Abhanga 1995
True kinship comes from shared inner love for the divine, not from caste or birth, and meeting such a person is itself a cause for real celebration.
The verse
माझिये जातीचें मज भेटो कोणी । आवडीची धणी फेडावया ॥१॥ आवडे ज्या हरि अंतरापासूनि । ऐसियाचे मनीं आर्त माझें ॥ध्रु.॥ तयालागीं जीव होतो कासावीस । पाहातील वास नयन हे ॥२॥ सुफळ हा जन्म होईंल तेथून । देतां आलिंगन वैष्णवांसी ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे तो चि सुदिन सोहळा । गाऊं या गोपाळा धणीवरि ॥४॥
Literal translation
Let me meet someone of my jāti — to fulfill the abundance of love. Who loves Hari from inside — for such, my longing is in the mind. For him my jīva becomes desperate — these eyes will gaze. This birth becomes fruitful from there — giving embrace to Vaiṣṇavas. Tuka says: that very day is the celebration — let's sing the Gōpāḷa to fullness.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| माझिये जातीचें मज भेटो कोणी | "let me meet someone of my jāti" |
| आवडीची धणी फेडावया | "to fulfill the abundance of love" |
| आवडे ज्या हरि अंतरापासूनि | "who loves Hari from inside" |
| ऐसियाचे मनीं आर्त माझें | "for such — my longing is in the mind" |
| तयालागीं जीव होतो कासावीस | "for him my jīva becomes desperate" |
| पाहातील वास नयन हे | "these eyes will gaze" |
| सुफळ हा जन्म होईंल तेथून | "this birth becomes fruitful from there" |
| देतां आलिंगन वैष्णवांसी | "giving embrace to Vaiṣṇavas" |
| तुका म्हणे तो चि सुदिन सोहळा | "Tuka says — that very day is the celebration" |
| गाऊं या गोपाळा धणीवरि | "let's sing the Gōpāḷa to fullness" |
What it means
Let-me-meet-of-my-jāti-Vaiṣṇavas abhang. RADICAL BHAKTI-CASTE-REDEFINITION.
The opening — radical line: mājhiyē jātīchē maja bhēṭō kōṇī — āvaḍīchī dhaṇī phēḍāvayā — let me meet someone of my jāti — to fulfill the abundance of love. Jāti = caste, kind, lineage. Tukārām redefines jāti: MY jāti is not my caste-of-birth — it is the bhakta-jāti, the Vaiṣṇavas. One of his most-famous radical-statements about-bhakti-as-the-true-caste.
The Hari-lover: āvaḍē jyā Hari antarāpāsūni — aisiyāchē manī ārta mājhē — who loves Hari from inside — for such, my longing is in the mind. Anyone-who-loves-Hari from-inside (= sincerely) is-my-jāti.
The desperate-jīva: tayālāgīm jīva hōtō kāsāvīsa — pāhātīla vāsa nayana hē — for him my jīva becomes desperate — these eyes will gaze. The bhakta-longs for-fellow-bhaktas.
The fulfillment: suphaḷa hā janma hō'īla tēthūna — dētām ālingana Vaiṣṇavāmsī — this birth becomes fruitful from there — giving embrace to Vaiṣṇavas. The birth becomes-fruitful only-from giving-embrace-to-Vaiṣṇavas (= the meaning-of-life is in Vaiṣṇava-samgha).
The closing celebration: Tukā mhaṇē tō chi sudina sōhaḷā — gāūm yā Gōpāḷā dhaṇīvarī — Tuka says: that very day is the celebration — let's sing the Gōpāḷa to fullness. That-day-of-meeting is-the-real-celebration; let's-sing the-Gōpāḷa-to-fullness.
[T]
For someone today
For today: let me meet someone of my jāti — to fulfill the abundance of love; who loves Hari from inside — for such my longing is in mind; for him my jīva becomes desperate — these eyes will gaze; this birth becomes fruitful from there — giving embrace to Vaiṣṇavas; Tuka says — that very day is the celebration — let's sing the Gōpāḷa to fullness.
Where this applies
- When you finally meet someone who shares your deepest values and it feels more like home than your own family does
- When you've been told your worth depends on your birth, background, or social rank
- When you're aching with loneliness for a companion who understands your inner longing, not just your outer life
- When a chance meeting with someone equally devoted turns into the best day you've had in a long time