Abhanga 2869
Ātām mājhe nakō vāṇūm guṇa dōṣa — now don't vāṇūm (describe, criticize) my guṇa (qualities) (and) dōṣa (faults); karitōm upadeśa yāñcā kāmhī — I do some upadeśa (teaching) of this.
The verse
आतां माझे नका वाणूं गुण दोष । करितों उपदेश याचा कांहीं ॥१॥
मानदंभासाठीं छळीतसें कोणा । आण या चरणां विठोबाची ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे हें तों ठावें पांडुरंगा । काय कळे जगा अंतरींचें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Ātām mājhe nakō vāṇūm guṇa dōṣa — now don't vāṇūm (describe, criticize) my guṇa (qualities) (and) dōṣa (faults); karitōm upadeśa yāñcā kāmhī — I do some upadeśa (teaching) of this. Māna-dambhā-sāṭhī chaḷītasē kōṇā — (if) for māna-dambha (honor-and-display) (I am) chaḷītasē (troubling, exploiting) anyone; āṇa yā charaṇām Viṭhōbāñcī — (I take) the oath on Viṭhōbā's feet (— let it not be so). Tukā says: he tōm ṭhāve Pāṇḍurangā — this — Pāṇḍuranga knows; kāya kaḷe jagā antarīñce — what does the world know of the inside?
What it means
A short defense-of-public-bhakti verse — part of the Chinchwaḍa-visit 13-abhang collection. Ātām mājhe nakō vāṇūm guṇa dōṣa — karitōm upadeśa yāñcā kāmhī — don't criticize my guṇa-dōṣa — I do some upadeśa. The opening petition: don't judge me — I'm teaching.
Māna-dambhā-sāṭhī chaḷītasē kōṇā — āṇa yā charaṇām Viṭhōbāñcī — (if) for honor-and-display I am troubling-anyone — (I take) the oath on Viṭhōbā's feet. The self-defense: I am NOT teaching for māna-dambha (pride-and-display); I take the Viṭhōbā-charaṇa-oath on this.
The close: he tōm ṭhāve Pāṇḍurangā — kāya kaḷe jagā antarīñce — this — Pāṇḍuranga knows — what does the world know of the inside? The bhakti-warrant: Pāṇḍuranga sees the inner-truth; the world only sees the outside. The bhakta defers to Pāṇḍuranga's-judgment over the world's-judgment.
(This is consistent with 2870-2871, where Tukārām, on the public-bhakti-platform during the Chinchwaḍa-visit, addresses the suspicion-that-he-might-be-self-promoting.)
For someone today
A useful defense-of-public-bhakti prayer. Don't criticize my guṇa-dōṣa now — I do some upadeśa. (If) for māna-dambha I'm troubling anyone — (I take) the oath on Viṭhōbā's feet. Pāṇḍuranga knows this — what does the world know of the inside? The verse permits the public-bhakta to defer to-the-Lord's-judgment over public-criticism: Pāṇḍuranga knows the inner-motive; the world doesn't. The discipline: don't try to convince-the-world-of-your-inner-motive — let-the-Lord-be-the-judge.
Where this applies
- Part of the Chinchwaḍa-visit 13-abhang collection (2858-2870)
- Recognizing the Pāṇḍuranga-knows-the-inside warrant
- Defense of public-bhakti against the suspicion of māna-dambha
- The bhakta's deferral-to-Lord's-judgment over public-criticism