Abhanga 1775
For today: now do the rescuing-and-extracting, bā Pandhari-rāyā — otherwise this dāsa has gone to waste; knowingly I sat in a stone-boat — its very nature is to take the prāṇa; the manas's nature is the indriyas' pull — with patana's pairing, I have piled up; Tuka says — I have become like a blind-man — now, Hari, show me the path.
The verse
आतां काढाकाढी करीं बा पंढरिराया । नाहीं तरी वांयां गेलों दास ॥१॥ जाणतां बैसलों दगडाचे नावे । तिचा धर्म घ्यावे प्राण हा चि ॥ध्रु.॥ मनाचा स्वभाव इंद्रियांचे ओढी । पतनाचे जोडी वरी हांव ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जाली अंधळ्याची परी । आतां मज हरी वाट दावीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Now do the rescuing-and-extracting, bā Pandhari-rāyā — otherwise this dāsa has gone to waste. Knowingly I have sat in a stone-boat — its dharma is to take the prāṇa, this very. The manas's nature is the pull of the indriyas — with patana's pairing, I have piled up. Tuka says: I have become like a blind-man — now, Hari, show me the path.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आतां काढाकाढी करीं बा पंढरिराया | "now — do the rescuing-and-extracting (kāḍhā-kāḍhī) — bā — Pandhari-rāyā" |
| नाहीं तरी वांयां गेलों दास | "otherwise — to waste — I have gone — (your) dāsa" |
| जाणतां बैसलों दगडाचे नावे | "knowingly — I have sat — in a stone-boat" |
| तिचा धर्म घ्यावे प्राण हा चि | "its dharma — to take — the prāṇa — this very" |
| मनाचा स्वभाव इंद्रियांचे ओढी | "the manas's nature — is the indriyas's pull" |
| पतनाचे जोडी वरी हांव | "with patana's pairing — I have piled-up (hāmva)" |
| तुका म्हणे जाली अंधळ्याची परी | "Tuka says — I have become — like a blind-man" |
| आतां मज हरी वाट दावीं | "now — to me — Hari — show the path" |
What it means
Cry-for-rescue-from-self-trap abhang. The desperate-cry that follows 1774's self-confession: now-rescue-me-Pandhari-rāyā, before-I-am-utterly-lost.
The opening: ātām kāḍhā-kāḍhī karīm bā Pandhari-rāyā — nāhīm tarī vāmyām gēlōm dāsa — now do the rescuing-and-extracting, bā Pandhari-rāyā — otherwise, this dāsa has gone to waste. Kāḍhā-kāḍhī = the act of pulling-out / rescuing-by-extraction; the bā is the folk-Marathi vocative-of-affection (= O Pandhari-rāyā). Vāmyām = to waste, in vain. If you don't rescue me now, I will be wasted.
The stone-boat image: jāṇatām baisalōm dagaḍācē nāvē — ticā dharma ghyāvē prāṇa hā chi — knowingly I have sat in a stone-boat — its dharma is to take the prāṇa. Dagaḍācē nāvē = in a stone-boat / a boat-made-of-stone (= that-which-cannot-float; a doomed-vessel); ticā dharma ghyāvē prāṇa = its dharma is to take the prāṇa (= to drown the rider). I knowingly-boarded a stone-boat (= a doomed-pursuit) — its very-nature is to drown me. (= aware-but-helpless; entered the trap with eyes-open.)
The manas-indriya line: manācā svabhāva indriyāñcē ōḍhī — patanācē jōḍī varī hāmva — the manas's nature is the indriyas's pull — with patana's pairing, I've piled up. Indriyāñcē ōḍhī = the pull-of-the-senses; patanācē jōḍī = the pairing-of-patana / the falling-coupling; hāmva = I have-built-up / piled-up. The manas naturally-follows-the-indriyas; thus, falling-after-falling, I have-piled-up the patana. (= the natural-trajectory of mind-following-senses leads to compound-fall.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē jālī andhaḷyācī parī — ātām maja Hari vāṭa dāvīm — Tuka says: I have become like a blind-man — now, Hari, show me the path. Andhaḷyācī parī = like a blind-man; vāṭa dāvīm = show the path. I have become like a blind-man — incapable of finding-the-path-on-my-own; now, Hari, you must show-me-the-way. (Echoes the ancient prārthanā-image of the blind-and-the-guide.)
The 1774-1775 pair forms a remarkable self-examination + cry-for-rescue cluster — Tuka, the great-sant, exhibiting his vulnerability publicly and appealing to Viṭhṭhal as the only-one-who-can-rescue him from the trap of fame-induced pride. Among the most-honest abhangs in the gatha.
[T]
For someone today
For today: now do the rescuing-and-extracting, bā Pandhari-rāyā — otherwise this dāsa has gone to waste; knowingly I sat in a stone-boat — its very nature is to take the prāṇa; the manas's nature is the indriyas' pull — with patana's pairing, I have piled up; Tuka says — I have become like a blind-man — now, Hari, show me the path.
Where this applies
- Now-rescue-me-bā-Pandhari-rāyā-otherwise-wasted.* Kāḍhā-kāḍhī-bā-Pandhari-vāmyām.
- Stone-boat-knowingly-its-dharma-takes-prāṇa.* Dagaḍa-nāva-prāṇa-dharma.
- Manas-pulled-by-indriyas-patana-piled-up.* Manas-indriya-patana-jōḍī.
- Blind-man-now-Hari-show-the-path.* Andhaḷyā-Hari-vāṭa-dāvīm.