Abhanga 3484
When your natural gift becomes an offering of devotion, it flows freely and becomes something greater than yourself.
The verse
मन जालें भाट । कीर्ति मुखें घडघडाट । पडियेली वाट । ये चि चाली स्वभावें ॥१॥
बोलें देवाचे पवाडे । नित्य नवे चि रोकडे । ज्या परी आवडे । तैसा तैसा करूनि ॥ध्रु.॥
रोखीं रहावें समोर । पुढें मागें चाले भार । करावें उत्तर । सेवा रुजू करूनि ॥२॥
पूर वर्षला देकारें । संतोषाच्या अभयें करें । अंगींच्या उत्तरें । तुकया स्वामी शृंगारी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Mana-became-bhāṭa — kīrti-thunders-from-mukha — vāṭa-settled — chālī-flows-by-svabhāva. Speak-Lord's-pavāḍē — every-day-new-and-rōkaḍē — however-loved-so-done. Stand-rōkhīm-samōra — bhāra-ahead-and-behind — make-uttara-keeping-sevā-rujū. Downpour-rained-in-dēkāra — by-santōṣa's-abhaya-hand — by-angī-uttara — Tukyā-svāmī-adorns-himself.
What it means
A 4-verse poet-self-description with rare signature. My mana has become a bard; kīrti thunders out; the road has settled by svabhāva; I speak the Lord's pavāḍa fresh-every-day; the offering-downpour rains in giving; Tukā's-Lord adorns-himself with the body's-words. The closing signature Tukyā svāmī śrngārī is unusual — the Lord himself is the agent-of-self-adornment using Tukā's words.
For someone today
Tukaram describes his own mind turning into a devoted bard, whose whole purpose is to sing the Lord's praise, and says the words simply come thundering out of him naturally, as if this path had always been his own inborn way. Each day he finds something fresh to say about God's great deeds, never repeating out of duty but speaking however love moves him. He stands squarely in front of this task, carrying its weight both ahead and behind, keeping his devotion offered properly, like an account kept in order. In a striking closing image, he says that God himself, joyful and fearless, adorns himself using the very words of Tuka's own body and voice.
मराठी: तुकाराम आपले मनच भाट बनल्याचे वर्णन करतात, ज्याचे संपूर्ण काम देवाची कीर्ती गाणे आहे, आणि म्हणतात की हे शब्द आपोआप, स्वभावानेच, धडधडत बाहेर येतात, जणू हाच मार्ग नेहमीच त्यांचा स्वतःचा होता. रोज ते देवाच्या पराक्रमांबद्दल काहीतरी नवे सांगतात, कर्तव्य म्हणून पुनरावृत्ती न करता, जसे प्रेम वाटेल तसे बोलतात. या कामासमोर ते ठामपणे उभे राहतात, त्याचे ओझे पुढे-मागे वाहतात, आणि सेवा नीट रुजू करून ठेवतात. शेवटी एका विलक्षण प्रतिमेत ते सांगतात की देव स्वतः, संतोषाने आणि निर्भयपणे, तुकाच्याच अंगीच्या शब्दांनी स्वतःला शृंगारतो.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's mana-jhalē-bhāṭa poet-self-description canonical
- Rare-signature Tukyā-svāmī-śrngārī (Lord-adorns-himself)
- 4-verse longer-form text