Abhanga 2314
For today: placing it on my head — at your feet I've become utarā'ī; reason — you know — I'm a ferryman, Nārāyaṇa; on occasion, the word was given — eat it as food; Tuka says — the burden — you know little or much.
The verse
ठेवूनियां डोईं । पायीं जालों उतराईं ॥१॥ कारण तें तुम्हीं जाणां । मी तराळ नारायणा ॥ध्रु.॥ प्रसंगीं वचन । दिलें तें चि खावें अन्न ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे भार । तुम्ही जाणां थोडा फार ॥३॥ उपदेश अभंग ॥ ११ ॥
Literal translation
English: Placing [it] on the head — at the feet I've become utarā'ī. The reason — you know — I'm a ferryman, Nārāyaṇa. On occasion, the word — was given — that one should eat as food. Tuka says: the burden — you know — little or much. ★ Upadeśa abhanga ॥11॥ ★
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ठेवूनियां डोईं | "placing [it] on the head" |
| पायीं जालों उतराईं | "at the feet I've become utarā'ī (delivered, debt-paid)" |
| कारण तें तुम्हीं जाणां | "the reason — you know" |
| मी तराळ नारायणा | "I'm a ferryman, Nārāyaṇa" |
| प्रसंगीं वचन | "on occasion, the word" |
| दिलें तें चि खावें अन्न | "was given — that one should eat as food" |
| तुका म्हणे भार | "Tuka says — the burden" |
| तुम्ही जाणां थोडा फार | "you know — little or much" |
| उपदेश अभंग ॥ ११ ॥ | "Upadeśa abhanga ॥11॥ — closing colophon of the 11-abhang cluster" |
What it means
★ CLOSING ABHANG OF THE 11-ABHANG UPADEŚA-CLUSTER (Aḷankāpurī-Brahmin episode). I-am-only-the-ferryman + the-burden-is-yours abhang. ★
The opening — placing on head, becoming utarā'ī: ṭhēvūniyām ḍō'īm — pāyīm jālōm utarā'īm — placing [it] on the head — at the feet I've become utarā'ī. Utarā'īm = one-who-has-paid-off-the-debt, who-has-delivered-the-message. Having-placed-(the-Brahmin's-petition) on-(my)-head, at-(your)-feet I've-become utarā'ī (= I've-delivered-the-message-to-you-and-am-clear-of-the-debt).
The ferryman-image: kāraṇa tē tumhīm jāṇām — mī tarāḷa Nārāyaṇā — the reason — you know — I'm a ferryman, Nārāyaṇa. Tarāḷa = ferryman, one who-ferries-others-across. The reason — you-know-it; I'm-only-a-ferryman, Nārāyaṇa (= my-role is-just to-carry-the-petitioner-to-you; the-actual-judgment-and-grant is-yours).
The on-occasion-word as food: prasangīm vachana — dilē tē chi khāvē anna — on occasion, the word — was given — that one should eat as food. On-the-occasion, the-word that-was-given (by-you) — that-itself one-should-eat-as-food (= the Lord's-word-of-promise is-the-bhakta's-sustenance).
The closing — burden known: Tukā mhaṇē bhāra — tumhī jāṇām thōḍā phāra — Tuka says: the burden — you know — little or much. The burden — you-know whether-little-or-much.
★ THE CLOSING-COLOPHON उपदेश अभंग ॥११॥ ★ marks the conclusion-of-the-11-abhang upadeśa-cluster. Working-backward from-this-closing-marker: - The cluster's-most-likely-span is 2308-2314 (7 abhangs explicit in this batch), perhaps including earlier abhangs from 2304 (the ēkākhaḍī), 2305 (Lōhā-gāva-#1), 2306 (Lōhā-gāva-#2), and 2307 (Aḷankāpurī-Brahmin-announcement) — totaling 11. - Alternatively, the count-of-11 may refer-only-to-this-Aḷankāpurī-cluster spanning 2308-2318 (continuing-into the-next batch).
The structural-significance: this is the upadēśa (instruction) the-Brahmin received from Tukārām — but-instead-of-a-direct-teaching, the upadēśa consists-of Tukārām's-petition-to-the-Lord on-the-Brahmin's-behalf. The teaching is the mediation.
[T]
For someone today
For today: placing it on my head — at your feet I've become utarā'ī; reason — you know — I'm a ferryman, Nārāyaṇa; on occasion, the word was given — eat it as food; Tuka says — the burden — you know little or much.
Closing: ★ Upadeśa abhanga ॥11॥ — closing-colophon of the 11-abhang upadeśa-cluster initiated at 2307 ★.
Where this applies
- Placed-on-head-utarā'ī-at-feet.* Ṭhēvūniyām-ḍō'īm-pāyīm-jālōm-utarā'īm.
- I'm-only-the-ferryman-Nārāyaṇa.* Kāraṇa-tumhīm-jāṇām-tarāḷa-Nārāyaṇā.
- Lord's-word-is-bhakta's-food.* Prasangīm-vachana-khāvē-anna.
- The-burden-you-know-little-or-much.* Bhāra-tumhī-jāṇām-thōḍā-phāra.
- Closing-colophon: Upadeśa-abhanga ॥11॥. ★