Abhanga 4334
Tukārām composes in women's everyday work-song idiom: each turn of the grindstone advances toward Pāṇḍuranga; ordinary labor becomes samsāra-escape.
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)