Abhanga 2306
The verse
अशक्य तों तुम्हां नाहीं नारायणा । निर्जीवा चेतना आणावया ॥१॥ मागें काय जाणों स्वामीचे पवाडे । आतां कां रोकडे दावूं नये ॥ध्रु.॥ थोर भाग्य आम्ही समर्थाचे कासे । म्हणवितों दास काय थोडें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे माझे निववावे डोळे । दावूनि सोहळे सामर्थ्याचे ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: ★ Nothing is impossible for you, Nārāyaṇa — to bring chetana to the lifeless ★. What to know of the Master's past exploits — why not show them now, ready-cash? Great is our fortune — at the powerful one's hem — we call ourselves dāsas — is it small? Tuka says: cool my eyes — by showing the festivities of [your] sāmarthya.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अशक्य तों तुम्हां नाहीं नारायणा | "nothing is impossible for you, Nārāyaṇa" |
| निर्जीवा चेतना आणावया | "to bring chetana to the lifeless" |
| मागें काय जाणों स्वामीचे पवाडे | "what to know of the Master's past exploits" |
| आतां कां रोकडे दावूं नये | "why not show them now, ready-cash" |
| थोर भाग्य आम्ही समर्थाचे कासे | "great is our fortune — at the powerful one's hem" |
| म्हणवितों दास काय थोडें | "we call ourselves dāsas — is it small" |
| तुका म्हणे माझे निववावे डोळे | "Tuka says — cool my eyes" |
| दावूनि सोहळे सामर्थ्याचे | "by showing the festivities of [your] sāmarthya" |
What it means
★ THE LŌHĀ-GĀVA-MIRACLE-RESPONSE ABHANG ★. Bring-chetana-to-the-lifeless + show-the-power-now abhang. Composed at the moment of the dead-child's-revival in Tukārām's-kīrtana.
★ THE OPENING LINE — direct-reference-to-the-miracle ★: aśakya tōm tumhām nāhīm Nārāyaṇā — nirjīvā chētanā āṇāvayā — nothing is impossible for you, Nārāyaṇa — to bring chetana to the lifeless. Aśakya = impossible. Nirjīva = lifeless. Chētanā = consciousness, life. ★ Nothing is-impossible for-you, Nārāyaṇa — even to-bring chetana to-the-lifeless. ★ A direct-reference-to-the-Lōhā-gāva-miracle — the dead-child whom-the-Lord-revived-during-the-kīrtana.
The past-vs-present-exploits: māgē kāya jāṇōm svāmīchē pavāḍē — ātām kām rōkaḍē dāvūm nayē — what to know of the Master's past exploits — why not show them now, ready-cash. Pavāḍē = exploits, deeds-of-might. Rōkaḍē = ready-cash, on-the-spot. What-to-know of-(the Master's)-past-exploits (told-in-Purāṇas); why-not-show-them now (in-present-cash)?
The dāsa-status: thōra bhāgya āmhī samarthāchē kāsē — mhaṇavitōm dāsa kāya thōḍē — great is our fortune — at the powerful one's hem — we call ourselves dāsas — is it small. Great-is-our-bhāgya — being at-the-samartha's-hem (kāsa = the dhoti's-corner-held-in-grip); we-call-ourselves dāsas — is-this-small?
The closing — cool my eyes: Tukā mhaṇē mājhē nivavāvē ḍōḷē — dāvūni sōhaḷē sāmarthyāchē — Tuka says: cool my eyes — by showing the festivities of [your] sāmarthya. Sōhaḷē = festivities, celebrations. Sāmarthya = power, capability. Cool-my-eyes by-showing the festivities of-your-sāmarthya. The bhakta-asks-to-see the-power-displayed.
The historical-significance: this abhang, paired-with-2305's-prose-marginalia, is the textual-source for the Vārkarī-canonical Lōhā-gāva-miracle. The opening-line aśakya tōm tumhām nāhīm Nārāyaṇā — nirjīvā chētanā āṇāvayā is one-of-the-most-cited-Tukārām-lines in Vārkarī hagiography, often-quoted as-evidence of Viṭhṭhal's-omnipotence demonstrated-through-the-bhakta.
[T]
For someone today
For today: ★ nothing impossible for you, Nārāyaṇa — to bring chetana to the lifeless ★; what to know of past exploits — show them now, ready-cash; great fortune — at the samartha's hem — we call ourselves dāsas — is it small; Tuka says — cool my eyes — by showing the festivities of sāmarthya.
Biographical-note: This abhang, composed at the Lōhā-gāva miracle (per 2305's prose-marginalia), addresses Viṭhṭhal's power-to-revive-the-lifeless — directly referencing-the-revived-child.
Where this applies
- Nothing-impossible-for-Nārāyaṇa-bring-chetana-to-lifeless. Aśakya-tōm-tumhām-nāhīm-Nārāyaṇā-nirjīvā-chētanā.
- Past-exploits-told-show-now-ready-cash.* Māgē-svāmīchē-pavāḍē-ātām-rōkaḍē-dāvūm.
- At-samartha's-hem-dāsa-status-great-fortune.* Thōra-bhāgya-samarthāchē-kāsē-dāsa.
- Cool-my-eyes-by-showing-sāmarthya's-festivities.* Nivavāvē-ḍōḷē-dāvūni-sōhaḷē-sāmarthyāchē.