Abhanga 1797
Real devotion can include boldly demanding clarity and accountability from God rather than only quiet, uncertain pleading.
The verse
नाहीं तरी मज काय होती चाड । धरावया भीड तुज चित्ती ॥१॥ आम्हां न तारावें तुम्ही काय करावें । सांगीजोजी भावें नारायणा ॥ध्रु.॥ काय ते शूरत्व मिरवूनि बोलणें । जनामाजी दावणें बळरया ॥२॥ नव्हे कीर्त कांहीं न माने लोकां । काय विटंबणा तैसी ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे तरी आम्हां का न कळे । तरलों किंवा आम्ही नाहीं ॥४॥
Literal translation
Otherwise, for me, what cāḍa would there be — to hold bhīḍa for you in the chitta? If you don't save us — what will you do? — say it with bhāva, Nārāyaṇa. What's that śūratva, boasting and walking around, displaying it among the people, baḷa-rāyā? Kīrti is no good — people don't accept — what disgrace like that? Tuka says: then, for us, why don't we know — whether we have crossed or not?.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नाहीं तरी मज काय होती चाड | "otherwise — for me — what cāḍa (charm / fond-desire) — would there be" |
| धरावया भीड तुज चित्ती | "to hold bhīḍa (consideration / shyness) — for you — in the chitta" |
| आम्हां न तारावें तुम्ही काय करावें | "if you don't save us — what will you do" |
| सांगीजोजी भावें नारायणा | "say-it — with bhāva — Nārāyaṇa" |
| काय ते शूरत्व मिरवूनि बोलणें | "what is that śūratva — boasting and walking around" |
| जनामाजी दावणें बळरया | "displaying it — among-the-people — baḷa-rāyā (= mighty-king)" |
| नव्हे कीर्त कांहीं न माने लोकां | "kīrti is no good — people don't accept" |
| काय विटंबणा तैसी | "what disgrace — like that" |
| तुका म्हणे तरी आम्हां का न कळे | "Tuka says — then — for us — why don't we know" |
| तरलों किंवा आम्ही नाहीं | "whether we have crossed — or not" |
What it means
Bhakta-pressuring-the-Lord-and-demanding-clarity abhang. Companion to 1796 (khōṭā-Kēśīrāja) — now demanding clarity-of-status.
The opening: nāhīm tarī maja kāya hōtī cāḍa — dharāvayā bhīḍa tuja chittī — otherwise, what cāḍa would I have — to hold bhīḍa for you in the chitta?. Cāḍa = charm, fond-desire; bhīḍa = consideration, shyness, deference. If not for the bhakti-relationship, what reason would I have to even consider you?. (= I am holding-you-in-my-chitta only-because-of-the-bhakti-bond; if-you-don't-honor-it, the-bond-loses-its-meaning.)
The pressure-line: āmhām na tārāvēm tumhī kāya karāvē — sāngījōjī bhāvē Nārāyaṇā — if you don't save us, what will you do? — say it with bhāva, Nārāyaṇa. If you-don't-do-the-tāraṇa (= rescue / lifting), what other-business will-you-do?. (= your-very-name "Nārāyaṇa" implies the rescue-of-souls; if-you-don't-rescue, who-are-you?. Direct demand for the Lord's-self-explanation.)
The śūratva-question: kāya tē śūratva miravūni bōlaṇē — janāmājīm dāvaṇē baḷarayā — what's that śūratva, boasting and walking around, displaying it among the people, baḷa-rāyā?. Śūratva = heroic-stature; miravūni bōlaṇē = boasting and walking around; baḷa-rāyā = mighty-king (= the bhakta's-vocative-for-Viṭhṭhal-as-strong-Lord). What kind of śūratva is this — to boast-and-walk-around-the-village-as-mighty-king but not-actually-rescue-your-bhaktas?.
The kīrti-line: navhē kīrti kāhīm na mānē lōkām — kāya viṭambaṇā taisī — kīrti is no good — people don't accept — what disgrace like that?. Viṭambaṇā = insult, disgrace. If you don't rescue, your kīrti (= reputation) is null — what disgrace can match this — that-the-Lord-doesn't-rescue-his-bhakta?.
The closing-question: Tukā mhaṇē tarī āmhām kām na kaḷē — taralōm kimvā āmhī nāhīm — Tuka says: then why don't we know — whether we have crossed or not?. The clarity-demand: if-you-have-rescued, why-don't-we-feel-the-rescue-clearly? Have-we-crossed-or-not?. We need-to-know-our-status; we cannot remain-in-this-uncertainty.
This abhang is one of Tuka's pressure-the-Lord abhangs — not-merely-pleading but-demanding clarity. The bhakta acts-as-an-equal demanding-an-account-from-the-Lord. (Pairs with 1788, 1796, and other bhakta-challenges-Lord abhangs.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: otherwise, what cāḍa would I have — to hold bhīḍa for you in the chitta?; if you don't save us, what will you do? — say it with bhāva, Nārāyaṇa; what's that śūratva, boasting and walking around, displaying it among the people, baḷa-rāyā?; kīrti is no good if people don't accept — what disgrace like that?; Tuka says — then, for us, why don't we know — whether we have crossed or not?.
Where this applies
- When you feel you have kept your side of a relationship and want the other person to show up too
- When someone's reputation for kindness or greatness does not match what you actually experience from them
- When you are tired of not knowing where you stand and want a clear, honest answer
- When you have been faithful and devoted and want to know your effort actually mattered