Abhanga 1825
Since grace already lifted up people denied the Vedas because of caste, it cannot fairly be withheld from anyone, because divine acceptance was never about status.
The verse
जे दोष घडले न फिटे करितां कांहीं । सरते तुझ्या पायीं जाले तैसे ॥१॥ माझा कां हो करूं नये अंगीकार । जालेती निष्ठ पांडुरंगा ॥ध्रु.॥ यातिहीन नये ऐकों ज्यां वेद । तयां दिलें पद वैकुंठींचें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे कां रे एकाचा आभार । घेसी माथां भार वाहोनियां ॥३॥
Literal translation
The doṣas occurred — don't clear by doing anything — at your feet they became cleared, thus. Why shouldn't you do my angīkāra, Pāṇḍuranga? — you have become staunch. The yāti-hīna, not allowed to hear the Veda — to them you gave the pada of Vaikuṇṭha. Tuka says: why, oh, take one's ābhāra — on your head bearing the burden?.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| जे दोष घडले न फिटे करितां कांहीं | "the doṣas occurred — don't clear — by doing anything" |
| सरते तुझ्या पायीं जाले तैसे | "at your feet — (they) became cleared — thus" |
| माझा कां हो करूं नये अंगीकार | "mine — why should (you) not — do angīkāra (acceptance)" |
| जालेती निष्ठ पांडुरंगा | "you have become — staunch / firm (niṣṭha) — Pāṇḍuranga" |
| यातिहीन नये ऐकों ज्यां वेद | "the yāti-hīna (low-caste) — not allowed to hear — whom (the) Veda" |
| तयां दिलें पद वैकुंठींचें | "to them — you gave — the pada of Vaikuṇṭha" |
| तुका म्हणे कां रे एकाचा आभार | "Tuka says — why — one's — ābhāra (= obligation)" |
| घेसी माथां भार वाहोनियां | "do you take — on your head — (the) burden bearing" |
What it means
Anti-caste + Vaikuṇṭha-pada-given-to-yāti-hīna abhang. A passionate plea-for-own-uplift on the basis of past-uplift-of-the-low-caste.
The opening: jē dōṣa ghaḍalē na phiṭē karitām kāhīm — saratē tujhyā pāyīm jālē taisē — the doṣas occurred — don't clear by doing anything — but at your feet they became cleared, thus. Phiṭē = clear, get-erased; saratē = cleared, removed. Doṣas-cannot-be-cleared by-self-effort; only at-your-feet do-they-clear.
The petition: mājhā kām hō karūm nayē angīkāra — jālētī niṣṭha Pāṇḍurangā — why shouldn't you do my angīkāra, Pāṇḍuranga? — you have become staunch. Angīkāra = acceptance, taking-into-one's-fold; niṣṭha = staunch, firm-in-resolve. Why-not-accept-me, Pāṇḍuranga? — you-are-staunch-in-your-promise to-uplift-bhaktas.
The anti-caste-evidence: yāti-hīna nayē aikōm jyām Vēda — tayām dilē pada Vaikuṇṭhīcē — the yāti-hīna, not allowed to hear the Veda — to them you gave the pada of Vaikuṇṭha. Yāti-hīna = those-without-jāti / low-caste; the Veda was traditionally restricted from-being-heard-by śūdras and women; pada Vaikuṇṭhīcē = Vaikuṇṭha-position. The Lord has given Vaikuṇṭha-pada to-the-very-yāti-hīna-who-were-denied-the-Veda by orthodox-tradition. (= Vaikuṇṭha-bypass of the Veda-restriction.) Foundational anti-caste claim — pairs with abhangs 1606, 1676, 1687, 1690, 1718, 1751-1752, 1783.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē kām rē ēkācā ābhāra — ghēsī māthām bhāra vāhōniyām — Tuka says: why, oh, take one's ābhāra — on your head bearing the burden?. Ābhāra = debt-of-gratitude / obligation; māthām bhāra = (the) burden on your head. Why-take-the-burden-of-just-one (= one bhakta's debt)? — take-mine-too (= be impartial, take-all-the-bhaktas' burdens).
This abhang is one of Tuka's most-direct anti-caste arguments — quoting-the-precedent of the yāti-hīna's Vaikuṇṭha-pada to demand-his-own-angīkāra. Foundational for the Vārkarī tradition's claim that bhakti bypasses caste-restrictions.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the doṣas that occurred don't clear by doing anything — but at your feet they became cleared, thus; why shouldn't you do my angīkāra, Pāṇḍuranga? — you have become staunch; the yāti-hīna who weren't allowed to hear the Veda — to them you gave the pada of Vaikuṇṭha; Tuka says — why take only one's burden on your head?.
Where this applies
- When you feel unworthy of forgiveness because of things in your past you cannot undo
- When you are told you do not belong somewhere because of your background or status
- When you see someone else being shown grace and wonder why you would be treated differently
- When you are waiting for permission to be accepted instead of trusting you already are