Abhanga 4334
Ordinary daily labor, done with the mind fixed on God with each repetition, can itself become the path that frees you from the cycle of birth and death.
The verse
पहिली माझी ओवी ओवीन जगत्र । गाईंन पवित्र पांडुरंग ॥१॥
दुसरी माझी ओवी दुजें नाहीं कोठें । जनीं वनीं भेटे पांडुरंग ॥ध्रु.॥
तिसरी माझी ओवी तिळा नाहीं ठाव । अवघा चि देव जनीं वनीं ॥२॥
चवथी माझी ओवी वैरिलें दळण । गाईंन निधान पांडुरंग ॥३॥
पांचवी माझी ओवी ते माझिया माहेरा । गाईंन निरंतरा पांडुरंगा ॥४॥
साहावी माझी ओवी साहा ही आटले । गुरूमूर्त भेटले पांडुरंग ॥५॥
सातवी माझी ओवी आठवे वेळोवेळां । बैसलासे डोळां पांडुरंग ॥६॥
आठवी माझी ओवी आठावीस योग । उभा चंद्रभागे पांडुरंग ॥७॥
नववी माझी ओवी सरलें दळण । चुकलें मरण संसारीचें ॥८॥
दाहावी माझी ओवी दाहा अवतारा । न यावें संसारा तुका म्हणे ॥९॥
Literal translation
A 10-verse jātyāvarīche-ōvī (grindstone-song) numerical-progression: first-ōvī sing-pure-Pāṇḍuranga; second no-other-anywhere janī-vanī-meets; third no-sesame-room everywhere-Deva; fourth grinding-laid sing-treasure; fifth māhera continuously; sixth six (ripus) worn — guru-mūrta met; seventh remembered-each-moment eyes-fixed; eighth 28-yogas — standing-Chandrabhāgā; ninth grinding-finished — samsāra-death-escaped; tenth daśa-avatāra — don't-bring-back-to-samsāra, Tukā says.
What it means
A canonical women's grindstone-song format — the jātyāvarīche-ōvī — where each numbered ōvī uses its number as a pun for moving forward: six → six (ripus) worn; eight → 28-yogas; nine → grinding-done; ten → daśa-avatāra. Sung by Marathi village women at dawn-grinding through generations.
For someone today
Tukārām composes in women's everyday work-song idiom: each turn of the grindstone advances toward Pāṇḍuranga; ordinary labor becomes samsāra-escape.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's canonical 10-ōvī jātyāvarīche-ōvī (grindstone-song) tradition
- Sung at women's dawn-grinding labor
- Companion to other ōvī-jātyāvarīm compositions (Janābāī tradition)