Abhanga 2324
The verse
ज्ञानियांचा गुरु राजा महाराव । म्हणती ज्ञानदेव ऐसें तुम्हां ॥१॥ मज पामरा हें काय थोरपण । पायींची वाहाण पायीं बरी ॥ध्रु.॥ ब्रम्हादिक जेथें तुम्हां वोळगणे । इतर तुळणें काय पुरे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नेणे युक्तीची ते खोलीं । म्हणोनि ठेविली पायीं डोईं ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: ★ The king of mahā-rāvas — the guru of jñānis — they call you Jñānadēva like that ★. For me, the base one, what is this thōrapaṇa — the sandal of the feet is fine at the feet. Where Brahmā etc. attend you — what comparison from others suffices. Tuka says: I don't know the depth of yukti — therefore I've placed my head at [your] feet.
What it means
★ THE MOST EXPLICIT JÑĀNADEVA-VENERATION ABHANG IN TUKĀRĀM'S-CORPUS ★. Second of the 4-abhang Jñānadēva-veneration cluster (2323-2326).
★ THE OPENING LINE — VENERATION ★: jñāniyāñchā guru rājā mahā-rāva — mhaṇatī Jñānadēva aisē tumhām — ★ the king of mahā-rāvas — the guru of jñānis — they call you Jñānadēva like that ★. Jñāniyāñchā guru = the guru of jñānis. Mahā-rāva = great-king. ★ The king of mahā-rāvas — the guru of jñānis — they call you 'Jñānadēva'. ★ Tukārām explicitly-acknowledges Jñānadēva as jñāniyāñchā guru (the guru of jñānis) — the highest-spiritual-status.
The self-effacement: maja pāmarā hē kāya thōrapaṇa — pāyīmchī vāhāṇa pāyīm barī — for me, the base one, what is this thōrapaṇa — the sandal of the feet is fine at the feet. Pāmara = base, low one. Vāhāṇa = sandal. For-me, the-pāmara, what-greatness (thōrapaṇa)? The-sandal-of-the-feet is-fine-at-the-feet (= I-am-only-fit-to-be-a-sandal-at-your-feet). A remarkable self-positioning — Tukārām declares-himself-fit-only-to-be Jñāneśvar's-sandal.
The Brahmā-attendance: brahmādika jēthē tumhām vōḷagaṇē — itara tuḷaṇē kāya purē — where Brahmā etc. attend you — what comparison from others suffices. Where Brahmā-and-others attend-you, what-comparison-from-others can-suffice?
The closing — depth-of-yukti: Tukā mhaṇē nēṇē yuktīcī tē khōlīm — mhaṇōni ṭhēvilī pāyīm ḍō'īm — Tuka says: I don't know the depth of yukti — therefore I've placed my head at [your] feet. I-don't-know the-depth-of-yukti (= philosophical-cleverness); therefore I've-placed-my-head at-(your)-feet. The non-philosophical-bhakta's posture.
Historical-significance: this is the most-explicit-and-celebrated Jñānadēva-veneration line in Tukārām's-corpus. The phrase jñāniyāñchā guru is widely-cited in Vārkarī-literature as Tukārām's-acknowledgment of-Jñāneśvar's-supremacy.
[T]
For someone today
For today: ★ king of mahā-rāvas — guru of jñānis — they call you Jñānadēva ★; for me, the base — what greatness — sandal of feet is fine at feet; where Brahmā attends you — what comparison suffices; Tuka says — I don't know the depth of yukti — therefore my head at your feet.
Where this applies
- Jñāniyāñchā-guru-mahā-rāva-Jñānadēva. Jñāniyāñchā-guru-rājā-mahā-rāva-Jñānadēva.
- I-am-only-a-sandal-at-your-feet. Pāmarā-pāyīmchī-vāhāṇa-pāyīm-barī.
- Brahmā-attends-you-what-comparison.* Brahmādika-vōḷagaṇē-itara-tuḷaṇē.
- Head-at-your-feet-I-don't-know-yukti.* Nēṇē-yuktīcī-khōlīm-pāyīm-ḍō'īm.