Abhanga 2946
Gāūm neṇe kaḷā kusarī — (I) don't know the kaḷā (art) of singing, (or) the kusarī (skill-of-craft); kāna dharōnī mhaṇe Harī — holding (my) ear, (I) say Hari.
The verse
गाऊं नेणें कळा कुसरी । कान धरोनि म्हणें हरी ॥१॥
माझ्या बोबडिया बोला । चित्ती द्यावें बा विठ्ठला ॥ध्रु.॥
मज हंसतील लोक । परि मी गाईंन निःशंक ॥२॥
तुझे नामीं मी निर्लज्ज । काय जनासवें काज ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे माझी विनंती । तुम्ही परिसा कमळापती ॥४॥
Literal translation
Gāūm neṇe kaḷā kusarī — (I) don't know the kaḷā (art) of singing, (or) the kusarī (skill-of-craft); kāna dharōnī mhaṇe Harī — holding (my) ear, (I) say Hari. Mājhyā bōbaḍiyā bōlā — my bōbaḍiyā (baby-talk, stammering) words; chitti dyāve bā Viṭhṭhalā — please give (them place) in (your) chitta, dear Viṭhṭhal. Maja hamsatīla lōka — people will laugh at me; pari mī gāīna niḥśanka — but I shall sing niḥśanka (without doubt, without hesitation). Tujhe nāmī mī nirlajja — in your Nāma, I am nirlajja (shameless); kāya janā-save kāja — what business (have I) with jana? Tukā says: mājhī vinatī — my vinatī (supplication); tumhī parisā Kamaḷāpati — please hear, O Kamaḷā-pati (Lakṣmī's-lord).
What it means
A canonical 4-verse I-don't-know-how-to-sing-but-I-sing-shamelessly baby-talk-bhakti prayer.
Verse 1: Gāūm neṇe kaḷā kusarī — kāna dharōnī mhaṇe Harī — I don't know the art of singing — (yet) holding (my) ear, I say Hari. The opening confession + corrective-gesture. Kāna-dharōnī — holding-the-ear — is a self-corrective gesture (often-done with-children-or-disciples to indicate-recognition-of-fault-or-shame); here Tukārām holds-his-own-ear and-yet-says-Hari.
Dhrūpada: Mājhyā bōbaḍiyā bōlā — chitti dyāve bā Viṭhṭhalā — my baby-talk words — please give (place) in (your) chitta, Viṭhṭhal. The petition: the Lord receive-the-baby-talk-words in his chitta. (Pairs with 2850 prīti-chiyā-bōlā-no-pesa-pāḍa; baby's-vague-words-wonderful-to-mother-father.)
Verse 2: Maja hamsatīla lōka — pari mī gāīna niḥśanka — people will laugh at me — but I'll sing without doubt. The defiance: I-don't-care-about-the-laughter; I-will-sing-without-hesitation.
Verse 3: Tujhe nāmī mī nirlajja — kāya janā-save kāja — in your Nāma, I am shameless — what business with people? The bhakti-claim: in-Name-mode, I am-shameless of public-opinion.
Close: Tukā mhaṇe mājhī vinatī — tumhī parisā Kamaḷāpati — my supplication — please hear, Kamaḷā-pati. The closing petition.
For someone today
A canonical I-don't-know-how-to-sing-but-I-sing-shamelessly baby-talk-bhakti prayer. I don't know the art of singing or the skill-of-craft — (yet) holding (my) ear, I say Hari. My baby-talk words — please give them place in your chitta, Viṭhṭhal. People will laugh at me — but I shall sing without doubt. In your Nāma, I am shameless — what business have I with people? My supplication — please hear, Kamaḷā-pati.
The verse permits the shameless-bhakti-singing posture: (1) I don't know art-of-song; (2) people will laugh; (3) but in-your-Nāma I am shameless; (4) what business with people? The discipline: don't-wait-for-musical-skill-or-public-approval to-sing-the-Name. (Pairs with 2850's baby-talk-words-wonderful-to-parents.)
Where this applies
- The canonical I-don't-know-how-to-sing-but-I-sing-shamelessly baby-talk-bhakti prayer
- Recognizing kāna-dharōnī-mhaṇe-Hari — ear-holding-self-correcting
- Shameless-in-your-Nāma; no-business-with-people defiance
- Pairs with 2850 (canonical baby-talk-prema-prayer), 2859 (defiant Pāṇḍita-jana-spit-Tukā-out)