Abhanga 3824
The verse
विनवितों चतुरा तुज विश्वंभरा । परियेसी दातारा पांडुरंगा ॥१॥
तुझे दास ऐसें जगीं वाखाणिलें । आतां नव्हे भलें मोकलितां ॥ध्रु.॥
माझे गुणदोष कोण जाणे मात । पावनपतित नाम तुझें ॥२॥
लोभ मोह माया आम्हां बांधवितां । तरि हा अनंता बोल कोणा ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे मी तों पतित चि खरा । परि आलों दातारा शरण तुज ॥४॥
Literal translation
Pray-to-chatura-viśvambhara — listen-dātāra-Pāṇḍuranga. World-says-I'm-your-dās — won't-look-good-if-let-go. My-guṇa-doṣa-who-knows — pāvana-patita-your-Nāma. Lōbha-mōha-māyā-bind-us — whose-bōla-Ananta? Tukā: truly-patita — but-came-śaraṇa-dātāra.
What it means
A 4-verse reputational-leverage prayer. I pray to the clever Viśvambhara — listen, generous Pāṇḍuranga. The world has already celebrated me as your dāsa — now to let go (of me) won't look good (for your reputation). Who knows my qualities and faults? Your Name is pāvana-patita (purifier-of-the-fallen). Greed, delusion, illusion bind us — whose blame is this, O Ananta? I am truly fallen — but I have come to refuge in you, generous one. The argument is sociologically clever: the world already calls me your dāsa — your reputation is at stake. Tukārām is invoking Lord's yaśa (fame) as a lever.
For someone today
Tukārām: the-world-calls-me-your-dās — won't-look-good-if-you-let-go — your-Name-is-pāvana-patita.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's reputational-leverage śaraṇāgati canonical
- world-already-calls-me-your-dās — won't-look-good social-argument
- pāvana-patita-your-Nāma refrain