Abhanga 4274
The verse
आम्ही रामाचे राऊत । वीर जुंझार बहुत ॥१॥
मनपवनतुरंग । हातीं नामाची फिरंग ॥ध्रु.॥
वारू चालवूं चहूंखुरीं । घाला घालूं यमपुरी ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे पेणें । आम्हां वैकुंठासी जाणें ॥३॥
Literal translation
We-are-Rāma-rāūta — vīra-junjjāra-many. Mana-pavana-turanga — Name-firangī-sword. Horses-on-4-hooves-charge-Yamapuri. Tukā: pēṇē — Vaikuṇṭha-destination.
What it means
★ A 3-verse 17th-c-military-bhakti text. We are Rāma's cavalry — many heroes and warriors. Our minds and breath are the horses; the Name is the foreign-sword in our hand. The steed charges on all four hooves — we attack Yamapuri. Tukā says: this is only a way-station for us — our destination is Vaikuṇṭha. Mughal-era military-vocabulary: rāūta (cavalry-soldier), junjjāra (warrior), phiranga (foreign-sword, ie European-pattern-sword common in Deccan-Mughal-armies). The bhakti-as-military-campaign image is striking — Yamapuri (the realm-of-death) is the enemy, Vaikuṇṭha is the destination. Pair with 4241 (sādhu-speaks-sword-edge), 4132 (no-bhaya-Viṭhōbā-baḷa-ours).
For someone today
Tukārām: we-are-Rāma's-cavalry-with-mana-and-breath-as-horses-and-Name-as-sword — we-charge-against-death — our-destination-is-Vaikuṇṭha.
Where this applies
- ★ Tukārām's Rāma-rāūta — Vaikuṇṭha-destination canonical 17th-c-military-bhakti