Abhanga 1788
For today: deva, between you and me — the wager — let us see who is stronger; I will bring the saints and bhakta-people as my witnesses; we have held bhēdābheda — for you, there's no cutting of it; nothing of yours works on them — we have strengthened the doṣas; the directions are filled with my mind — you have hidden in fear of him; Tuka says — the chitta will deliver our mutual justice.
The verse
देवा तुज मज पण । पाहों आगळा तो कोण ॥१॥ ग्वाही साधुसंत जन । करूनि अंगीं लावीन ॥ध्रु.॥ आम्ही धरिले भेदाभेद । तुज नव्हे त्याचा छेद ॥२॥ न चले तुझे कांहीं त्यास । आम्ही बळकाविले दोष ॥३॥ दिशा भरल्या माझ्या मनें । लपालासी त्याच्या भेणें ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे चत्ति । करी तुझी माझी नीत ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: Deva — you and me — the wager — let us see who is stronger. The sādhu-santa-people — I will bring as witnesses. We have held bhēdābheda — for you, there's no cutting of it. Nothing of yours works on them — we have strengthened the doṣas. The directions are filled with my mind — you have hidden in fear of him. Tuka says: the chitta will deliver yours-and-mine justice.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देवा तुज मज पण | "deva — you-and-me — the wager / contest (paṇa)" |
| पाहों आगळा तो कोण | "let us see — who is the stronger / surpassing" |
| ग्वाही साधुसंत जन | "the witness — sādhu-santa-people" |
| करूनि अंगीं लावीन | "I will bring — to my body (= I will produce them as my own witnesses)" |
| आम्ही धरिले भेदाभेद | "we have held — bhēdābheda (= the bhēda-and-abheda dispute)" |
| तुज नव्हे त्याचा छेद | "for you — there is no — cutting / breaking of it" |
| न चले तुझे कांहीं त्यास | "nothing of yours — works on them (= on the doṣas)" |
| आम्ही बळकाविले दोष | "we have strengthened — the dōṣas" |
| दिशा भरल्या माझ्या मनें | "the directions are filled — with my mind" |
| लपालासी त्याच्या भेणें | "you have hidden — in fear of him" |
| तुका म्हणे चत्ति | "Tuka says — the chitta" |
| करी तुझी माझी नीत | "will deliver — yours-and-mine — justice (nīta)" |
What it means
Bhakta-challenges-deva-in-legal-contest abhang. A playful but determined legal-courtroom register — the bhakta as plaintiff demanding a chitta-tribunal between himself and the Lord.
The opening: dēvā tuja maja paṇa — pāhōm āgaḷā tō kōṇa — deva, between you and me — the wager — let us see who is stronger. Paṇa = wager, contest, bet (= the formal-challenge); āgaḷā = stronger, surpassing. Tuka challenges Viṭhṭhal to a contest of strength — who can outdo whom.
The witness-line: gvāhī sādhu-santa jana — karūni angīm lāvīna — the saints and bhakta-people will be my witnesses. Gvāhī = witness, deposition; angīm lāvīna = bring to my body (= as my-side's witnesses). In the contest, the sant-tradition will testify on my behalf.
The bhēdābheda line: āmhī dharilē bhēdābheda — tuja navhē tyācā chēda — we have held bhēdābheda — for you, there's no cutting of it. Bhēdābheda = the bhēda-and-abheda (= the difference-and-non-difference, the Vārkarī foundational philosophical-position); chēda = cutting, severing. We hold the bhēdābheda firmly; you can't sever it.
The doṣa-line: na cālē tujhē kāhīm tyāsa — āmhī baḷakāvilē dōṣa — nothing of yours works on them — we have strengthened the doṣas. Baḷakāvilē = strengthened, fortified; dōṣa = defects / flaws. Striking-bold-claim: we have-strengthened-the-doṣas (= we have-made-our-doṣas-so-strong-that-even-your-grace-doesn't-erase-them; only-bhakti-itself can; therefore-you-must-grant-bhakti). (Or: we have-fortified-our-faults so-much that we're-now-unworthy-of-rescue; you-have-to-rescue-us-anyway.)
The hidden-deva line: diśā bharalyā mājhyā manē — lapālāsī tyācyā bhēṇē — the directions are filled with my mind — you have hidden in fear of him. My mind has filled all the directions; you (deva) have hidden in fear of it. (= the bhakta's-mind has-become-so-vast that the Lord-himself is-overwhelmed-by-it.) Outrageous-but-tender — the bhakta has overwhelmed-the-Lord with the very-mind that the Lord-was-supposed-to-overwhelm.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē citta — karī tujhī mājhī nīta — Tuka says: the chitta will deliver yours-and-mine justice. Citta = the chitta-tribunal (= the inner-conscious-faculty as judge); nīta = justice, equity. The chitta-itself will judge between us.
This abhang is one of the gatha's most-playful legal-courtroom abhangs — bhakta-as-plaintiff, sant-tradition-as-witness, chitta-as-judge, deva-as-defendant. The playful-aggression characteristic of jīvan-mukta-bhakta intimacy.
[T]
For someone today
For today: deva, between you and me — the wager — let us see who is stronger; I will bring the saints and bhakta-people as my witnesses; we have held bhēdābheda — for you, there's no cutting of it; nothing of yours works on them — we have strengthened the doṣas; the directions are filled with my mind — you have hidden in fear of him; Tuka says — the chitta will deliver our mutual justice.
Where this applies
- Deva-you-and-me-let's-see-who-is-stronger.* Paṇa-āgaḷā-kōṇa.
- Saints-bhakta-people-as-my-witnesses.* Sādhu-santa-gvāhī.
- Bhēdābheda-held-you-can't-cut-it.* Bhēdābheda-chēda-na.
- Strengthened-the-doṣas-nothing-of-yours-works.* Baḷakāvilē-dōṣa.
- Chitta-will-deliver-justice.* Citta-tujhī-mājhī-nīta.