Abhanga 1979
Tukaram closes his teaching to his wife by urging her to fill ordinary household tasks with devotion and steady remembrance, saying whoever holds onto this teaching will make it through.
The verse
गुरुकृपे मज बोलविलें देवें । होईंल हें घ्यावें हित कांहीं ॥१॥ सत्य देवें माझा केला अंगीकार । आणीक विचार नाहीं आतां ॥ध्रु.॥ होईं बळकट घालूनियां कास । हा चि उपदेश तुज आतां ॥२॥ सडा संमार्जन तुळसीवृंदावन । अतीतपूजन ब्राम्हणाचें ॥३॥ वैष्णवांची दासी होई सर्वभावें । मुखीं नाम घ्यावें विठोबाचें ॥४॥ पूर्णबोध स्त्रीभ्रतारसंवाद । धन्य जिहीं वाद आइकिला ॥५॥ तुका म्हणे आहे पांडुरंगकथा । तरेल जो चित्ति धरील कोणी ॥६॥ ॥११॥
Literal translation
By guru-kṛpā the Lord made me speak — take this — there'll be some hita. Truly the Lord accepted me — no other consideration now. Be firm — gird the kāsa — this is the upadēśa for you now. Sprinkling, sweeping, tulasī-vṛndāvana — atīta-pūjana, Brahmin-feeding. Be the Vaiṣṇavas' dāsī with all bhāva — take Viṭhōbā's Nāma in mouth. The wife-husband-dialog is full bōdha — blessed are those who heard this debate. Tuka says: this is Pāṇḍuranga-kathā — whoever holds it in chitta will cross-over. ॥11॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| गुरुकृपे मज बोलविलें देवें | "by guru-kṛpā — the Lord made me speak" |
| होईंल हें घ्यावें हित कांहीं | "take this — there'll be some hita" |
| सत्य देवें माझा केला अंगीकार | "truly the Lord accepted me" |
| आणीक विचार नाहीं आतां | "no other consideration now" |
| होईं बळकट घालूनियां कास | "be firm — gird the kāsa" |
| हा चि उपदेश तुज आतां | "this is the upadēśa for you now" |
| सडा संमार्जन तुळसीवृंदावन | "sprinkling, sweeping, tulasī-vṛndāvana" |
| अतीतपूजन ब्राम्हणाचें | "atīta-pūjana, Brahmin-feeding" |
| वैष्णवांची दासी होई सर्वभावें | "be the Vaiṣṇavas' dāsī with all bhāva" |
| मुखीं नाम घ्यावें विठोबाचें | "take Viṭhōbā's Nāma in mouth" |
| पूर्णबोध स्त्रीभ्रतारसंवाद | "the wife-husband-dialog is full bōdha" |
| धन्य जिहीं वाद आइकिला | "blessed are those who heard this debate" |
| तुका म्हणे आहे पांडुरंगकथा | "Tuka says — this is Pāṇḍuranga-kathā" |
| तरेल जो चित्ति धरील कोणी | "whoever holds it in chitta will cross-over" |
| ॥११॥ | "colophon-11 — closes 11-abhang wife-instruction cluster (1969-1979)" |
What it means
Closing-the-wife-instruction-as-pūrṇa-bōdha abhang. CLOSES THE 11-ABHANG WIFE-INSTRUCTION CLUSTER (1969-1979).
The opening: guru-kṛpē maja bōlavilē Dēvē — hō'īla hē ghyāvē hita kāhīm — by guru-kṛpā the Lord made me speak — take this hita. Tukārām attributes the-instruction to-guru-kṛpā (= his guru Bābājī Chaitanya).
The Lord's-acceptance: satya Dēvē mājhā kēlā angīkāra — āṇīka vichāra nāhīm ātām — truly the Lord accepted me — no other consideration now. Angīkāra = acceptance, taking-into-himself. Tukārām claims: the Lord-truly-accepted-me.
The kāsa-girding: hō'ī baḷakaṭa ghālūniyām kāsa — hā chi upadēśa tuja ātām — be firm — gird the kāsa — this is the upadēśa. Kāsa = the under-garment/loincloth tucked-firmly (= gird-up-your-loins). Be-firm; gird-up-for-the-task.
The domestic-rituals listed: saḍā sammārjana tuḷasī-vṛndāvana — atīta-pūjana brāmhaṇāchē — sprinkling, sweeping, tulasī-vṛndāvana, atīta-pūjana, Brahmin-feeding. The wife's daily-bhakti-praxis prescribed: - saḍā = sprinkle (cow-dung-water before sweeping) - sammārjana = sweeping - tuḷasī-vṛndāvana = tend-the-tulsi-pillar - atīta-pūjana = welcome-and-feed-the-wandering-ascetic - brāmhaṇāchē-(pūjana) = feed-Brahmins
The Vaiṣṇava-dāsī: Vaiṣṇavāmcī dāsī hō'ī sarva-bhāvē — mukhīm Nāma ghyāvē Viṭhōbāchē — be the Vaiṣṇavas' dāsī with all bhāva — take Viṭhōbā's Nāma in mouth. Be the Vaiṣṇavas'-dāsī (= servant); take Viṭhōbā's-Nāma.
THE BRILLIANT SELF-REFLEXIVE LINE: pūrṇa-bōdha strī-bhratāra-samvāda — dhanya jihīm vāda ā'ikilā — the wife-husband-dialog is full bōdha — blessed are those who heard this debate. Tukārām himself-frames the 11-abhang-cluster as pūrṇa-bōdha (complete-realization-teaching) in dialog-form; blessed are-those who-listened-to-this-debate. The Gatha self-frames its-own genre: the marital-dialog as a complete-bōdha-discourse.
The closing colophon: Tukā mhaṇē āhē Pāṇḍuranga-kathā — tarēla jō chittī dharī kōṇī — Tuka says: this is Pāṇḍuranga-kathā — whoever holds it in chitta crosses-over. ॥११॥
[T]
For someone today
For today: by guru-kṛpā the Lord made me speak — take this hita; truly Lord accepted me; be firm, gird the kāsa — this is the upadēśa; sprinkle, sweep, tulasī-vṛndāvana, atīta-pūjana, Brahmin-feeding; be the Vaiṣṇavas' dāsī with all bhāva — Viṭhōbā's Nāma in mouth; the wife-husband-dialog is full bōdha — blessed are those who heard; Tuka says — this is Pāṇḍuranga-kathā — whoever holds it in chitta crosses-over.
Where this applies
- When you're trying to bring meaning or devotion into ordinary daily chores and routines
- When you and a partner have worked through real disagreement and want to honor that honest conversation as valuable
- When you need practical, grounded guidance rather than abstract spiritual advice
- When you want reassurance that an honest, difficult conversation with someone you love was worthwhile