संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1839 of 4582

Abhanga 1839

For today: by you, the impossible happens — you floated stones in water, deva; why don't you take my side, do angīkāra? — my burden has become too much; if I say you erred — but you are the jīva of jīvas — no empty place have you left; Tuka says — what is this sattā-power? — to me you are kṛpāḷa.

When you'd argue you-do-the-impossible-so-do-angīkāra — ānāce-āna-pāṣāṇa-udaka; kaivāra-angīkāra-bhāra; jīvāñcā-jīva-ritā-na; sattā-baḷa-kṛpāḷa

The verse

तुजकरितां होतें आनाचें आन । तारिले पाषाण उदकीं देवा ॥१॥ कां नये कैवार करूं अंगीकार । माझा बहु भार चड जाला ॥ध्रु.॥ चुकलासी म्हणों तरी जीवांचा ही जीव । रिता नाहीं ठाव उरों दिला ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे ऐसें काय सत्ताबळ । माझे परी कृपाळ आहां तुम्ही ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: By you, the impossible becomes the other — you floated stones in water, deva. Why don't you take my side, do angīkāra? — my burden has become too much. To say you erred — but you are the jīva of jīvas — no empty place have you left. Tuka says: what is this sattā-power? — to me you are kṛpāḷa.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
तुजकरितां होतें आनाचें आन "by you(it) becomesthe impossible (turns into) the other"
तारिले पाषाण उदकीं देवा "(you) floated stones in waterdeva"
कां नये कैवार करूं अंगीकार "why don't you take my sidedo angīkāra"
माझा बहु भार चड जाला "my burden has become too much"
चुकलासी म्हणों तरी जीवांचा ही जीव "say you erredbut you are the jīva of jīvas"
रिता नाहीं ठाव उरों दिला "no empty place have you left"
तुका म्हणे ऐसें काय सत्ताबळ "Tuka says — what is this sattā-power"
माझे परी कृपाळ आहां तुम्ही "to me you are kṛpāḷa"

What it means

Stones-floated + take-my-side + jīva-of-jīvas abhang.

The opening: tujakaritām hōtē ānāce āna — tārilē pāṣāṇa udakī devāby you, the impossible happens — you floated stones in water, deva. The Rāma-setu reference: Rāma's-army floated-stones-in-the-ocean by-writing-Rāma-Nāma on-them. You can-do-the-impossible.

The petition: kām nayē kaivāra karūm angīkāra — mājhā bahu bhāra caḍa jālāwhy don't you take my side, do angīkāra? — my burden has become too much. If-you-can-float-stones, surely-you-can-take-my-side.

The jīva-of-jīvas line: cukalāsī mhaṇōm tarī jīvāñcā hī jīva — ritā nāhīm ṭhāva urōm dilāif I say you erred — but you are the jīva of jīvas — no empty place have you left. The bhakta cannot-blame the Lord because the Lord-is the very-jīva-of-jīvas, leaving no empty-place. (= the Lord pervades-everything, including-the-bhakta's-own-jīva, so blaming-him is incoherent.)

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē aisē kāya sattā-baḷa — mājhē parī kṛpāḷa āhām tumhīTuka says: what is this sattā-power? — to me you are kṛpāḷa. What is this sovereign-power? — to me, you are simply kṛpāḷa.

This abhang argues cosmic-precedent (Rāma-setu) and theological-impossibility-of-blame (jīva-of-jīvas) for the personal-petition.

[T]

For someone today

For today: by you, the impossible happens — you floated stones in water, deva; why don't you take my side, do angīkāra? — my burden has become too much; if I say you erred — but you are the jīva of jīvas — no empty place have you left; Tuka says — what is this sattā-power? — to me you are kṛpāḷa.

Where this applies

Related verses