Abhanga 2963
Bōlāñce gauravā — (the) gauravā (formal-dignity) of mere-words; navhe mājhā hā anubhava — this is not my anubhava.
The verse
बोलाचे गौरव । नव्हे माझा हा अनुभव ॥१॥
माझी हरिकथा माउली । नव्हे आणिकांसी पांगिली ॥ध्रु.॥
व्याली वाढविलें । निजपदीं निजवलें ॥२॥
दाटली वो रसें । त्रिभुवन ब्रम्हरसें ॥३॥
विष्णु जोडी कर । माथां रज वंदी हर ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे बळ । तोरडीं हा कळिकाळ ॥५॥
Literal translation
Bōlāñce gauravā — (the) gauravā (formal-dignity) of mere-words; navhe mājhā hā anubhava — this is not my anubhava. Mājhī Hari-kathā māulī — my Hari-kathā is (my) māulī (mother); navhe āṇikāmsī pāngilī — not pāngilī (borrowed, indebted) from others. Vyālī vāḍhavile — (she) gave-birth, raised (me); nija-padī nijavale — put (me) to sleep at (her) nija-pada (own-feet). Dāṭalī vō rase — densely-filled with rasa; tribhuvana brahma-rase — the tribhuvana (three-worlds) with the brahma-rasa. Viṣṇu jōḍī kara — Viṣṇu joins (his) hands; māthām raja vandī Hara — Hara (Śiva) bows (his) head, (offering the) rajas (dust). Tukā says: baḷa — by (this) baḷa (strength); tōrāḍī hā kaḷi-kāḷa — this kaḷi-kāḷa is tōrāḍī (tied-up, manacled).
What it means
A striking 5-verse Hari-kathā-as-mother verse. The verse-image is unique: Tukārām claims-Hari-kathā as his-mother who-raised-him.
Verse 1: Bōlāñce gauravā — navhe mājhā hā anubhava — not the weight of mere words — this is my anubhava. The Tukārām-poetics-claim: my-speech is not mere-paṇḍita-words; it is anubhava.
Dhrūpada: Mājhī Hari-kathā māulī — navhe āṇikāmsī pāngilī — my Hari-kathā is my mother — not borrowed from others. The striking-image: Hari-kathā = my-mother. The bhakta-poet was raised by-Hari-kathā.
Verse 2: Vyālī vāḍhavile — nija-padī nijavale — gave-birth-and-raised — put to sleep at own-feet. The mother-image: Hari-kathā gave-birth, raised, put-to-sleep at-her-own-feet.
Verse 3: Dāṭalī vō rase — tribhuvana brahma-rase — densely-filled with rasa — three-worlds with brahma-rasa. The cosmic-claim: the Hari-kathā fills the three-worlds with brahma-rasa.
Verse 4 (the striking-claim): Viṣṇu jōḍī kara — māthām raja vandī Hara — Viṣṇu joins hands; Hara (Śiva) bows-head with-dust. The radical-claim: Viṣṇu and Śiva themselves honor the Hari-kathā. Pairs with 2934 Vedānta-vāhe-pāṇī — the supreme-things become-subordinate to bhakti-kathā.
Close: Tukā mhaṇe baḷa — tōrāḍī hā kaḷi-kāḷa — by this strength, kaḷi-kāḷa is tied-up. The eschatological-claim: the Hari-kathā-strength binds-Kali-time.
For someone today
A striking Hari-kathā-as-mother claim. (My speech is) not the weight of mere words — this is my anubhava. My Hari-kathā is (my) mother — not borrowed from others. (She) gave-me-birth, raised-me — put-me to sleep at (her) own-feet. Densely-filled with rasa — the three-worlds with brahma-rasa. Viṣṇu joins (his) hands; Hara bows (his) head with dust. By (this) strength — this Kali-time is tied-up. The verse-claim: (1) my speech is anubhava-not-paṇḍita-words; (2) Hari-kathā is my mother; (3) even Viṣṇu-and-Śiva honor it; (4) it binds Kali-time. The discipline-implication: Hari-kathā is foundational; nothing-else-is-above-it. Pairs with 2934 (Vedānta-carries-water), 2919 (kīrtana-supremacy).
Where this applies
- The striking Hari-kathā-as-mother who-gave-birth-raised-me-at-nija-pada claim
- Recognizing Viṣṇu-joins-hand, Hara-bows-dust — even-the-Devas honor the Hari-kathā
- Tukā-baḷa-tied-up-kaḷi-kāḷa — Kali-time bound-by-bhakta
- Pairs with 2934 (Vedānta-carries-water), 2919 (kīrtana-supremacy)