संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1799 of 4582

Abhanga 1799

For today: without you, deva — whom will my tongue call?; let it be then into a hundred-pieces — let it fall, crumbling, that contemptible-thing; for some desire, the unfortunate-tongue will wriggle; Tuka says — let it be set to its place — forget that-one.

When you'd express self-curse-on-the-tongue-without-the-Name — tujavīṇa-jivhā-kōṇā; śata-khaṇḍa-rāṇḍa; icchēsāṭī-vaḷa-vaḷa-karaṇṭī; tayācā-visara

The verse

तुजविण देवा । कोणा म्हणे माझी जिव्हा ॥१॥ तरि हे हो कां शतखंड । पडो झडोनियां रांड ॥ध्रु.॥ कांहीं इच्छेसाटीं । करिल वळवळ करंटी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे कर । कटीं तयाचा विसर॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Without you, deva — whom will my tongue call? Let it be then — into a hundred pieces — let it fall, crumbling, that contemptible-one. For some desire — the unfortunate-one will wriggle. Tuka says: let it go to its place — forget that-one.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
तुजविण देवा "without youdeva"
कोणा म्हणे माझी जिव्हा "whomwill my tongue call"
तरि हे हो कां शतखंड "let it be theninto a hundred-pieces (śata-khaṇḍa)"
पडो झडोनियां रांड "let it fall, crumblingthat contemptible-one (rāṇḍa)"
कांहीं इच्छेसाटीं "for some desire"
करिल वळवळ करंटी "will wrigglethe unfortunate / wretched (karaṇṭī)"
तुका म्हणे कर "Tuka says — let-it-be-set (kara)"
कटीं तयाचा विसर "to its place / waist (kaṭīm) — forgetthat-one"

What it means

Self-curse-on-the-tongue-without-you abhang. A short-sharp self-curse — companion to 1777's body-part-curse-formula.

The opening: tujavīṇa dēvā — kōṇā mhaṇē mājhī jivhāwithout you, deva — whom will my tongue call?. If not your-Name, then no-other-name is worth-calling. (= exclusive-Name-bhakti.)

The śata-khaṇḍa-curse: tarī hē hō kām śata-khaṇḍa — paḍō jhaḍōniyām rāṇḍalet it be then into a hundred-pieces — let it fall, crumbling, that contemptible-one. Śata-khaṇḍa = into a hundred-pieces; jhaḍōniyām = crumbling, falling-off; rāṇḍa = contemptible-(feminine-pejorative). If the tongue won't speak your Name, let it be torn-into-a-hundred-pieces and crumble-and-fall — that contemptible-thing. Brutal-self-rejection-of-the-tongue-not-engaged-with-Nāma.

The wriggle-line: kāhīm icchēsāṭīm — karila vaḷa-vaḷa karaṇṭīfor some desire — the unfortunate-one will wriggle. Icchē = desire (= sense-desire); vaḷa-vaḷa = wriggling, twisting; karaṇṭī = unfortunate, wretched. The wretched-tongue will-wriggle-with-some-sense-desire (= chase taste, gossip, etc.)not for the Name.

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē kara — kaṭīm tayācā visaraTuka says: let-it-be-set — to its place — forget that-one. Kaṭīm = at the waist / set-to-its-place / silenced; tayācā visara = forget that-one (= the wriggling-tongue). Set the wandering-tongue back-in-its-place; forget-it as a worthless-thing.

This abhang is a short-sharp companion to 1777's body-curse-formula — both work with the if-not-engaged-with-the-Lord-let-it-be-cursed register. Foundational Vārkarī liturgical-mood for the renunciatory-fierce moments.

[T]

For someone today

For today: without you, deva — whom will my tongue call?; let it be then into a hundred-pieces — let it fall, crumbling, that contemptible-thing; for some desire, the unfortunate-tongue will wriggle; Tuka says — let it be set to its place — forget that-one.

Where this applies

Related verses