Abhanga 2295
Tukārām presents devotion as work carried across many lifetimes, where joyful singing and dance both comfort suffering people and free the devotee from being ruled by desire and anger.
The verse
मागें बहुतां जन्मीं हें चि करित आलों आम्ही । भवतापश्रमी दुःखें पीडिलीं निववूं त्यां ॥१॥ गर्जावे हरिचे पवाडे मिळों वैष्णव बागडे । पाझर रोकडे काढूं पाषाणामध्यें ॥ध्रु.॥ भाव शुद्ध नामावळी हषॉ नाचों पिटूं टाळी । घालूं पायां तळीं किळकाळ त्याबळें ॥२॥ कामक्रोध बंदखाणी तुका म्हणे दिले दोन्ही । इंद्रियांचे धणी आम्ही जालों गोसांवी ॥३॥
Literal translation
In many previous births, this very work we have been doing — we'll cool those tormented by bhava-tāpa-fatigue, by duḥkha. Let us roar Hari's exploits — let the vaiṣṇava bāgaḍas gather — we'll bring out streams immediately from stone. Pure-bhāva Name-rosary — joyfully we'll dance, clap the ṭāḷī — we'll place under feet the kiḷa-kāḷa, by that strength. Kāma-krōdha — both given to the prison — Tukā says — we've become the masters of the indriyas — gōsāvīs.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मागें बहुतां जन्मीं हें चि करित आलों आम्ही | "in many previous births, this very [work] we have been doing" |
| भवतापश्रमी दुःखें पीडिलीं निववूं त्यां | "we'll cool those tormented by bhava-tāpa-fatigue, by duḥkha" |
| गर्जावे हरिचे पवाडे मिळों वैष्णव बागडे | "let us roar Hari's exploits — let the vaiṣṇava bāgaḍas gather" |
| पाझर रोकडे काढूं पाषाणामध्यें | "we'll bring out streams immediately from stone" |
| भाव शुद्ध नामावळी हषॉ नाचों पिटूं टाळी | "pure-bhāva Name-rosary — joyfully we'll dance, clap the ṭāḷī" |
| घालूं पायां तळीं किळकाळ त्याबळें | "we'll place under feet the kiḷa-kāḷa, by that strength" |
| कामक्रोध बंदखाणी तुका म्हणे दिले दोन्ही | "Tukā says — kāma-krōdha — both given to the prison" |
| इंद्रियांचे धणी आम्ही जालों गोसांवी | "we've become the masters of the indriyas — gōsāvīs" |
What it means
Previous-births-same-work + roar-Hari's-pavāḍa + we-are-indriyas'-gōsāvīs abhang.
The opening — many-previous-births: māgē bahutām janmīm hē chi karita ālōm āmhī — bhava-tāpa-śramī duḥkhē pīḍilīm nivavūm tyām — in many previous births, this very [work] we have been doing — we'll cool those tormented by bhava-tāpa-fatigue, by duḥkha. In-many-previous-births, this-very-(bhakti)-work we-have-been-doing; we'll-cool the bhava-tāpa-tormented. The bhakta claims-multiple-births-in-bhakti-work — echoing 2294's companion-across-avatāras.
The roar-Hari's-pavāḍa: garjāvē Hari-chē pavāḍē miḷōm vaiṣṇava bāgaḍē — pājhara rōkaḍē kāḍhūm pāṣāṇāmadhyē — let us roar Hari's exploits — let the vaiṣṇava bāgaḍas gather — we'll bring out streams immediately from stone. Pavāḍē = exploits, deeds-of-might. Pājhara = streams. Roar Hari's-exploits; let-vaiṣṇava-bāgaḍas (dolts) gather; we'll-bring-out streams-from-stone (= our song-will-melt-the-stones-into-streams).
The bhāva-rosary, dance-clap, kiḷa-kāḷa: bhāva śuddha nāmāvaḷī harṣē nāchōm piṭūm ṭāḷī — ghālūm pāyām taḷīm kiḷa-kāḷa tyā baḷē — pure-bhāva Name-rosary — joyfully we'll dance, clap the ṭāḷī — we'll place under feet the kiḷa-kāḷa, by that strength. Kiḷa-kāḷa = Kali-and-Kāla (Time/Death) / kiḷakāla = the wicked-Time. Pure-bhāva Name-rosary, joyful dancing-and-clapping; we'll-put-the-kiḷa-kāḷa under-our-feet by-that-strength.
The closing — gōsāvīs of the indriyas: kāma-krōdha banda-khāṇī Tukā mhaṇē dilē dōnhī — indriyāñchē dhaṇī āmhī jālōm gōsāmvī — kāma-krōdha — both given to the prison — Tukā says — we've become the masters of the indriyas — gōsāvīs. Banda-khāṇī = prison. Gōsāvī = master, lord. Kāma-and-krōdha both-given-to-prison; we've-become the-masters (dhaṇī, gōsāvīs) of-the-indriyas.
[T]
For someone today
For today: many previous births, this work we did — cool the bhava-tāpa-tormented; roar Hari's pavāḍas — vaiṣṇava bāgaḍas gather — streams from stone; pure-bhāva Name-rosary — dance, clap ṭāḷī — kiḷa-kāḷa under feet; kāma-krōdha imprisoned — Tukā says — we are indriyas' gōsāvīs.
Where this applies
- When you want to comfort someone worn down by life's pain and are not sure how to help
- When you feel your singing or open expression of faith could move even people who seem hard and unmoved, like stone
- When you are struggling against anger or craving and need a picture of becoming their master instead of their servant
- When you doubt whether your devotion counts for much and need to feel it as part of a much longer journey