Abhanga 2978
Sakhyatvāsī gelōm karīta salagī — (I) went for sakhyatva (friendship), making salagī (familiarity); neṇe chi abhāgī mahimā tujhā — abhāgī (that I am), did not know your mahimā (greatness).
The verse
सख्यत्वासी गेलों करीत सलगी । नेणें चि अभागी महिमा तुझा ॥१॥
पावलों आपुलें केलें लाहें रास । निर्दैवां परिस काय होय ॥ध्रु.॥
कष्टविलासी म्यां चांडाळें संसारीं । अद्यापिवरि तरि उपदेशीं ॥२॥
उचित अनुचित सांभाळिलें नाहीं । कान्हा म्हणे कांहीं बोलों आतां ॥३॥
Literal translation
Sakhyatvāsī gelōm karīta salagī — (I) went for sakhyatva (friendship), making salagī (familiarity); neṇe chi abhāgī mahimā tujhā — abhāgī (that I am), did not know your mahimā (greatness). Pāvalōm āpule kele lāhe rāsa — (I) have attained what (I myself) brought-about; nirdaivām parisa kāya hōya — for the nirdaiva (without-good-fortune), what (good) is the pāris (philosopher's-stone)? Kaṣṭavilāsī myām chāṇḍāḷe samsārī — I have kaṣṭavilā (caused-trouble) (to) you, chāṇḍāḷa-as-I-am, in samsāra; adyāpiparī tarī upadeśī — yet even now, give (me) upadeśa. Kānhā mhaṇe — Kānhā says; uchita anuchita sāmbhāḷile nāhī — kāmhī bōlōm ātām — (I have) not kept the uchita or anuchita — let me speak something now.
What it means
A 3-verse lament-verse signed by Kānhā (Kānhōbā, Tukārām's-younger-brother). This is NOT a Tukārām-composition — it is part of the Kānhōbā-lament-cluster (2977-2987) addressed to-Viṭṭhal after-the-departure-of-Tukārām.
The historical-context: Traditional Tukārām hagiography says Tukārām was taken-bodily-to-Vaikuṇṭha by-Viṣṇu's pushpaka-vimāna in 1650 from-Bhandārā-hill-near-Dehu. The brother Kānhōbā witnessed-the-event and-composed-laments. These abhangs (2977-2987 in the Sakal Sant Gatha) preserve those-laments.
Verse 1: Sakhyatvāsī gelōm karīta salagī — neṇe chi abhāgī mahimā tujhā — I went-for-friendship making-familiarity — abhāgī, didn't-know-your-mahimā. Kānhōbā addresses Viṭṭhal: I approached you familiarly without-recognizing-your-mahimā — perhaps a-confession-of-arrogance or-naivete.
Dhrūpada: Pāvalōm āpule kele lāhe rāsa — nirdaivām parisa kāya hōya — got what I brought-about — what good is pāris for the unfortunate? Even-the-philosopher's-stone is useless for-the-truly-unfortunate.
Verse 2: Kaṣṭavilāsī myām chāṇḍāḷe samsārī — adyāpiparī tarī upadeśī — I have troubled you, chāṇḍāḷa-as-I-am — yet even now, give upadeśa. The plea.
Close: Kānhā mhaṇe — uchita anuchita sāmbhāḷile nāhī — kāmhī bōlōm ātām — Kānhā says: (I have) not kept the uchita or anuchita — let me speak something now. The brother's-honest-confession of speaking-without-care-for-propriety.
For someone today
A 3-verse lament-verse by Kānhōbā (Tukārām's-brother). (I) went making familiarity for friendship — abhāgī, did not know your mahimā. What I have attained — (is what) I brought-about; for the nirdaiva, what (good) is the pāris? I have caused trouble to you, chāṇḍāḷa-as-I-am, in samsāra — yet even now, give (me) upadeśa. Kānhā says: (I have) not kept the uchita or anuchita — let me speak something now. The verse must-be-read-as Kānhōbā's-honest-address-to-Viṭṭhal — recognizing-his-own-deficiency-in-approaching-the-Lord, asking-for-upadeśa.
Where this applies
- Part of Kānhōbā-(Tukārām's-brother)-lament-cluster (2977-2987)
- NON-Tukārām composition — signed by Kānhā
- Recognizing abhāgī-didn't-know-your-mahimā lament
- Historical evidence for Kānhōbā as poet-bhakta in Tukārām's tradition