Abhanga 4043
If you claim a reputation for lifting up the fallen, live up to it, and boldly holding that promise to account is itself an act of real trust.
The verse
दोष करूनि आम्ही पतित सद्धि जालों । पावन मागों आलों ब्रीद तुझें ॥१॥
आतां पतिता तारावें कीं ब्रीद हें सोडावें । यांत जें पुरवे तें चि सांगा ॥ध्रु.॥
उद्धार तुमच्यानें नव्हे हो श्रीहरि । सोडा झडकरी ब्रीद आतां ॥२॥
तें ब्रीद घेउनी हिंडों दारोदारीं । सांगूं तुझी कीर्ती रे पांडुरंगा ॥३॥
देवें हारविलें ब्रीद हें सोडिलें । पतितें जिंकिलें आम्हीं देवा ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे आम्हीं उठलों दैन्यवरि । विचारा श्रीहरी तुम्ही आतां ॥५॥
Literal translation
Dōṣa karūnī āmhī patita siddhi jālōm — having done dōṣas, we have become patita-established; pāvana māgōm ālōm biruda tujhe — we have come asking your pāvana-biruda. Ātām patitā tārāve kī biruda he sōḍāve — now either uplift patitas or give-up this biruda; yāmta je purave te chi sāngā — whichever can be fulfilled, tell us. Uddhāra tumacyāne navhe hō Śrīharī — uddhāra is not coming from you, Śrīhari; sōḍā jhaḍakarī biruda ātām — give up the biruda quickly now. Te biruda gheunī himḍōm dārōdārīm — taking that biruda, we will roam door-to-door; sāngūm tujhī kīrtī re Pāṇḍurangā — we will tell your kīrti, Pāṇḍurangā. Devē hāravile biruda he sōḍile — Deva lost, gave-up the biruda; patite jinkile āmhīm Devā — we patitas have won — Deva. Tukā mhaṇe āmhīm uṭhalōm dainyavari — Tukā says: we have risen on destitution; vichārā Śrīharī tumhī ātām — consider this now, Śrīhari.
What it means
A striking 5-verse biruda-leverage extreme-petition by Tukārām.
The argument-arc: 1. We've-done-dōṣas; become-patita; came-asking-your-pāvana-biruda 2. Either-uplift-or-give-up-biruda: choose 3. Uddhāra-not-from-you; quickly-give-up-biruda 4. We'll-take-the-(discarded)-biruda; roam-door-to-door; tell-your-kīrti: "Deva-lost! Gave-up-biruda! We-patitas-won — Deva!" 5. We've-risen-on-destitution; consider-this-now
This is among the most-extreme bhakti-rhetorics in the Tukārām-corpus. The bhakta-threatens-to-publicly-discredit-the-Lord by-becoming-the-bearer-of-the-Lord's-discarded-biruda — we-patitas-(then)-won-Deva. The reverse-victory is striking.
Compare-Tukārām's 3091 (your-birudas-go-in-vain), 3108 (I'll-take-up-drum-of-your-name; anāthāñcā-nātha-not-such).
For someone today
Tukārām makes an extreme, leverage-driven petition around Vitthal's title. He says: having sinned, we have become fallen and settled into that state — and we have come asking for the reputation you claim, the purifier of the fallen. So now, he says, either uplift the fallen or give up that title — whichever you can actually do, tell us. If upliftment isn't coming from you, Śrīhari, then quickly give up the title. We'll take it up ourselves and go door to door proclaiming your fame, Pāṇḍurangā, saying: 'Deva lost, gave up the title; we fallen ones have won — Deva!' We have risen out of our destitution. Consider this now, Śrīhari. This is the extreme edge of bhakti leverage: publicly discrediting the Lord by claiming his discarded title for yourself.
मराठी: तुकाराम इथे विठ्ठलाच्या बिरुदावर आधारित एक टोकाचे, धाडसी गाऱ्हाणे मांडतात. ते म्हणतात: आम्ही पाप करून पतित झालो आणि त्याच अवस्थेत स्थिरावलो — आणि आता आम्ही तुझे बिरुद मागायला आलो आहोत, 'पतितांचा उद्धारकर्ता' हे बिरुद. तेव्हा आता एकतर पतितांचा उद्धार कर, नाहीतर हे बिरुद सोडून दे — जे शक्य असेल ते सांग. जर उद्धार तुझ्याकडून होत नसेल, श्रीहरी, तर लगेच हे बिरुद सोडून दे. मग आम्हीच ते बिरुद घेऊन दारोदार फिरू आणि तुझी कीर्ती सांगू, पांडुरंगा — 'देव हरला, त्याने बिरुद सोडले; आम्ही पतितांनी जिंकले — देवा!' आम्ही दैन्यातून वर उठलो आहोत. आता याचा विचार कर, श्रीहरी. ही भक्तीच्या धाडसाची परिसीमा आहे — देवाचे टाकलेले बिरुद स्वतः धारण करून त्याला उघडपणे आव्हान देणे.
Where this applies
- When you feel like you are calling out a promise someone made but has not kept
- When you are at your lowest and need the courage to demand help rather than quietly suffer
- When you want a bold, even playful way to hold faith accountable during hard times
- When you realize hitting bottom has actually pushed you to reach higher