Abhanga 1785
For today: I don't know the meaning — these words are not mine — I plead, saints, don't be angry; the words aren't mine, Pāṇḍuranga speaks them, pervading by body-association; what śakti do I, a fool, have for this vicāra — to speak of the Vedas and what-lies-beyond?; Rāma Kṛṣṇa Hari Mukundā Murāri — with my childish-stammering, this alone is my dhyāna; Tuka says — guru-kṛpā's support — Pāṇḍuranga has taken my burden.
The verse
नेणें अर्थ कांहीं नव्हती माझे बोल । विनवितों कोपाल संत झणी ॥१॥ नव्हती माझे बोल बोले पांडुरंग । असे अंगसंगें व्यापूनिया ॥ध्रु.॥ मज मूढा शक्ति कैंचा हा विचार । निगमादिकां पार बोलावया ॥२॥ राम कृष्ण हरी मुकुंदा मुरारि । बोबडा उत्तरीं हें चि ध्यान ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे गुरुकृपेचा आधार । पांडुरंगें भार घेतला माझा ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: I do not know the meaning — the words are not mine. I plead — saints, don't be angry. The words are not mine — Pāṇḍuranga speaks them — pervading by body-association. What śakti do I, a fool, have for this vicāra — to speak of the nigama and the further-shore? Rāma Kṛṣṇa Hari Mukundā Murāri — with childish-stammering, this alone is the dhyāna. Tuka says: guru-kṛpā's support — Pāṇḍuranga has taken my burden.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नेणें अर्थ कांहीं नव्हती माझे बोल | "I do not know — the meaning — the words are not mine" |
| विनवितों कोपाल संत झणी | "I plead — the saints — let them not be angry" |
| नव्हती माझे बोल बोले पांडुरंग | "the words are not mine — Pāṇḍuranga speaks" |
| असे अंगसंगें व्यापूनिया | "pervading — by-body-association" |
| मज मूढा शक्ति कैंचा हा विचार | "to me, a fool — what śakti — (for) this vicāra" |
| निगमादिकां पार बोलावया | "to speak — of the nigama-and-others — of the further-shore" |
| राम कृष्ण हरी मुकुंदा मुरारि | "Rāma Kṛṣṇa Hari Mukundā Murāri" |
| बोबडा उत्तरीं हें चि ध्यान | "childish-stammering — this only — is the dhyāna" |
| तुका म्हणे गुरुकृपेचा आधार | "Tuka says — the support — of guru-kṛpā" |
| पांडुरंगें भार घेतला माझा | "Pāṇḍuranga — has taken — my burden" |
What it means
I-don't-know-the-meaning-Pāṇḍuranga-speaks-through-me + childish-stammering-is-the-dhyāna abhang.
The opening: nēṇē artha kāhīm navhatī mājhē bōla — vinavitōm kōpāla santa jhaṇī — I don't know the meaning — the words aren't mine. I plead, saints — don't be angry. Tuka disclaims-authorship-of-his-own-words and pleads with the sant-tradition not-to-be-angry-with-him (= if anything in his abhangs offends established-tradition, the saints should not blame him — because he is only the conduit).
The conduit-line: navhatī mājhē bōla bōlē Pāṇḍuranga — asē anga-sangēm vyāpūniyā — the words are not mine — Pāṇḍuranga speaks — pervading by body-association. Anga-sangēm vyāpūniyā = pervading by-body-association (= Viṭhṭhal pervades-Tuka's-body and-speaks-through-it). Pairs with the Viṭhṭhal-speaks-through-Tuka declarations of 1768-1769.
The inadequacy-confession: maja mūḍhā śakti kaiñcā hā vicāra — nigamādikām pāra bōlāvayā — what śakti do I, a fool, have for this vicāra — to speak of the nigama and the further-shore?. Mūḍhā = fool; nigama = the Vedas (= the foundational-scripture); pāra = the further-shore (= what lies-beyond-scripture). I am a fool — what capacity (śakti) do I have to speak of the Vedas and what-lies-beyond? Pāṇḍuranga must be speaking through me.
The childish-stammering line: Rāma Kṛṣṇa Hari Mukundā Murāri — bōbaḍā uttarīm hēm chi dhyāna — Rāma Kṛṣṇa Hari Mukundā Murāri — with childish-stammering, this alone is the dhyāna. Bōbaḍā uttarīm = with childish-stammering / lisping (the bhakta's faltering-speech as he calls the Names). The childish-stammering of the divine-names is the only-dhyāna I have. Pure-bhakti-as-naive-stammering, contrasted-with-elaborate-yogic-dhyāna.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē guru-kṛpēcā ādhāra — Pāṇḍurangēm bhāra ghētalā mājhā — Tuka says: guru-kṛpā's support — Pāṇḍuranga has taken my burden. The support is guru-kṛpā (= Tuka's lineage-from-Bābājī-Caitanya, traced through Keśava-Caitanya, Rāghava-Caitanya — the Vārkarī-guru-paramparā); and Pāṇḍuranga has taken-Tuka's-burden (= the responsibility-for-Tuka's-words-and-life rests on Viṭhṭhal).
The abhang is Tuka's most-explicit-disclaimer of his own authorship + most-touching naivete-confession — I am a fool with childish-stammering; the speaking is Pāṇḍuranga's; the support is guru-kṛpā; the burden is Pāṇḍuranga's.
[T]
For someone today
For today: I don't know the meaning — these words are not mine — I plead, saints, don't be angry; the words aren't mine, Pāṇḍuranga speaks them, pervading by body-association; what śakti do I, a fool, have for this vicāra — to speak of the Vedas and what-lies-beyond?; Rāma Kṛṣṇa Hari Mukundā Murāri — with my childish-stammering, this alone is my dhyāna; Tuka says — guru-kṛpā's support — Pāṇḍuranga has taken my burden.
Where this applies
- Don't-know-meaning-words-not-mine-saints-don't-be-angry.* Nēṇē-artha-bōla-na-mājhē-santa-kōpāla-na.
- Pāṇḍuranga-speaks-pervading-by-body-association.* Bōlē-Pāṇḍuranga-anga-sangē-vyāpū.
- I-am-a-fool-no-śakti-for-nigama-vicāra.* Mūḍhā-śakti-na-nigama-pāra.
- Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-childish-stammering-this-alone-dhyāna.* Bōbaḍā-Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-dhyāna.
- Guru-kṛpā-support-Pāṇḍuranga-has-taken-burden.* Guru-kṛpā-Pāṇḍuranga-bhāra.