Abhanga 2238
For today: we have come to know your divinity — now who keeps your secret; you killed me till today — now we're equal; what we speak is in you — I'll curse today; shameless, no kula, thief, immoral; eat stones, dirt, jīvas, trees; donkey, dog, bull, burden-bearer; fickle to many — now to my anubhava; Tuka says — the quarrel is stirred — tongue cannot be held.
The verse
बरें आम्हां कळों आलें देवपण । आतां गुज कोण राखे तुझें ॥१॥ मारिलें कां मज सांग आजिवरी । आतां सरोबरी तुज मज ॥ध्रु.॥ जें आम्ही बोलों तें आहे तुझ्या अंगीं । देईंन प्रसंगीं आजि शिव्या ॥२॥ निलाजिरा तुज नाहीं याति कुळ । चोरटा शिंदळ ठावा जना ॥३॥ खासी धोंडे माती जीव जंत झाडें । एकलें उघडें परदेसी ॥४॥ गाढव कुतरा ऐसा मज ठावा । बईंल तूं देवा भारवाही ॥५॥ लडिका तूं मागें बहुतांसी ठावा । आलें अनुभवा माझ्या तें ही ॥६॥ तुका म्हणे मज खविळलें भांडा । आतां धीर तोंडा न धरवे ॥७॥
Literal translation
English: Well — we have come to know your divinity — now who will keep your secret? Tell me — why did you kill me till today — now we're equal, you and I. What we speak is in you — I'll give curses today, as occasion serves. ★ Shameless one, you have no jāti-kula — thief, immoral one, known to people ★. You eat stones, dirt, jīvas, insects, trees — alone, naked, foreigner. Donkey, dog — so known to me — bull, Lord — burden-bearer. You've been known as fickle to many before — that has come to my anubhava too. Tuka says: the quarrel has been stirred up in me — now patience cannot be held on the tongue.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| बरें आम्हां कळों आलें देवपण | "well — we have come to know your divinity" |
| आतां गुज कोण राखे तुझें | "now who will keep your secret" |
| मारिलें कां मज सांग आजिवरी | "tell me — why did you kill me till today" |
| आतां सरोबरी तुज मज | "now we're equal, you and I" |
| जें आम्ही बोलों तें आहे तुझ्या अंगीं | "what we speak is in you" |
| देईंन प्रसंगीं आजि शिव्या | "I'll give curses today, as occasion serves" |
| निलाजिरा तुज नाहीं याति कुळ | "shameless one, you have no jāti-kula" |
| चोरटा शिंदळ ठावा जना | "thief, immoral one, known to people" |
| खासी धोंडे माती जीव जंत झाडें | "you eat stones, dirt, jīvas, insects, trees" |
| एकलें उघडें परदेसी | "alone, naked, foreigner" |
| गाढव कुतरा ऐसा मज ठावा | "donkey, dog — so known to me" |
| बईंल तूं देवा भारवाही | "bull, Lord — burden-bearer" |
| लडिका तूं मागें बहुतांसी ठावा | "you've been known as fickle to many before" |
| आलें अनुभवा माझ्या तें ही | "that has come to my anubhava too" |
| तुका म्हणे मज खविळलें भांडा | "Tuka says — the quarrel has been stirred up in me" |
| आतां धीर तोंडा न धरवे | "now patience cannot be held on the tongue" |
What it means
★ THE FAMOUS BHĀṆḌAṆĀCHĒ ABHAṄGA (THE QUARRELING-ABHANG) ★. Opens the 4-abhang quarrel-cluster (2238-2241) following the kavitvā-buḍavaṇē restoration.
The opening — now we're equal: barē āmhām kaḷōm ālē dēva-paṇa — ātām guja kōṇa rākhē tujhē — mārilē kām maja sānga ājivarī — ātām sarōbarī tuja maja — well — we have come to know your divinity — now who will keep your secret — tell me, why did you kill me till today — now we're equal, you and I. The bhakta declares-equality with-the-Lord — having-seen-through-the-divinity-act, no-more-secret-keeping; we-are-now-on-the-same-footing.
The license-to-curse: jē āmhī bōlōm tē āhē tujhyā angīm — dē'īm prasangīm āji śivyā — what we speak is in you — I'll give curses today, as occasion serves. The curse is-in-you (not-merely-from-me); I'll-give-curses today, as-occasion-serves.
★ THE CURSE-LITANY ★ (an astonishing-passage in-Tukārām): - nilājirā — shameless one - tuja nāhīm yāti kuḷa — you have no jāti, no kula (= no caste-lineage) - chōraṭā — thief - śindaḷa — immoral, unchaste - ṭhāvā janā — known to people (= publicly-known-as-such) - khāsī dhōṇḍē mātī — you eat stones, dirt - jīva janta jhāḍē — jīvas, insects, trees (= you-consume-everything) - ēkalē ughaḍē paradēsī — alone, naked, foreigner (= no-family, no-clothes, no-homeland) - gāḍhava kutarā — donkey, dog - bai'ila tūm Dēvā bhāravāhī — bull, Lord, burden-bearer - laḍikā tūm māgē bahutāmsī ṭhāvā — you've been fickle to many before
The cultural-context: this bhāṇḍaṇāchē abhanga belongs to a-well-attested-Vārkarī-tradition of-intimate-cursing-the-Lord — where the bhakta's-closeness with-Viṭhṭhal is-so-great-that-the-formality-of-respect dissolves into the-language-of-quarrel. The curses are-simultaneously: (a) lover's-affectionate-name-calling, (b) reference-to-Viṭhṭhal's-Krṣṇa-līlās (the cattle-grazer, the thief-of-butter, the woman-stealer), (c) acknowledgment-of-paradox (the formless-becomes-bull-and-donkey, the immortal-becomes-fickle).
The closing — quarrel-can't-be-held: Tukā mhaṇē maja khaviḷalē bhāṇḍā — ātām dhīra tōṇḍā na dharavē — Tuka says: the quarrel has been stirred up in me — now patience cannot be held on the tongue. Khaviḷaṇē = to stir-up, agitate. The quarrel has-been-stirred-up; tongue-can-no-longer be-held-patient.
Post-restoration context: this comes-immediately-after-the-kavitvā-buḍavaṇē-restoration (2210-2237). With-the-Lord's-vow-confirmed-true, the bhakta now-feels-licensed to-the-most-intimate-quarreling-mode. The 13-day-fast was the-formal-petition; this is-the-aftermath-intimacy.
[T]
For someone today
For today: we have come to know your divinity — now who keeps your secret; you killed me till today — now we're equal; what we speak is in you — I'll curse today; shameless, no kula, thief, immoral; eat stones, dirt, jīvas, trees; donkey, dog, bull, burden-bearer; fickle to many — now to my anubhava; Tuka says — the quarrel is stirred — tongue cannot be held.
Where this applies
- Now-we're-equal-no-more-secret.* Barē-dēva-paṇa-guja-kōṇa-rākhē-mārilē-sarōbarī.
- Curses-as-occasion-serves.* Jē-āmhī-bōlōm-tujhyā-angīm-śivyā.
- Shameless-no-kula-thief-immoral. Nilājirā-yāti-kuḷa-chōraṭā-śindaḷa.
- Eat-stones-dirt-jīvas-insects-trees-naked-foreigner.* Khāsī-dhōṇḍē-mātī-jīva-janta-jhāḍē-ughaḍē-paradēsī.
- Donkey-dog-bull-burden-bearer.* Gāḍhava-kutarā-bai'ila-bhāravāhī.
- Fickle-to-many-now-to-my-anubhava.* Laḍikā-bahutāmsī-anubhavā.
- Quarrel-stirred-tongue-can't-be-held.* Khaviḷalē-bhāṇḍā-dhīra-tōṇḍā.