Abhanga 2003
For today: I spoke as the Lord made me speak — my jāti-kuḷa is known to you; forgive — don't hold anger — saints are mother-father to the lowly; the speech-driver showed me the secret — what's proper, dharma, before me; Tuka says — offense happens unknowing — give me a place at your feet now.
The verse
बोलिलों जैसें बोलविलें देवें । माझें तुम्हां ठावें जातिकुळ ॥१॥ करा क्षमा कांहीं नका धरूं कोप । संत मायबाप दीनावरि ॥ध्रु.॥ वाचेचा चाळक जाला दावी वर्म । उचित ते धर्म मजपुढें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे घडे अपराध नेणतां । द्यावा मज आतां ठाव पायीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: I spoke as the Lord made me speak — my jāti-kuḷa is known to you. Forgive — don't hold anger — saints are mother-father to the lowly. The speech-driver showed me the secret — what's proper, dharma, before me. Tuka says: offense happens unknowing — give me a place at your feet now.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| बोलिलों जैसें बोलविलें देवें | "I spoke as the Lord made me speak" |
| माझें तुम्हां ठावें जातिकुळ | "my jāti-kuḷa is known to you" |
| करा क्षमा कांहीं नका धरूं कोप | "forgive — don't hold anger" |
| संत मायबाप दीनावरि | "saints are mother-father to the lowly" |
| वाचेचा चाळक जाला दावी वर्म | "the speech-driver showed me the secret" |
| उचित ते धर्म मजपुढें | "what's proper — dharma — before me" |
| तुका म्हणे घडे अपराध नेणतां | "Tuka says — offense happens unknowing" |
| द्यावा मज आतां ठाव पायीं | "give me a place at your feet now" |
What it means
I-spoke-as-Lord-made-me-speak-pardon-my-low-jāti abhang.
The opening — biographical confession: bōlilōm jaisē bōlavilē Dēvē — mājhē tumhām ṭhāvē jāti-kuḷa — I spoke as the Lord made me speak — my jāti-kuḷa is known to you. Tukārām disclaims authorship: the Lord-made-me-speak; my-jāti-kuḷa (caste-and-lineage = śūdra-kuṇabī, lower-caste) is-known-to-you. Biographical: Tukārām's awareness-of-his-low-caste-status and-the-Brahmin-resistance to-his-bhakti-authority (the Mambājī episodes).
The plea-for-forgiveness: karā kṣamā kāhīm nakō dharūm kōpa — santa māyabāpa dīnāvari — forgive — don't hold anger — saints are mother-father to the lowly. The saints-are-mother-father (māyabāpa) to-the-lowly; please-forgive any-offense.
The speech-driver: vāchēchā chāḷaka jālā dāvī varma — uchita tē dharma majapuḍhē — the speech-driver showed me the secret — what's proper, dharma, before me. The Lord-as-speech-driver showed-me-the-varma (secret); placed-the-proper-dharma before-me.
The closing-plea: Tukā mhaṇē ghaḍē aparādha nēṇatām — dyāvā maja ātām ṭhāva pāyīm — Tuka says: offense happens unknowing — give me a place at your feet now. Unintended-offenses happen; give-me-a-place-at-your-feet (the saints'-feet, or the-Lord's-feet).
[T]
For someone today
For today: I spoke as the Lord made me speak — my jāti-kuḷa is known to you; forgive — don't hold anger — saints are mother-father to the lowly; the speech-driver showed me the secret — what's proper, dharma, before me; Tuka says — offense happens unknowing — give me a place at your feet now.
Where this applies
- I-spoke-as-Lord-made-me-speak-my-jāti-kuḷa.* Bōlilōm-bōlavilē-jāti-kuḷa.
- Forgive-saints-mother-father-to-the-lowly.* Kṣamā-kōpa-na-santa-māyabāpa-dīnāvari.
- Speech-driver-showed-me-secret-dharma.* Vāchēchā-chāḷaka-varma-uchita-dharma.
- Offense-unknowing-give-place-at-feet.* Aparādha-nēṇatām-ṭhāva-pāyīm.