संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4512 of 4582

Abhanga 4512

Bhāva dāvī śuddha dekhōniyām chitta — āpalyā ankita nija-dāsām — (he) shows bhāva, seeing clean chitta; (he is) of his own ankita nija-dāsas.

Tukārām's Lord-gives-credit-to-his-servants; does-and-makes-do canonical line

The verse

भाव दावी शुद्ध देखोनियां चित्त । आपल्या अंकित निजदासां ॥१॥ सांगे गोपाळांसि काय पुण्य होतें । वांचलों जळते आगी हातीं ॥२॥ आजि आम्हां येथें राखियेलें देवें । नाहीं तरी जीवें न वंचतों ॥३॥ न वंचत्या गाईं जळतों सकळें । पूर्वपुण्यबळें वांचविलें ॥४॥ पूर्वपुण्य होतें तुमचिये गांठी । बोले जगजेठी गोपाळांसि ॥५॥ गोपाळांसि म्हणे वैकुंठनायक । भले तुम्ही एक पुण्यवंत ॥६॥ करी तुका म्हणे करवी आपण । द्यावें थोरपण सेवकांसि ॥७॥

Literal translation

Bhāva dāvī śuddha dekhōniyām chitta — āpalyā ankita nija-dāsām(he) shows bhāva, seeing clean chitta; (he is) of his own ankita nija-dāsas. Sānge gopāḷāmsi kāya puṇya hōte — vāncalōm jaḷate āgī hātīm(he) says to the gopāḷas: 'what puṇya was there? — we survived the burning fire-hand'. Ājī āmhām yethēm rākhiyele Deve — nāhī tarī jīve na vanchatōm'today Deva saved us here; else (we) would-not-have-escaped with life'. Na vanchatyā gāīm jaḷatōm sakaḷe — pūrva-puṇya-baḷe vāncavile'cows didn't escape, all burned; (we were) saved by pūrva-puṇya-baḷa'. Pūrva-puṇya hōte tumaciye gāṇṭhī — bōle jagajeṭhī gopāḷāmsi'pūrva-puṇya was in your knot,' says jagajeṭhī to the gopāḷas. Gopāḷāmsi mhaṇe Vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka — bhale tumhī eka puṇyavantato gopāḷas says Vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka: 'you are puṇyavantas — good!'. Karī Tukā mhaṇe karavī āpaṇa — dyāve thōrapaṇa sevakāmsiTukā says: (he) himself does, (and) makes-(them)-do; (to) give thōrapaṇa to sevakas.

What it means

A 7-verse aftermath of the vōṇavā (4511). Krṣṇa attributes the gopāḷas' survival to their pūrva-puṇya; the gopāḷas counter that Deva saved them. The frame closes with Tukārām's signature theology: the Lord does the saving and then credits the bhakta — so that his sevaka receives the thōrapaṇa.

For someone today

Tukārām claims: the-true-Lord does-the-work and-then-credits-his-servant. Real-greatness-flows-down to the sevaka.

Where this applies