Abhanga 2703
I have spoken; make the paṇa (vow, pledge) siddhī sakaḷa (successful in completeness).
The verse
बोलिलों तो पाववा । पण सिद्धी सकळ ॥१॥
आणीक काय तुम्हां काम । आम्हां नेदा तरी प्रेम । कैसे धर्माधर्म । निश्चयेंसी रहाती ॥ध्रु.॥
आम्हीं वेचलों शरीरें । तुझी बीज पेरा खरें । संयोगाचें बरें । गोड होतें उभयतां ॥३॥
एका हातें टाळी । कोठें वाजते निराळी । जाला तरी बळी । स्वामीविण शोभेना ॥३॥
रूपा यावे जी अनंता । धरीन पुटाची त्या सत्ता । होईंन सरता । संतांमाजी पोसणा ॥४॥
ठेविलें उधारा । वरी काय तो पातेरा । तुका म्हणे बरा । रोकडा चि निवाड ॥५॥
Literal translation
I have spoken; make the paṇa (vow, pledge) siddhī sakaḷa (successful in completeness). What other work do you have? If you don't give us prema, how would dharma-adharma hold by niścaya (resolve)? We have vēchalōm (spent) our bodies — sow your bīja (seed) truly. The samyōga (union) is gōḍa (sweet) for both. With one hand the ṭāḷī (clap) — where does it sound nirāḷī (separately)? Even if baḷī (powerful), without the svāmī (master), it does not śōbhēna (shine). Come into rūpa (form), O Ananta — I will hold the sattā (authority) of his puṭa (container, swaddle); I will become the pōsaṇā (adopted-child) among sants. Kept on udhāra (credit) — what is the further pātērā (sharp accusation)? Tukā says: better is rōkaḍā chi nivāḍa (cash-down settlement-decision).
What it means
A 5-verse extended-bargain prayer. The opening: bōlilōm tō pāvavā paṇa siddhī sakaḷa — I have spoken — make my vow successful in completeness. The bhakta has made a paṇa (pledge, wager) and asks for its completion.
The dhrūpada makes a striking dependency-claim: āṇīka kāya tumhām kāma — āmhām nēdā tarī prēma — kaise dharmādharma niścayēmsī rahātī — what other work do you have? If you don't give us prema, how would dharma-and-adharma hold by our resolve? The bhakta points out: what else do you do, if not give prema? Without your prema, our resolve-of-dharma cannot hold. The dependency is mutual: the bhakta's resolve depends on the Lord's prema.
The second verse: āmhī vēchalōm śarīrē — tujhī bīja pērā kharē — samyōgāñcē barē — gōḍa hōtē ubhayatām — we have spent our bodies; sow your seed truly; the union is sweet for both. The agricultural-and-marriage image: the bhakta has prepared the field (spent the body); now the Lord should sow the seed — the samyōga (union) is sweet for both. The mutual-pleasure is named.
The third verse offers a celebrated proverbial-image: ēkā hātēm ṭāḷī — kōṭhē vājate nirāḷī — jālā tarī baḷī — svāmīvīṇa śōbhēnā — one-hand clap — where does it sound separately? Even the powerful, without the master, doesn't shine. Ēka-hātāñcī ṭāḷī — one-hand clap — the classic it-takes-two proverb. Even the baḷī (powerful one) doesn't śōbhē (shine) without the master — even Tukārām's own power needs the master to shine.
The fourth verse asks for incarnation: rūpā yāve jī Anantā — dharīna puṭāñcī tyā sattā — hōīna saratā — santāmājīm pōsaṇā — come into form, O Ananta — I will hold the authority of being your puṭa (swaddle, container); I will become the pōsaṇā (adopted-child, the one-raised-by-foster-parents) among the sants. The bhakta offers to be the puṭa (the container, the swaddling-cloth) for the Ananta's incarnation; he will become the pōsaṇā (adopted-child) among sants. The relational-arrangement is striking: the bhakta becomes both the parent-cloth and the adopted-child.
The close: ṭhevilē udhārā — varī kāya tō pātērā — Tukā mhaṇē barā — rōkaḍā chi nivāḍa — kept on credit — what is the further accusation? Tukā: better is cash-down settlement. The bhakta refuses the credit-arrangement; he wants the rōkaḍā nivāḍa — cash-down settlement — the immediate-completion rather than the deferred-promise.
For someone today
The verse offers an unusually-frank model of mutual-dependency-prayer. I have spoken — make my pledge successful. What else do you do? If you don't give prema, my dharma-resolve can't hold. We have spent our bodies — sow your seed. One-hand-clap doesn't sound separately. Even the powerful doesn't shine without the master. Come into form — I'll be your swaddling-cloth and adopted-child. No more credit — let's have cash-down settlement. The bargain is not transactional in the petty-sense; it names the genuine-mutuality: both sides need each other; let us not defer. The closing rōkaḍā chi nivāḍa (cash-down-settlement-better) is the urgency: no credit-deferral; settle now.
Where this applies
- A full-stakes mutual-dependency prayer
- Recognizing that even the powerful doesn't shine without the master
- The image of ēkā-hātāñcī ṭāḷī (one-hand-clap) for any genuine relationship
- The rōkaḍā-nivāḍa (cash-down-settlement) preference over credit-deferral