Abhanga 4412
The confession-by-repetition: much-effort, much-wasted, much-not-done — yet here-I-am, keep me in sants' company.
The verse
बहुजन्मां शेवटीं स्वामी तुझी भेटी । बहु मोह पोटीं थोर जाला ॥१॥
बहु पुरें पाहिलीं बहु दिशा शोधिली । बहु चिंता वाहिली दुर्भराची ॥ध्रु.॥
बहु काळ गेले अनुचित केलें । बहु नाहीं गाइलें नाम तुझें ॥२॥
ऐसा मी अपराधी अगा कृपानिधि । बहु संतां संनिधि ठेवीं तुका ॥३॥
Literal translation
After many janmas, svāmī, your bhēṭī. Much mōha grown. Many towns examined, many directions searched, much chintā borne for durbharas. Much time, anuchita done; much not-sung your Name. Such an aparādhī, krpā-nidhi — keep Tukā in sants' sannidhi.
What it means
The bahu-bahu-bahu (much-much-much) refrain repeated 8 times across the verse — a striking-poetic-pattern.
For someone today
The confession-by-repetition: much-effort, much-wasted, much-not-done — yet here-I-am, keep me in sants' company.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's bahu-bahu-bahu refrain confession