Abhanga 1903
For today: no fortune to plead with, deva — yet at the feet, Kēśava, I have made familiarity; with boldness, I wrote the letter, with love — my mati doesn't know the limit; where your limit isn't known — what shall I, the pāmara, celebrate?; accept my words as-they-are — with childish-stammered words I praise; Tuka says — those feet on the brick — there I have placed my head.
The verse
विनवीजे ऐसें भाग्य नाहीं देवा । पायांशीं केशवा सलगी केली ॥१॥ धीटपणें पत्र लिहिलें आवडी । पार नेणे थोडी मति माझी ॥ध्रु.॥ जेथें देवा तुझा न कळे चि पार । तेथें मी पामर काय वाणूं ॥२॥ जैसे तैसे माझे बोल अंगीकारीं । बोबड्या उत्तरीं गौरवितों ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे विटेवरि जी पाउलें । तेथें म्यां ठेविलें मस्तक हें ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: No fortune to be pleaded-to, deva — at the feet, Kēśava — (yet) I have made familiarity. With boldness, I wrote the letter, with love — my mati doesn't know the limit. Where, deva, your limit isn't known — there, what shall I, the pāmara, celebrate? As-they-are, accept my words — with childish-stammered words I praise. Tuka says: those feet on the brick — there I have placed my head.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| विनवीजे ऐसें भाग्य नाहीं देवा | "no fortune to be pleaded-to — deva" |
| पायांशीं केशवा सलगी केली | "at the feet, Kēśava — (yet) I have made familiarity" |
| धीटपणें पत्र लिहिलें आवडी | "with boldness — I wrote the letter, with love" |
| पार नेणे थोडी मति माझी | "my mati — doesn't know — the (small) limit" |
| जेथें देवा तुझा न कळे चि पार | "where, deva, your limit isn't known" |
| तेथें मी पामर काय वाणूं | "there, what shall I, the pāmara, celebrate" |
| जैसे तैसे माझे बोल अंगीकारीं | "as-they-are — accept my words" |
| बोबड्या उत्तरीं गौरवितों | "with childish-stammered words I praise" |
| तुका म्हणे विटेवरि जी पाउलें | "Tuka says — those feet on the brick" |
| तेथें म्यां ठेविलें मस्तक हें | "there I have placed my head" |
What it means
The-letter-itself-opens + viṭā-mastaka abhang. The meta-textual letter-opening of the cluster — Tuka explicitly identifies this as the letter.
The opening: vinavījē aisē bhāgya nāhīm devā — pāyāñśīm Kēśavā salagī kēlī — no fortune to be-pleaded-to — yet at the feet, Kēśava, I have made familiarity. The bhakta-acknowledges his-low-status, but-claims-familiarity-at-the-feet.
The letter-self-identification: dhīṭa-paṇē patra lihilē āvaḍī — pāra nēṇē thōḍī mati mājhī — with boldness, I wrote the letter, with love — my mati doesn't know the (small) limit. Tuka explicitly says "I have written this letter with boldness and love". This is the meta-textual marker that confirms the cluster is a letter.
The pāra-line: jēthē devā tujhā na kaḷē chi pāra — tēthē mī pāmara kāya vāṇūm — where, deva, your limit isn't known — what shall I, pāmara, celebrate?. Where-the-Vedas-can't-fathom-your-limit, what-can-this-pāmara say? (Echoes 1828.)
The childish-stammer: jaisē taisē mājhē bōla angīkārī — bōbaḍyā uttarī gauravitōm — accept my words as-they-are — with childish-stammered words I praise. (Echoes 1785's bōbaḍā uttarī.)
The closing — viṭā-mastaka image: Tukā mhaṇē viṭēvari jī pā'ulē — tēthē myām ṭhēvilē mastaka hē — Tuka says: those feet on the brick — there I have placed my head. Viṭēvari = on the brick (= Viṭhṭhal stands on the brick at Pandhari — the iconic standing-pose on-the-brick). The bhakta places-his-head on the feet-standing-on-the-brick — the classic Pandhari-pranāma.
This is the letter's-formal-opening abhang in the cluster. The bhakta meta-textually-acknowledges this is the letter; places his head on Viṭhṭhal's-feet-on-the-brick.
[T]
For someone today
For today: no fortune to plead with, deva — yet at the feet, Kēśava, I have made familiarity; with boldness, I wrote the letter, with love — my mati doesn't know the limit; where your limit isn't known — what shall I, the pāmara, celebrate?; accept my words as-they-are — with childish-stammered words I praise; Tuka says — those feet on the brick — there I have placed my head.
Where this applies
- No-fortune-to-plead-yet-familiarity-at-feet.* Vinavījē-bhāgya-na-salagī.
- Letter-written-boldly-with-love-mati-knows-no-limit.* Dhīṭa-paṇē-patra-lihilē.
- Where-Vedas-can't-fathom-pāmara-can't-celebrate.* Pāra-na-pāmara-vāṇūm-na.
- Accept-as-they-are-childish-stammered-words.* Jaisē-taisē-bōla-angīkārī.
- Head-on-feet-on-the-brick.* Viṭēvari-pā'ulē-mastaka.