Abhanga 1969
For today: the ripened field's share — Pāṇḍuranga the kind chaudharī gives us; 70 takkē remain owed — 10 paid back recently; pots, pans, cattle shown as collateral — bājē sits in inner-room; when I quarrel he won't answer with force — says at-one-time you'll get share; Tuka says — dear wife, what to do — if he doesn't give, where to hide?
The verse
पिकल्या सेताचा आम्हां देतो वांटा । चौधरी गोमटा पांडुरंग ॥१॥ सत्तर टके बाकी उरली मागे तो हा । मागें झडले दाहा आजिवरी ॥ध्रु.॥ हांडा भांडीं गुरें दाखवी ऐवज । माजघरीं बाजे बैसलासे ॥२॥ मज यासी भांडतां जाब नेदी बळें । म्हणे एका वेळे घ्याल वांटा ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे स्त्रिये काय वो करावें । नेदितां लपावें काय कोठें ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: The ripened field's share — he gives us — Pāṇḍuranga the kind chaudharī. 70 takkē remain owed back — 10 paid recently. Pots, pans, cattle shown as collateral — in the inner-room — bājē sits. When I quarrel — he won't answer with force — says: at one time you'll get the share. Tuka says: dear wife, what to do — if he doesn't give, where to hide?
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पिकल्या सेताचा आम्हां देतो वांटा | "the ripened field's share — he gives us" |
| चौधरी गोमटा पांडुरंग | "Pāṇḍuranga the kind chaudharī" |
| सत्तर टके बाकी उरली मागे तो हा | "70 takkē remain owed" |
| मागें झडले दाहा आजिवरी | "10 paid back recently" |
| हांडा भांडीं गुरें दाखवी ऐवज | "pots, pans, cattle shown as collateral" |
| माजघरीं बाजे बैसलासे | "in the inner-room — bājē sits" |
| मज यासी भांडतां जाब नेदी बळें | "when I quarrel — he won't answer with force" |
| म्हणे एका वेळे घ्याल वांटा | "says: at one time you'll get the share" |
| तुका म्हणे स्त्रिये काय वो करावें | "Tuka says — dear wife, what to do" |
| नेदितां लपावें काय कोठें | "if he doesn't give — where to hide" |
What it means
Pāṇḍuranga-the-kind-chaudharī + dialog-with-wife abhang. OPENS THE 11-ABHANG WIFE-INSTRUCTION CLUSTER (1969-1979).
The opening — agricultural-metaphor for the Lord: pikalyā śētācā āmhām dētō vānṭā — chaudharī gōmaṭā Pāṇḍuranga — the ripened field's share — he gives us — Pāṇḍuranga the kind chaudharī. Chaudharī = the village-headman / landowner who-takes-share-of-harvest. Gōmaṭā = kind, beautiful. Pāṇḍuranga is the chaudharī (= the divine-landlord) who-gives-us our-share of-the-ripened-harvest.
The poverty-arithmetic: sattara ṭakē bākī uralī māgē tō hā — māgē jhaḍalē dāhā ājivarī — 70 takkē remain owed — 10 paid back recently. Ṭakē = small coin. The bhakta has 70-takkē-debt-owed-by-the-Lord; only-10-paid-recently (= the household-poverty in concrete numbers).
The collateral-display: hāṇḍā bhāṇḍī gurē dākhavī aivaja — mājagharī bājē baisalāsē — pots, pans, cattle shown as collateral — bājē sits in the inner-room. Pots, pans, cattle as-collateral; the bājē (likely = the wife/mother-in-law) sits in-the-inner-room.
The dispute: maja yāsī bhāṇḍatām jāba nēdī baḷē — mhaṇē ēkā vēḷē ghyāla vānṭā — when I quarrel — he won't answer with force — says: at one time you'll get the share. The Lord delays-payment with-vague-promises.
The closing — addressed-to-the-wife (vō = feminine vocative): Tukā mhaṇē striyē kāya vō karāvē — nēditām lapāvē kāya kōṭhē — Tuka says: dear wife, what to do — if he doesn't give, where to hide?. The husband-Tukārām asks-his-wife: what-to-do?.
This is one of Tukārām's most-vivid biographical abhangs — the Lord-as-deadbeat-landlord who-promises-but-delays-payment, leaving-the-household-in-poverty. The first of 11-wife-instruction abhangs.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the ripened field's share — Pāṇḍuranga the kind chaudharī gives us; 70 takkē remain owed — 10 paid back recently; pots, pans, cattle shown as collateral — bājē sits in inner-room; when I quarrel he won't answer with force — says at-one-time you'll get share; Tuka says — dear wife, what to do — if he doesn't give, where to hide?
Where this applies
- Pāṇḍuranga-the-kind-chaudharī-gives-us-share.* Pikalyā-śētācā-vānṭā-chaudharī-Pāṇḍuranga.
- 70-takkē-owed-10-paid-back.* Sattara-ṭakē-bākī-jhaḍalē-dāhā.
- Pots-pans-cattle-as-collateral.* Hāṇḍā-bhāṇḍī-gurē-aivaja.
- Won't-answer-quarrel-vague-promise.* Bhāṇḍatām-jāba-nēdī.
- Dear-wife-what-to-do-where-to-hide.* Striyē-vō-karāvē-lapāvē.