संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4544 of 4582

Abhanga 4544

The verse

कृपावंतें हाक दिली सकळिकां । माजिया रे नका राहों कोणी ॥१॥ निघाले या भेणे पाउसाच्या जन । देखे गोवर्धन उचलिला ॥२॥ लाविले गोपाळ फेरीं चहूंकडे । हांसे काफुंदे रडे कोणी धाकें ॥३॥ धाकें हीं सकळ निघालीं भीतरी । उचलिला गिरी तयाखालीं ॥४॥ तयाखालीं गाईं वत्सें आलीं लोक । पक्षी सकळिक जीवजाति ॥५॥ जिहीं म्हणविलें हरीचे अंकित । जातीचे ते होत कोणी तरी ॥६॥ जाति कुळ नाहीं तयासि प्रमाण । अनन्या अनन्य तुका म्हणे ॥७॥ त्यांसि राखे बळें आपुले जे दास । कळिकाळासि वास पाहों नेदी ।१॥ पाउस न येतां केली यांची थार । लागला तुषार येऊं मग ॥२॥ येउनि दगड बैसतील गिरी । वरुषला धारीं शिळाचिये ॥३॥ शळिांचिये धारीं वरुषला आकांत । होता दिवस सात एक सरें ॥४॥ एक सरें गिरि धरिला गोपाळीं । होतों भाव बळी आम्ही ऐसे ॥५॥ ऐसें कळों आलें देवाचिया चित्ता । म्हणे तुम्हीं आतां हात सोडा ॥६॥ हांसती गोपाळ करूनि नवल । आइकोनि बोल गोविंदाचे ॥७॥ दावितील डोया गुडघे कोपर । फुटले ते भार उचलितां ॥८॥ भार आम्हांवरि घालुनि निराळा । राहिलासी डोळा चुकवुनि ॥९॥ निमित्य अंगुळी लावियेली बरी । पाहों कैसा गिरी धरितोसि ॥१०॥ सिणले हे होते ठायींच्या त्या भारें । लटिकें चि खरें मानुनियां ॥११॥ यांणीं अंत पाहों आदरिला याचा । तुका म्हणे वाचा वाचाळ ते ॥१२॥

Literal translation

★★★ A 19-verse yamak-bandha — krpāvanta-shouts-all-come-inside / Govardhana-lifted-seen / Gopāḷas-in-four-directions-laugh-fumble-cry / by-fear-all-went-inside-under-mountain / cows-vatsas-loka-birds-jīva-jātis-came / those-who-called-themselves-Hari's-ankita-whoever-jāti-they-were / JĀTI-KUḶA-NĀHĪṂ-PRAMĀṆA-ANANYĀ-ANANYA (no jāti or kuḷa is criterion — only ananya-of-ananya) / Lord-protects-by-strength-Kaḷikāḷa-can't-see / shelter-made-before-rain-came / stones-fell-stone-mountain / 7-days-akānta-rained / one-end-giri-held-by-Gopāḷas-thought-they-strong / Lord-says-now-let-go-hands / Gopāḷas-laugh-novel / show-knees-elbows-broken-by-load / put-load-on-us-stayed-separate-eye-elusive / just-one-finger-nimitya-see-how-you-held / tired-by-load-taking-laṭikēm-as-real / tried-to-test-Lord — Tukā: vāchāḷa they.

What it means

★★★ A MAJOR 19-verse yamak-bandha — Tukārām's most-developed Govardhana-uddhāraṇa-climax. The radical anti-caste claim: jāti-kuḷa nāhīm tayāsi pramāṇa — ananyā ananyafor the Lord, no caste or lineage is criterion — only the ananya-of-ananya (the truly-single-minded). This statement appears in the narrative-context of Lord-shelters-cows-vatsas-people-birds-jīva-jātis under-the-mountain — all-creatures of-any-jāti receive-shelter-equally. Other notable moves: (a) the 7-days-continuous stone-rain narrative-detail, (b) the Gopāḷas-thought-they-helped-lift-the-mountain comic-detail — Lord-let-them-think-so as bhakta-ego-game, then-they-tried-to-test-him-by-saying we-broke-our-knees-and-elbows-from-the-load — you-just-put-your-finger — Tukārām calls-them-vāchāḷa (garrulous, vain-talkers). This adds-comic-realism to the Bhāgavata-narrative. Pair with 4543 (preceding), 4546 (continuing climax), 2810 (saints-list), 4275 (caste-democratization saints-list).

For someone today

Tukārām: under-the-Govardhana-the-Lord-sheltered-cows-vatsas-people-birds-and-creatures-of-all-jātis — no-caste-or-lineage-is-the-criterion-only-the-single-minded — the-stones-rained-7-days — the-Gopāḷas-thought-they-helped-lift-the-mountain-and-Lord-let-them-think-so — they-even-tried-to-test-him-saying-we-broke-our-knees-from-the-load-you-just-used-a-finger — vain-talkers.

Where this applies

Related verses