संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 3024 of 4582

Abhanga 3024

Jāhāja prthvīpati — the ship — the prthvī-pati; kelī khyātī adbhuta — has made adbhuta-khyāti.

NON-Tukārām composition — Tukyā-bandhu attribution by-context (no explicit signature)
Lord-as-ship-and-mehemān (guest) striking-image
Possibly-referring-to-Tukārām's-departure-to-Vaikuṇṭha

The verse

जाहाज पृथ्वीपति । केली ख्याती अद्भुत ॥१॥ दगा देउनि अवघियांला । सांटविलें अविनाश ॥ध्रु.॥ दुमदुमिलीं सुखानें । हे भाग्याची पंढरी ॥२॥ आंगावेगळें आपुल्या । टाकुनि जाला मेहेमान ॥३॥

Literal translation

Jāhāja prthvīpatithe ship — the prthvī-pati; kelī khyātī adbhutahas made adbhuta-khyāti. Dagā deūnī avaghiyāmlāgiving deception to everyone; sāmṭavile avināśa(he has) stored the avināśa. Dumdumilīm sukhāne(drumming) loud with sukha; he bhāgyāñcī Paṇḍharīthis is the bhāgyāñcī (fortunate) Paṇḍharī. Āngāveghaḷe āpulyāleaving his own ānga; ṭākunī jālā mehemān(he) became a mehemān (guest).

What it means

A 4-verse striking-image verse by Tukyā-bandhu (by context). NON-Tukārām. Note: this verse has-no-explicit-signature but is-attributed-by-context to-Tukyā-bandhu (surrounding-verses).

The image: the Lord-as-the-ship-and-earth-lord; made-adbhuta-fame; deceived-everyone (i.e., out-witted-them) and-stored-the-imperishable. Paṇḍharī is the bhāgyāñcī (fortunate-one) — drumming-with-sukha. Final-image: leaving-his-own-body-here, he-became-a-mehemān (guest).

The mehemān (guest) image suggests-the-Lord-himself comes-as-a-guest-to-the-bhakta's-house — leaving-his-own-Vaikuṇṭha. Or, alternatively, this could-refer-to Tukārām who-left-his-own-body and-became-a-guest-in-Vaikuṇṭha. The Indo-Persian mehemān (guest) word is striking — Deccan-Mughal-era vocabulary.

For someone today

Kānhōbā's striking-image. (The) ship — the earth-lord — has made wonderful-fame. Giving deception to everyone — (he has) stored the imperishable. Drumming-loud-with-sukha — this is the fortunate Paṇḍharī. Leaving his own body — he became a guest. The verse permits the bhakti-paradox of the Lord-as-guest-leaving-his-own-Vaikuṇṭha, or the bhakta-leaving-his-body to-become-Vaikuṇṭha's-guest.

Where this applies