Abhanga 2313
The verse
काय ज्ञानेश्वरीं उणें । तिंहीं पाठविलें धरणें ॥१॥ ऐकोनियां लिखित । म्हुण जाणवली हे मात ॥ध्रु.॥ तरी जाणे धणी । वदे सेवकाची वाणी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे ठेवा । होतां सांभाळावें देवा ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: ★ What lack is there in Jñāneśvar — that they sent the dharaṇā[-faster] [here] ★? Hearing the writ — the news was made known. Then the master knows — the servant's vāṇī speaks. Tuka says: the treasure — when [trouble] comes, you must protect, Dēvā.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| काय ज्ञानेश्वरीं उणें | "what lack is there in Jñāneśvar" |
| तिंहीं पाठविलें धरणें | "that they sent the dharaṇā[-faster] [here]" |
| ऐकोनियां लिखित | "hearing the writ" |
| म्हुण जाणवली हे मात | "the news was made known" |
| तरी जाणे धणी | "then the master knows" |
| वदे सेवकाची वाणी | "the servant's vāṇī speaks" |
| तुका म्हणे ठेवा | "Tuka says — the treasure" |
| होतां सांभाळावें देवा | "when [trouble] comes, you must protect, Dēvā" |
What it means
★ THE EXPLICIT JÑĀNEŚVAR-ĀḶANDĪ-REFERENCE ABHANG ★. Sixth of the Aḷankāpurī-Brahmin-cluster (2308-2314). The biographical-crux of the cluster.
★ THE OPENING — THE EXPLICIT QUESTION ★: kāya Jñānēśvarīm uṇē — timhīm pāṭhavilē dharaṇē — ★ what lack is there in Jñāneśvar — that they sent the dharaṇā-[faster] [here] ★. Jñānēśvarīm = in Jñāneśvar (locative). Timhīm = they (probably referring to the Āḷandī-saint-tradition, the Jñāneśvar-devotees). Dharaṇē = the dharaṇā-faster, the one-who-fasted-in-protest. ★ What-lack is-there in-Jñāneśvar (at-Āḷandī, the samādhi-place) — that they-sent the-dharaṇā-faster (the Brahmin) here-(to-Dehū)? ★ Tukārām explicitly-references-the-Aḷankāpurī-Brahmin-pilgrim (per 2307's prose-marginalia) and-questions-the-need: why-did-they-need-to-send-him-here when-Jñāneśvar-himself was-available at-Āḷandī? A humble-self-effacement — Tukārām declines-the-implicit-status-of-being-greater-than-Jñāneśvar.
The writ and news: aikōniyām likhita — mhuṇa jāṇavalī hē māta — hearing the writ — the news was made known. Hearing-the-writ (likhita = the written-account, possibly Jñāneśvar's-writings or the dṛṣṭānta), the-news was-made-known.
The master knows: tarī jāṇē dhaṇī — vadē sēvakāchī vāṇī — then the master knows — the servant's vāṇī speaks. (Even-so,) the-master (= the Lord) knows; the-servant's-vāṇī (= Tukārām's-speech) speaks-(only-because-the-Lord-speaks-through-it).
The closing — protect-the-treasure: Tukā mhaṇē ṭhēvā — hōtām sāmbhāḷāvē Dēvā — Tuka says: the treasure — when [trouble] comes, you must protect, Dēvā. The treasure-(of-the-Brahmin-pilgrim's-faith); when-trouble-(of-failed-petition)-comes, you-must-protect-it, Dēvā.
The historical-significance: this abhang is one-of-the-few-direct-textual-references in-Tukārām's-corpus to-Jñāneśvar-by-name, and-it-uses-the-locative Jñānēśvarīm — meaning "in Jñāneśvar (at his samādhi-place at Āḷandī)". The fact-that-the-Brahmin-was-sent-from-Āḷandī (Jñāneśvar's-place) to-Dehū (Tukārām's-place) by-vision-direction (per-2307) is acknowledged here-with-the-deferential-question. Tukārām positions-himself-as-junior-to-Jñāneśvar's-tradition.
[T]
For someone today
For today: ★ what lack in Jñāneśvar — that they sent the dharaṇā[-faster] here ★; hearing the writ — news was made known; then the master knows — servant's vāṇī speaks; Tuka says — the treasure — when trouble comes, you must protect, Dēvā.
Where this applies
- Why-was-the-Brahmin-sent-from-Āḷandī-to-Dehū. Jñānēśvarīm-uṇē-timhīm-pāṭhavilē-dharaṇē.
- News-made-known.* Aikōniyām-likhita-jāṇavalī-māta.
- Master-knows-servant-speaks-from-master.* Jāṇē-dhaṇī-vadē-sēvakāchī-vāṇī.
- Protect-the-treasure-when-trouble-comes.* Ṭhēvā-hōtām-sāmbhāḷāvē-Dēvā.