Abhanga 1977
Tukaram reassures his wife not to worry about food or clothing because God is their loving mother, and though he has spoken at length, God is actually near, not far away.
The verse
देव पाहावया करीं वो सायास । न धरीं हे आस नाशिवंत ॥१॥ दिन शुद्ध सोम सकाळीं पातला । द्वादशी घडला पर्वकाळ ॥ध्रु.॥ द्विजां पाचारूनि शुद्ध करीं मन । देई वो हें दान यथाविध ॥२॥ नको चिंता करूं वस्त्रा या पोटाची । माउली आमुची पांडुरंग ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे दुरी सांगतों पाल्हाळीं । परी तो जवळी आहे आम्हां ॥४॥
Literal translation
For seeing-God — make effort — don't hold this perishable hope. Pure day, Sōma-Monday came in morning — dvādaśī's parva-kāḷa fell. Calling Brahmins — make mind pure — give this dāna properly. Don't worry about clothing or stomach — Pāṇḍuranga is our māuli. Tuka says: I tell you at length-distantly — but he is near to us.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देव पाहावया करीं वो सायास | "for seeing-God — make effort" |
| न धरीं हे आस नाशिवंत | "don't hold this perishable hope" |
| दिन शुद्ध सोम सकाळीं पातला | "pure day, Sōma-vāra (Monday) came in morning" |
| द्वादशी घडला पर्वकाळ | "dvādaśī's parva-kāḷa fell" |
| द्विजां पाचारूनि शुद्ध करीं मन | "calling Brahmins — make mind pure" |
| देई वो हें दान यथाविध | "give this dāna properly" |
| नको चिंता करूं वस्त्रा या पोटाची | "don't worry about clothing or stomach" |
| माउली आमुची पांडुरंग | "Pāṇḍuranga is our māuli" |
| तुका म्हणे दुरी सांगतों पाल्हाळीं | "Tuka says — I tell you at length-distantly" |
| परी तो जवळी आहे आम्हां | "but he is near to us" |
What it means
Pāṇḍuranga-is-our-māuli + don't-worry-about-food-clothing abhang. THE CLIMAX OF THE WIFE-CLUSTER.
The opening: Dēva pāhāvayā karī vō sāyāsa — na dharī hē āsa nāśivanta — for seeing-God — make effort — don't hold this perishable hope. Effort-for-God's-darśana; not for-perishable-hopes.
The auspicious-day: dina śuddha sōma sakāḷīm pātalā — dvādaśī ghaḍalā parva-kāḷa — pure day, Sōma-Monday came in morning — dvādaśī's parva-kāḷa fell. A śuddha-Monday morning; with dvādaśī's parva-kāḷa (= a particularly-auspicious-confluence: Monday + dvādaśī = Soma-vāra-dvādaśī, a powerful Vaiṣṇava parva).
The Brahmin-dāna: dvijām pāchārūni śuddha karī mana — dē'ī vō hē dāna yathāvidhi — calling Brahmins, make mind pure — give this dāna properly. Call-Brahmins; purify-mind; give-dāna-properly.
THE CLIMAX: nakō chintā karūm vastrā yā pōṭāchī — māulī āmuchī Pāṇḍuranga — don't worry about clothing or stomach — Pāṇḍuranga is our māuli. The most-tender reassurance to-the-wife: don't-worry about-clothing-or-stomach (vastra-pōṭa); Pāṇḍuranga is-our-māuli (mother). The Lord-as-mother-of-the-household provides; no-need-to-worry. Māulī = mother (the most-tender Marathi word for-mother, used for-the-Lord by-Vārkarīs).
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē durī sāngatōm pālhāḷīm — parī tō javaḷī āhē āmhām — Tuka says: I tell you at length-distantly — but he is near to us. Though I-talk-as-if-he's-distant, he-is-actually-near-to-us. The Lord-is-not-far; he-is-here.
[T]
For someone today
For today: for seeing-God make effort — don't hold perishable hope; pure day, Sōma-Monday came — dvādaśī's parva-kāḷa fell; calling Brahmins, make mind pure — give dāna properly; don't worry about clothing or stomach — Pāṇḍuranga is our māuli; Tuka says — I tell you at length — but he is near to us.
Where this applies
- When you're anxious about basic needs like money, food, or clothing for your family
- When you need to reassure a worried loved one that things will be provided for
- When your spiritual practice feels like endless striving and you need to remember the goal is actually close
- When you want to set aside a specific day or moment to renew your effort toward something meaningful