — my body" |
| लागती पादुका | "touching pādukās" |
| ते मी तळील मृत्तिका | "that I am — the under-clay" |
| तुका म्हणे पंढरिनाथा | "Tuka says — Paṇḍhari-nāthā" |
| दुजें न धरावें सर्वथा | "hold no second — at all" |
What it means
Self-as-every-menial-temple-instrument abhang. A 7-verse cascade of self-abasement-as-temple-paraphernalia.
The opening: samta Paṇḍharīsa jātī — nirōpa dhāḍīm tayā hātīm — saints go to Paṇḍharī — send the message in their hand. The saint-as-messenger image (Compare 1651-1654's Bhāgīrathī-letter cluster).
Six self-as-temple-paraphernalia images:
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Broom at great-door: kērasuṇī mahā-dvārīm — tē mī asēm nirantarīm — broom at the great-door — I am, eternally. The temple's main-door-broom.
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Shoe-protector: tumacē pāyīm pā'itana — mōcē mājhē tana mana — pā'itana at your feet — leather, my body-mind. Pā'itana = the shoe-protective-mat or shoe-stand at the temple-door; mocē = leather. My body-and-mind become the leather of the shoe-stand.
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Tāmbūla-spittoon: tāmbulācī pikadharaṇī — tē mī asēm mukha pasarūni — tāmbūla-spittoon — I am, mouth-spreading. Pikadharaṇī = the spittoon to catch the betel-juice; mukha pasarūni = spreading mouth (open).
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Iṣṭā-sweep-up: tumacī iṣṭā Paṇḍharī-rāyā — tē sārasubī mājhī kāyā — your iṣṭā at Paṇḍharī-rāya — the sweep-up, my body. Sārasubī = the sweep-up of bricks / mortar. My body is the temple's-mortar-sweepings.
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Dust under pādukās: lāgatī pādukā — tē mī taḷīla mṛttikā — touching pādukās — I am the under-clay. Mṛttikā = clay, earth. I am the dust-under-the-touching-pādukās.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē Paṇḍhari-nāthā — dujēm na dharāvēm sarvathā — Tuka says: Paṇḍhari-nāthā — hold no second at all. (= let me be every menial-thing at your temple — no other identity.)
This abhang's radical-self-abasement at every-imaginable-temple-paraphernalia-position — broom, shoe-stand, spittoon, sweep-mortar, dust-under-foot — is one of the most-extended bhakta-as-lowest-instrument claims in the gatha.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the saints are going to Paṇḍharī — send the message in their hand: let me not be forgotten — Tuka, your servant, requests; I am the broom at the great-door, eternally; I am the shoe-stand at your feet — its leather is my body-and-mind; I am the spittoon for your tāmbūla, my mouth wide-open; I am the sweep-up of your iṣṭā, my body the mortar; the dust under your pādukās — I am that under-clay; Tuka says — Paṇḍhari-nāthā, hold no second-thought at all.
Where this applies
- Saints-carry-message-don't-forget-me.* Samta-nirōpa-visara-na.
- Broom-at-great-door-eternally.* Kērasuṇī-mahā-dvārīm-nirantara.
- Shoe-stand-leather-body-mind.* Pā'itana-mōcē-tana-mana.
- Tāmbūla-spittoon-mouth-spreading.* Pikadharaṇī-mukha-pasara.
- Iṣṭā-sweep-up-my-body.* Iṣṭā-sārasubī-kāyā.
- Dust-under-pādukās.* Pādukā-taḷīla-mṛttikā.
- Hold-no-second-at-all.* Dujēm-na-dharāvēm-sarvathā.