Abhanga 2921
Hitāvarī yāve — come to (your) hita (welfare); kōṇī bōlilōm yā bhāve — somebody has spoken with this bhāva (intention).
The verse
हितावरी यावें । कोणी बोलिलों या भावें ॥१॥
नव्हे विनोदउत्तर । केले रंजवाया चार ॥ध्रु.॥
केली अटाअटी । अक्षरांची देवासाटीं ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे खिजों । नका जागा येथें निजों ॥३॥
Literal translation
Hitāvarī yāve — come to (your) hita (welfare); kōṇī bōlilōm yā bhāve — somebody has spoken with this bhāva (intention). Navhe vinōda-uttara — (it is) not a vinōda-uttara (joking-response); kele rañjavāyā chāra — made to entertain four (people). Kelī aṭāaṭi — (I have) done the aṭāaṭi (struggle); akṣarāñcī Devāsāṭī — of akṣara (letters) for Deva's sake. Tukā says: khijōm nakā — don't khijōm (be vexed, peeved); jāgā yethē nijōm — don't nijōm (sleep) here (at the awake-place).
What it means
A short poet's-purpose verse. Hitāvarī yāve — kōṇī bōlilōm yā bhāve — come to your hita — someone has spoken with this bhāva. The opening: the speaking is for-your-hita.
Navhe vinōda-uttara — kele rañjavāyā chāra — not a joking-response — made to entertain four. The contrast: this is not entertainment-poetry; this is hita-poetry.
Kelī aṭāaṭi — akṣarāñcī Devāsāṭī — I have done the struggle of letters — for Deva's sake. The poetic-toil acknowledged: the akṣaras (letters, words) are struggled-with; the purpose is Devāsāṭī (for Deva).
The close: Tukā mhaṇe khijōm nakā — jāgā yethē nijōm — don't be vexed — don't sleep at the awake-place. Two-fold-listener-discipline: (1) don't be irritated by the message; (2) don't sleep where you should be awake.
For someone today
A useful poet's-purpose-and-listener's-discipline prayer. Come to your hita — somebody has spoken with this bhāva. (It's) not a joking-response — made to entertain four. I have done the struggle of letters — for Deva's sake. Don't be vexed — don't sleep at the awake-place. The verse-claim is about Tukārām's-poetics: (1) the poetry has a hita-purpose; (2) it's not entertainment; (3) the poet's-struggle is for Deva, not for praise; (4) listeners should not-be-vexed and not-sleep-here. The discipline-for-listener: be-awake-to-the-message.
Where this applies
- The poetry-is-not-entertainment; come-to-your-hita poet's-purpose claim
- Recognizing aṭāaṭi-of-akṣaras for-Deva — Tukārām's poetic-toil
- Don't-sleep-at-the-awake-place listener's-discipline
- Tukārām's-poetics statement