Abhanga 2804
Kā re na pavasi dhāmvaṇyā — why don't you pavasi dhāmvaṇyā (come to the rescue); anga-rākhyā Nārāyaṇā — body-keeper, Nārāyaṇa.
The verse
कां रे न पवसी धांवण्या । अंगराख्या नारायणा ॥१॥
अंगीं असोनियां बळ । होसी खट्याळ नाठाळ ॥ध्रु.॥
आम्हां नरकासी जातां । काय येइल तुझ्या हातां ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे कान्हा। क्रियानष्टा नारायणा ॥३॥
Literal translation
Kā re na pavasi dhāmvaṇyā — why don't you pavasi dhāmvaṇyā (come to the rescue); anga-rākhyā Nārāyaṇā — body-keeper, Nārāyaṇa. Angī asōnīyām baḷa — strength being in (your) body; hōsī khaṭyāḷa nāṭhāḷa — (you) become khaṭyāḷa (mischievous) and nāṭhāḷa (stubborn, immovable). Āmhām narakāsī jātām — us going to hell; kāya yēīla tujhyā hātām — what will come to your hand? Tukā says: Kānhā — kriyā-naṣṭā Nārāyaṇā — Kānhā — kriyā-naṣṭa (action-spoiled, defective-in-action) Nārāyaṇa.
What it means
A short candid-protest-with-sharp-accusation verse. Kā re na pavasi dhāmvaṇyā — anga-rākhyā Nārāyaṇā — why don't you come to the rescue — body-keeper Nārāyaṇa? The intimate kā re (hey, why); the addressing anga-rākhyā (body-keeper) is the Lord's-job-title that-Tukārām-is-invoking.
The dhrūpada: angī asōnīyām baḷa — hōsī khaṭyāḷa nāṭhāḷa — strength being in (your) body — you become mischievous and stubborn. The accusation: you have the strength; yet you become khaṭyāḷa (playfully-mischievous) and nāṭhāḷa (stubborn-immovable). Both words are slightly-affectionate-but-also-critical — like calling a parent naughty and stubborn.
The second verse offers a relational-honor-argument: āmhām narakāsī jātām — kāya yēīla tujhyā hātām — us going to hell — what will come to your hand? The argument: if I go to hell, what do YOU get out of it? The Lord's-reputation-and-honor are tied-to-the-bhakta's-fate (compare 2637's disōm dēsī kīvilavāṇē — tarī tuja chi hē uṇē).
The close is the sharpest: Kānhā — kriyā-naṣṭā Nārāyaṇā — Kānhā — kriyā-naṣṭa Nārāyaṇa. Kriyā-naṣṭa — one whose action is spoiled, one who fails-in-action. The intimate Kānhā (familiar Krṣṇa-name) followed by the harsh kriyā-naṣṭa — the close-relationship permits-the-accusation. Compare 2686's Viṭhṭhalā — hīna-śakti (weak-power Viṭṭhala). The bhāṇḍakū-prosecutor register.
For someone today
A useful candid-protest prayer for relationships robust-enough-to-hold-accusation. Why don't you come to the rescue, body-keeper Nārāyaṇa? With strength in your body, you become mischievous-and-stubborn. If we go to hell, what comes to your hand? Kānhā — action-spoiled Nārāyaṇa. The intimate-name + sharp-accusation combination is the bhakti-relational-mode. Kānhā (intimate-affection) and kriyā-naṣṭa (sharp-accusation) coexist. The relationship permits both because they are inside-the-same-relationship.
Where this applies
- The candid-protest-prayer with sharp accusations
- Recognizing the relational-honor argument — my-fall reflects on your strength
- Kānhā + kriyā-naṣṭa — extreme-accusation in close relationship
- The bhāṇḍakū-prosecutor register (compare 2686 hīna-śakti)