संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2293 of 4582

Abhanga 2293

English: We are bearers of the Name — we don't know any other type — in every bhāva, Viṭhṭhal alone is the standard.

When you'd assert Name-bearer + we-kick-mokṣa-pada — nāmāchē-dhāraka-Viṭhṭhala-pramāṇa; jāṇāvē-nēṇāvē-gāvē-nāchāvē-prēma-sukha-vaiṣṇavāñchē-sangatī; bhāva-baḷē-lajjā-chintā-āsa-pāyīm-nija-dhyāsa; bhaya-nāhīm-janma-mōkṣa-padā-hāṇōm-lātā

The verse

आम्हीं नामाचें धारक नेणों प्रकार आणीक । सर्व भावें एक विठ्ठल चि प्रमाण ॥१॥ न लगे जाणावें नेणावें गावें आनंदें नाचावें । प्रेमसुख घ्यावें वैष्णवांचे संगती ॥ध्रु.॥ भावबळें घालूं कास लज्जा चिंता दवडूं आस । पायीं निजध्यास म्हणों दास विष्णूचे ॥२॥ भय नाहीं जन्म घेतां मोक्षपदा हाणों लाता । तुका म्हणे सत्ता धरूं निकट सेवेची ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: We are bearers of the Name — we don't know any other type — in every bhāva, Viṭhṭhal alone is the standard. No need to know or not-know — sing in ānanda, dance — take prema-sukha in vaiṣṇavas' company. We'll gird with bhāva-strength — drive away lajjā, chintā, āśā — firm dhyāsa at the feet — we'll call ourselves Viṣṇu's dāsas. ★ No fear in taking birth — we'll kick the mokṣa-pada — Tukā says — we'll hold the sattā of close sēvā ★.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
आम्हीं नामाचें धारक नेणों प्रकार आणीक "we are bearers of the Name — we don't know any other type"
सर्व भावें एक विठ्ठल चि प्रमाण "in every bhāva, Viṭhṭhal alone is the standard"
न लगे जाणावें नेणावें गावें आनंदें नाचावें "no need to know or not-know — sing in ānanda, dance"
प्रेमसुख घ्यावें वैष्णवांचे संगती "take prema-sukha in vaiṣṇavas' company"
भावबळें घालूं कास लज्जा चिंता दवडूं आस "we'll gird with bhāva-strength — drive away lajjā, chintā, āśā"
पायीं निजध्यास म्हणों दास विष्णूचे "firm dhyāsa at the feet — we'll call ourselves Viṣṇu's dāsas"
भय नाहीं जन्म घेतां मोक्षपदा हाणों लाता "no fear in taking birth — we'll kick the mokṣa-pada"
तुका म्हणे सत्ता धरूं निकट सेवेची "Tukā says — we'll hold the sattā of close sēvā"

What it means

★ THE BHAKTI-OVER-MUKTI DECLARATION ★. Name-bearers-only-Viṭhṭhal-pramāṇa + we-kick-mokṣa-pada abhang.

The opening — Name-bearers: āmhīm nāmāchē dhāraka nēṇōm prakāra āṇīka — sarva bhāvē ēka Viṭhṭhala chi pramāṇawe are bearers of the Name — we don't know any other type — in every bhāva, Viṭhṭhal alone is the standard. We-are-Name-bearers; don't-know-any-other-type; in-every-bhāva, Viṭhṭhal-alone is-the-standard (pramāṇa).

The sing-and-dance: na lagē jāṇāvē nēṇāvē gāvē ānandē nāchāvē — prēma-sukha ghyāvē vaiṣṇavāñchē sangatīno need to know or not-know — sing in ānanda, dance — take prema-sukha in vaiṣṇavas' company. No-need-to-know-or-not-know; sing-in-ānanda, dance; take prema-sukha in-vaiṣṇavas'-company. The simple-bhakti.

The gird-with-bhāva: bhāva-baḷē ghālūm kāsa lajjā chintā davaḍūm āsa — pāyīm nija-dhyāsa mhaṇōm dāsa Viṣṇūchēwe'll gird with bhāva-strength — drive away lajjā, chintā, āśā — firm dhyāsa at the feet — we'll call ourselves Viṣṇu's dāsas. Kāsa ghālaṇē = to gird-the-loins, to prepare-for-action. We'll gird-with-bhāva-strength; drive-away lajjā-chintā-āśā; have firm-dhyāsa at-the-feet; we'll-call-ourselves Viṣṇu's-dāsas.

★ THE WE-KICK-MOKṢA-PADA LINE ★: bhaya nāhīm janma ghētām mōkṣa-padā hāṇōm lātā — Tukā mhaṇē sattā dharūm nikaṭa sēvēchīno fear in taking birth — we'll kick the mokṣa-pada — Tukā says — we'll hold the sattā of close sēvā. Mōkṣa-padā lātā hāṇōm = we kick the mokṣa-position-(with a foot) — i.e., contemptuously dismiss it. ★ No-fear of-taking-birth — we-will-kick-the-mokṣa-pada (the position of liberation); Tukā says — we will hold the sattā (authority) of close-sēvā. ★ THE BOLDEST BHAKTI-OVER-MUKTI DECLARATION in all of Tukārām's-corpus — the bhakta-explicitly-prefers-rebirth-in-Viṣṇu's-sēvā to-liberation-itself.

[T]

For someone today

For today: we are Name-bearers — Viṭhṭhal alone is standard; no need to know — sing, dance, take prema-sukha with vaiṣṇavas; gird with bhāva-strength — drive away lajjā-chintā-āśā — Viṣṇu's dāsas; ★ no fear of birth — we kick the mokṣa-pada — Tukā says — close-sēvā's sattā ★.

Where this applies

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