Abhanga 3109
Āmhī tujhyā dāsīm — we, as your dāsīs; jari jāve patanāsī — if (we) were to go to patana.
The verse
आम्ही तुझ्या दासीं । जरि जावें पतनासी ॥१॥
तरि हें दिसे विपरीत । कोठें बोलिली हे नीत ॥ध्रु.॥
तुझें नाम कंठीं । आम्हां संसार आटी ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे काळ । करी आम्हांसी विटाळ ॥३॥
Literal translation
Āmhī tujhyā dāsīm — we, as your dāsīs; jari jāve patanāsī — if (we) were to go to patana. Tari he dise viparīta — then this seems viparīta; kōṭhe bōlilī he nīta — where has this nīti been spoken. Tujhe nāma kaṇṭhīm — your Name is in (our) throat; āmhām samsāra āṭī — samsāra (presses) us in āṭi. Tukā mhaṇe kāḷa — Tukā says: kāḷa; karī āmhāmsī viṭāḷa — does viṭāḷa to us.
What it means
A short 3-verse protest by Tukārām.
The argument: (If) we-your-dāsīs go-to-patana, it's-viparīta (contrary-to-justice). Where-has-such-nīti been-spoken? Your-Name is-in-our-throat — but-samsāra-presses-us in-āṭi. Kāḷa-does-viṭāḷa to-us.
★ The nīti-argument is canonical Vārkarī-protest: if-the-bhakta-falls, it-violates-justice; the-Lord-cannot-let-his-dāsīs-fall.
For someone today
Tukārām's if-dāsīs-fall-it's-viparīta protest. (If) we, as your dāsīs, were to go to downfall — then this seems contrary. Where has this nīti been spoken? Your Name is in our throat — but samsāra presses us in distress. Time does defilement to us. The verse permits the bhakti-protest using-nīti-as-leverage.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's if-your-dāsīs-fall-it's-against-nīti protest