Abhanga 1886
English: We are happy thereby — say Viṭhṭhal-Viṭhṭhal with mouth.
The verse
आम्ही तेणें सुखी । म्हणा विठ्ठल विठ्ठल मुखीं ॥१॥ तुमचें येर वत्ति धन । तें मज मृत्तिकेसमान ॥ध्रु.॥ कंटीं मिरवा तुळसी । व्रत करा एकादशी ॥२॥ म्हणवा हरिचे दास । तुका म्हणे मज हे आस ॥३॥ ॥९॥
Literal translation
English: We are happy thereby — say Viṭhṭhal-Viṭhṭhal with mouth. Your other wealth-and-money — to me, equal to dirt. Wear tulasī on the neck — observe ekādaśī vrata. Let-them-be-called Hari's dāsa — Tuka says — this is my hope.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आम्ही तेणें सुखी | "we are happy thereby" |
| म्हणा विठ्ठल विठ्ठल मुखीं | "say Viṭhṭhal Viṭhṭhal — with mouth" |
| तुमचें येर वत्ति धन | "your other wealth-and-money" |
| तें मज मृत्तिकेसमान | "to me, equal to dirt (mṛttikā)" |
| कंटीं मिरवा तुळसी | "wear tulasī — on the neck" |
| व्रत करा एकादशी | "observe — ekādaśī vrata" |
| म्हणवा हरिचे दास | "let-them-be-called — Hari's dāsa" |
| तुका म्हणे मज हे आस | "Tuka says — this is my hope" |
What it means
Viṭhṭhal-Name-is-enough + your-wealth-equals-dirt + Vārkarī-marks abhang. Part of Śivājī-cluster (1877-1890). The closing-marker ॥९॥ may indicate this is the 9th of a sub-section within the cluster.
The opening: āmhī tēṇē sukhī — mhaṇā Viṭhṭhala Viṭhṭhala mukhī — we are happy thereby — say Viṭhṭhal-Viṭhṭhal with mouth. The bhakta's-happiness is entirely-from saying-the-Name (= no-other-source-of-happiness needed).
The wealth-rejection line: tumacē yēra vitta dhana — tē maja mṛttikē-samāna — your other wealth-and-money — to me, equal to dirt. Yēra = other; mṛttikē-samāna = equal-to-dirt / clay. The royal-wealth equals-ordinary-dirt for-the-bhakta (= no-special-value).
The Vārkarī-marks line: kaṇṭhī miravā tuḷasī — vrata karā ēkādaśī — wear tulasī on the neck — observe ekādaśī vrata. The two essential-Vārkarī-marks: tuḷasī-mālā around-the-neck + ekādaśī-fast on-the-eleventh-day-of-the-fortnight. These are all I want.
The closing: mhaṇavā Haricē dāsa — Tukā mhaṇē maja hē āsa — let-them-be-called Hari's dāsa — Tuka says — this is my hope. The only-honor I-want — to-be-called-Hari's-dāsa. (= not Śivājī's royal-honor; Hari's-dāsa-status is the only-title.)
In the Śivājī-context: Tuka rejects the royal-honors (vitta-dhana = dirt) and-instead asks-for-the-bhakta-marks (tulasī, ekādaśī, Hari-dāsa-name) as the only-honor-he-wants. Foundational Vārkarī-identity-statement.
[T]
For someone today
For today: we are happy thereby — just say Viṭhṭhal-Viṭhṭhal with mouth; your other wealth-and-money — to me, equal to dirt; wear tulasī on the neck — observe ekādaśī vrata; let-them-be-called Hari's dāsa — Tuka says — this is my hope.
Where this applies
- Viṭhṭhal-on-mouth-we-are-happy.* Viṭhṭhal-mukhī-sukhī.
- Your-wealth-equals-dirt.* Vitta-dhana-mṛttikē-samāna.
- Wear-tulasī-keep-ekādaśī.* Tuḷasī-ēkādaśī-vrata.
- Hari's-dāsa-is-my-only-title.* Haricē-dāsa-āsa.