Abhanga 4292
Bole-taisā-chāle — vande-his-pādukā.
The verse
बोले तैसा चाले । त्याचीं वंदीन पाउलें ॥१॥
अंगें झाडीन अंगण । त्याचें दासत्व करीन ॥ध्रु.॥
त्याचा होईंन किंकर। उभा ठाकेन जोडोनि कर ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे देव । त्याचे चरणीं माझा भाव ॥३॥
Literal translation
Bole-taisā-chāle — vande-his-pādukā. Sweep-angaṇa-with-body — do-his-dāsya. Be-his-kinkara — stand-with-folded-hands. Tukā: such-a-one-is-Deva — bhāva-at-charaṇa.
What it means
★★ THE most-quoted canonical 3-verse text. One who walks as he speaks — I will bow to his sandals. With body, I will sweep his courtyard; I will do his servitude. I will become his attendant; I will stand with folded hands. Tukā says: (such a one is) Deva — my devotion is at his feet. The line bole-taisā-chāle is one of the most-quoted lines in all-of-Marathi-literature, used universally as the test-of-true-character: one whose action matches his speech is the only one I revere. The cascading-acts (bow-sandals → sweep-courtyard → do-dāsya → become-kinkara → stand-with-folded-hands) show progressive-self-effacement. Pair with 4287 (some-blame-some-praise), 2887 (sant-pūjā warrant).
For someone today
Tukārām: one-whose-action-matches-his-speech — I-bow-to-his-sandals-sweep-his-courtyard-stand-with-folded-hands; such-a-one-is-Deva.
Where this applies
- ★★ Tukārām's THE bole-taisā-chāle = Deva canonical foundational