Abhanga 1828
For today: Veda-Śruti don't know you — the twenty-four (tattvas) fall short while searching; now forgive me, deva — with familiarity I have spoken to Kēśava; we, by bhāva, made you small — placing names and calling you; there, what is my deha-buddhi? — great is my anyāya, Tuka says.
The verse
वेदश्रुति तुज नेणती कोणी । चोवीस ठेंगणीं धांडोळितां॥१॥ आतां मज क्षमा करावें देवा । सलगी ते केशवा बोलियेलों ॥ध्रु.॥ तो आम्ही भावें केलासी लहान । ठेवूनियां नांवें पाचारितों ॥२॥ तेथें माझी देहबुद्धि तें काईं । थोर मी अन्यायी तुका म्हणे ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Veda-Śruti don't know you — anyone — the twenty-four (tattvas) fall short while searching. Now forgive me, deva — with familiarity I have spoken to Kēśava. We have, by bhāva, made you small — placing names and calling you. There, what is my deha-buddhi? — great is my anyāya, Tuka says.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| वेदश्रुति तुज नेणती कोणी | "Veda-Śruti — don't know you — anyone" |
| चोवीस ठेंगणीं धांडोळितां | "the twenty-four (24 tattvas) — fall short — while searching" |
| आतां मज क्षमा करावें देवा | "now — forgive me, deva" |
| सलगी ते केशवा बोलियेलों | "with familiarity (salagī) — Kēśava — I have spoken" |
| तो आम्ही भावें केलासी लहान | "you — we — by bhāva — made small" |
| ठेवूनियां नांवें पाचारितों | "placing names — (we) call" |
| तेथें माझी देहबुद्धि तें काईं | "there — my deha-buddhi — what is it" |
| थोर मी अन्यायी तुका म्हणे | "great — my anyāya — Tuka says" |
What it means
Apology-for-familiarity + Veda-doesn't-know-you abhang.
The opening: vēda-śruti tuja nēṇatī kōṇī — cōvīsa ṭhēngaṇīm dhāṇḍōḷitām — Veda-Śruti don't know you — the twenty-four fall short while searching. Cōvīsa = the 24 tattvas of Sāmkhya (= prakṛti, mahat, ahamkāra, manas, 5 jñānendriyas, 5 karmendriyas, 5 tanmātras, 5 mahābhūtas — the 24 categories that-build-up-the-cosmos); ṭhēngaṇīm = fall-short / are inadequate; dhāṇḍōḷitām = while searching. Even Veda-Śruti and the entire 24-tattva-system fall-short of knowing you.
The apology: ātām maja kṣamā karāvē dēvā — salagī tē Kēśavā bōliyēlōm — now forgive me, deva — with familiarity I have spoken to Kēśava. Salagī = familiarity, intimate-acquaintance (= the over-familiar-tone of the bhakta calling-the-Lord-by-name). Forgive me for the familiarity-of-tone.
The bhāva-line: tō āmhī bhāvē kēlāsī lahāna — ṭhē'ūniyām nāmē pācāritōm — we made you small by bhāva — placing names, calling you. The bhakta's-bhāva makes-the-cosmic-Lord into-a-small-personal-Lord; we-place-names on-the-unnameable. (= the bhāva-of-bhakti reduces-the-cosmic-to-the-personal, which is itself a bold-act.)
The closing: tēthē mājhī deha-buddhī tē kāīm — thōra mī anyāyī Tukā mhaṇē — there, what is my deha-buddhi? — great is my anyāya, Tuka says. Anyāya = injustice, wrong-act. In-the-face-of the cosmic-Lord, what-is-my-deha-buddhi (= my body-based-cognition)? — great is my anyāya in even-naming-you.
The implicit-message: the bhakta acknowledges the gap between the cosmic-unknowable-Lord and the personal-named-Lord he calls-with-familiarity; he apologizes for the gap, but-the-bhāva justifies it. The Vārkarī's bridging-of-cosmic-and-personal.
[T]
For someone today
For today: Veda-Śruti don't know you — the twenty-four (tattvas) fall short while searching; now forgive me, deva — with familiarity I have spoken to Kēśava; we, by bhāva, made you small — placing names and calling you; there, what is my deha-buddhi? — great is my anyāya, Tuka says.
Where this applies
- Veda-Śruti-don't-know-you-24-fall-short.* Veda-nēṇatī-cōvīsa-ṭhēngaṇī.
- Forgive-the-familiar-naming.* Salagī-Kēśavā-kṣamā.
- By-bhāva-we-made-you-small-with-names.* Bhāvē-lahāna-nāmē-pācāritōm.
- Great-is-my-anyāya.* Thōra-anyāyī.