Abhanga 4457
The verse
तुम्ही साधु संत कैवल्यसागर । मोक्षाचे आगर तुम्हां घरीं ॥१॥
तेथें मतिमंद काय बोलों वाणी । अमृताचे धणी पाणी कां घ्या ॥ध्रु.॥
कोटी भानु तेजीं खद्योत बापुडें । तैसा तुम्हांपुढें काय बोलों ॥२॥
तुम्ही अवघे चिंतामणि कल्पतरूचीं वनें । त्यापुढें धांवणें मषकांनीं ॥३॥
वाराणशीक्षेत्र गंगा वाहे कोड । का तेथें पाड कोकणाचे ॥४॥
पल्लवाचा वारा हिमकरीं काय । गगनावरी छाय कोण करी ॥५॥
समुद्राची तृषा हरी ऐसा कोण । जगाची जी तान्ह निववितो ॥६॥
मेरूचा पाठार अवघी ते क्षिति । मषकाचे हातीं मुष्टि फावे ॥७॥
सिंहापुढें काय जंबूक आरोळी । मोतियांचे वोळी कांच काय ॥८॥
कापुरासि काय लावूनि उटावें । काय ओवाळावें दीपकासि ॥९॥
तैशी तुम्ही निरे ज्ञानाचे भरींव । तेथें म्यां बोलावें पाड काय ॥१०॥
कृपानिधि तुम्हीं बोलविलें बोला । सुखें न्याय केला तुमचा मीं ॥११॥
अज्ञान मी वेडें म्हणवितों बाळ । माझा प्रतिपाळ करणें तुम्हां ॥१२॥
बोबडें बोलणें न धरावा कोप । क्षमा करा बाप कृपासिंधु ॥१३॥
तुका म्हणे तुम्ही संत बापमाय । भयें धरिले पाय कृपानिधि ॥१४॥
Literal translation
Sants-kaivalya-sāgara — mokṣa-store-at-home. Stupid-me-what-speak — amrta-owners-why-take-water. Koṭi-suns-light-firefly-pathetic — before-you-what-speak. You-all-Chintāmaṇi-kalpataru-forests — before-them-mosquitoes-run. Vārāṇasī-Gangā-flows — Kōkaṇa-of-what-consequence. Leaf-breeze-for-moon-what — sky-shadow-who-makes. Ocean-thirst-remover-who — cools-world's-thirst. Mēru-pāṭhāra-all-earth — mosquito-hand-fistful. Lion-jambūka-roar — pearls-glass. Camphor-paste — dīpaka-ōvāḷaṇē. You-full-of-pure-jñāna — me-what-padam-to-speak. Krpā-nidhi-you-made-me-speak — judgment-yours. Ignorant-fool-baby — protection-for-you. Bobaḍa-bolaṇē-don't-be-angry — forgive-bāpa. Tukā: sants-bāp-māya — fear-grasped-feet.
What it means
★★ A canonical 14-verse extended sant-bāp-māy + autobiographical-humility text. You sādhus, sants — are the liberation-ocean — the storehouse of mōkṣa is at your home. There, what shall stupid-minded-me speak — the owners of amrta — why should they take water? Before crores-of-suns of light — the firefly is pathetic — so before you, what shall I speak? You — all are wish-fulfilling-gems, forests of wish-trees — running before them is by mosquitoes. In Vārāṇasī the Gangā flows in eddies — of what consequence is the Kōkaṇa there? Of what use is leaf-breeze for the moon — who can put shade on the sky? Who is the one who quenches the thirst of the ocean — the one who cools the thirst of the world? Mēru's plateau — all the earth — in the mosquito's hand a fistful gets found. Before the lion, what is the jackal's roar — before rows of pearls what is glass? What is to be paste-rubbed upon camphor — what is to be waved before a mere lamp? So, you are full to the brim with pure knowledge — what is my worth to speak there? Treasure-of-grace, you have made (me) speak through (me) — gladly, the judgment was yours. I am ignorant, fool, call-myself baby — my protection is for you to do. For my babbling speech do not hold anger — forgive, O father, ocean-of-grace. Tukā says: you sants are father-mother — with fear, I have grasped your feet, treasure-of-grace. The 11-image-cluster of self-deprecation is the rhetorical-spine: firefly-before-suns / mosquito-before-kalpa-trees / Kōkaṇa-before-Vārāṇasī / leaf-breeze-for-moon / shadow-on-sky / ocean-thirst-remover-only-the-cloud / mosquito-fistful-of-Mēru / lion-vs-jackal-roar / pearls-vs-glass / camphor-paste-(camphor-doesn't-need-paste) / waving-dīpaka-before-dīpaka. The disclaimer-of-authorship: krpā-nidhi-you-made-me-speak — judgment-was-yours — companion to 2940 (sāḷunkī-Lord-speaks-through-me). Pair with 2887 (sant-pūjā), 2810 (saints-list).
For someone today
Tukārām: you-sants-are-the-liberation-ocean-and-storehouse-of-mokṣa — what-can-I-speak-firefly-before-suns-mosquito-before-kalpa-trees — the-Lord-made-me-speak-through-me — forgive-my-babbling — you-sants-are-father-mother-I-grasped-your-feet-with-fear.
Where this applies
- ★★ Tukārām's THE canonical 14-verse sants-bāp-māy + 11-image-self-deprecation + bobaḍa-bolaṇē-forgive foundational