Abhanga 1825
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?.
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
English: 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
- Doṣas-cleared-only-at-your-feet.* Dōṣa-na-phiṭē-pāyī-saratē.
- Why-not-my-angīkāra-staunch-Pāṇḍuranga.* Angīkāra-niṣṭha.
- Yāti-hīna-given-Vaikuṇṭha-pada.* Yāti-hīna-Veda-Vaikuṇṭha-pada.
- Why-just-one's-burden.* Ēkācā-ābhāra-māthām-bhāra.