संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 3125 of 4582

Abhanga 3125

Mhaṇavitōm dāsa na karitām sevā — I am called dāsa without doing sevā; laṇḍapaṇe Devā pōṭa bharīm — with laṇḍa-paṇa, Deva, (I) fill (my) belly.

Aparādhī-yet-be-known-to-you, krpā-nidhi signature-claim
Companion to 2730 (mī-cha-vikhala extreme-humility)

The verse

म्हणवितों दास न करितां सेवा । लंडपणें देवा पोट भरीं ॥१॥ खोटें कोठें सरे तुझे पायांपाशीं । अंतर जाणसी पांडुरंगा ॥ध्रु.॥ आचरण खोटें आपणासी ठावें । लटिकें बोलावें दुसरें तें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे ऐसा आहें अपराधी । असो कृपानिधी तुम्हां ठावा ॥३॥

Literal translation

Mhaṇavitōm dāsa na karitām sevāI am called dāsa without doing sevā; laṇḍapaṇe Devā pōṭa bharīmwith laṇḍa-paṇa, Deva, (I) fill (my) belly. Khōṭe kōṭhe sare tujhe pāyāmpāśīmfalsity does not survive at your feet; antara jāṇasī Pāṇḍurangāyou know the antara, Pāṇḍurangā. Ācharaṇa khōṭe āpaṇāsī ṭhāvefalse-conduct is known to myself; laṭike bōlāve dusare tebut I speak false to others. Tukā mhaṇe aisā āhe aparādhīTukā says: such an aparādhī am I; asō krpā-nidhī tumhām ṭhāvāyet let (me) be known to you, krpā-nidhi.

What it means

★ A striking 3-verse self-confession text by Tukārām.

The unsparing-confession: I'm-called-dāsa but-don't-do-sevā; with-lazy-scoundrel-ways I-fill-belly; falsity-doesn't-survive-at-your-feet; you-know-the-inner; my-false-conduct is-known-to-myself; I-pretend-otherwise to-others. Such-an-aparādhī I-am — yet let-me-be-known-to-you, krpā-nidhi.

★ The closing-formula asō krpā-nidhī tumhām ṭhāvā (may-(I)-yet-be-known-to-you, treasury-of-compassion) is the canonical-bhakti-finale: despite-all-my-faults, may-I-still-be-counted-as-yours.

Compare-Tukārām's 2730 (mī-cha-vikhala extreme-humility-prayer — I-alone-defective, everyone-else-good).

For someone today

Tukārām's self-confession. I am called dāsa — but without doing sevā; with lazy-scoundrel-ways, I fill (my) belly, Deva. Falsity does not survive at your feet, Pāṇḍurangā — you know the inner-place. My false-conduct is known to myself — but to others I speak false. Such an offender am I — yet let (me) be known to you, treasury-of-compassion. The verse permits the bhakti-self-confession with the yet-be-known-to-you-krpā-nidhi signature.

Where this applies