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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 285 of 4582

Abhanga 285

This abhang names Hanumat's role and Hanumat-japa's effect:

When you've been intimidated by the impossibility of the task — and Hanumat's pātāḷa-going to rescue Rāma-Lakṣmaṇa shows the bhakta-warrior-power
When the sītā-śuddhi-before-Rāmāyaṇa establishes Hanumat's pratāpa — and you receive this scope-claim
When japa-to-vāyu-suta removes sins — and you accept this practice

The verse

केली सीताशुद्धी । मूळ रामायणा आधीं ॥१॥ ऐसा प्रतापी गहन । सुरां सकळ भक्तांचें भूषण ॥ध्रु.॥ जाऊनि पाताळा । केली देवाची अवकळा ॥२॥ राम लक्षुमण । नेले आणिले चोरून ॥३॥ जोडूनियां कर । उभा सन्मुख समोर ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे जपें । वायुसुता जाती पापें ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: Sītā-śuddhi — done — before the mūla of the Rāmāyaṇa. Such is his pratāpa — profound — ornament of the suras and all bhaktas. Going to pātāḷa — made the deva's avakaḷā. Rāma-Lakṣmaṇa — taken (by theft) — brought back (from theft). Joining hands, stands sammukha samōra. Tuka says: by japa — to vāyu-suta — sins go away.

मराठी: केली सीताशुद्धी — मूळ रामायणा आधीं. ऐसा प्रतापी गहन — सुरां सकळ भक्तांचें भूषण. जाऊनि पाताळा — केली देवाची अवकळा. राम लक्षुमण — नेले आणिले चोरून. जोडूनियां कर — उभा सन्मुख समोर. तुकाराम म्हणतात — जपें — वायुसुता जाती पापें.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
केली सीताशुद्धी "Sītā-śuddhi (Sītā-finding) — done"
मूळ रामायणा आधीं "before the mūla (root) of the Rāmāyaṇa"
ऐसा प्रतापी गहन "such is his pratāpagahana (profound)"
सुरां सकळ भक्तांचें भूषण "ornament of the suras and all bhaktas**"
जाऊनि पाताळा "going to pātāḷa**"
केली देवाची अवकळा "made the deva's avakaḷā (degraded-state)"
राम लक्षुमण नेले आणिले चोरून "Rāma-Lakṣmaṇa — taken (by theft) — brought back (from theft)"
जोडूनियां कर उभा सन्मुख समोर "joining hands — stands sammukha samōra (face-front)"
जपें वायुसुता जाती पापें "by japa — to vāyu-suta — sins go away"

What it means

A Hanumat-pratāpa-and-japa abhang. Five claims:

  1. केली सीताशुद्धी — मूळ रामायणा आधींSītā-śuddhi done — before the mūla of the Rāmāyaṇa. The scope-claim. Sītā-śuddhi (Sītā-finding, the Sundara-kāṇḍa search) was accomplished by Hanuman before the rest of the Rāmāyaṇa unfolded. Without Hanuman's Sītā-finding, the Rāma-Rāvaṇa-yuddha could not have happened. The foundation-task was Hanuman's.

  2. ऐसा प्रतापी गहन — सुरां सकळ भक्तांचें भूषणsuch is the profound pratāpa — ornament of suras and all bhaktas. Pratāpavalor / power-of-deedsgahana (profound). Hanuman is the bhūṣaṇa (ornament) of both the suras (gods) and all the bhaktashonored on both sides.

  3. जाऊनि पाताळा — केली देवाची अवकळाgoing to pātāḷa — made the deva's avakaḷā. The Mahirāvaṇa-episode (or similar pātāḷa-leelā). When Rāma-Lakṣmaṇa were captured and taken to pātāḷa, Hanuman went to pātāḷa and rescued them. Avakaḷāthe degraded-statethe moment when even the deva-incarnations were captured. (= the deva's degraded-state was made by Hanuman's going-to-pātāḷa in the sense of Hanuman descended-into-the-place-where-the-deva-was-degraded and resolved-the-situation.)

  4. राम लक्षुमण — नेले आणिले चोरूनRāma-Lakṣmaṇa — taken (by theft) — brought-back. They were taken-by-theft (= Mahirāvaṇa stole them) and Hanuman brought-them-back-from-theft. The thief-and-recovery cycle.

  5. जोडूनियां कर — उभा सन्मुख समोरjoining hands, stands face-front. The sammukha-image. Hanuman stands face-front, hands joinedattentive, ready, in front of Rāma. The standing-stance is the bhakta-stance.

  6. तुका म्हणे जपें — वायुसुता जाती पापेंTuka says: by japa — to vāyu-suta — sins go away. The closing-promise. Japa (recitation / chanting) to vāyu-suta (Hanuman, son-of-Vāyu) removes sins. The Hanumat-japa is sin-removing.

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For someone today

This abhang names Hanumat's role and Hanumat-japa's effect:

  1. Sītā-śuddhi-before-Rāmāyaṇa. Hanuman's foundational task was Sītā-finding before the rest of the Rāmāyaṇa unfolded. The foundation-task may be invisible to the broader narrative but the entire narrative depends on it. Recognize invisible foundation-work in your situation.

  2. Pātāḷa-going to rescue the deva. Even the deva can be in avakaḷā (= even the loved-one / source / deity can be in a degraded-state); Hanuman goes to pātāḷa to rescue. This is the dāsa-bhakta-warrior's role: go-to-the-pātāḷa-when-the-deva-is-captured. Don't assume the deity is always in upper-realms; sometimes the bhakta-rescue is needed for the deva-rescue.

  3. Sammukha-stance hands-joined. In front, hands joined, attentive, ready. The bhakta-stance is sammukha samōra — not behind / above / beside but face-front, ready to receive instruction.

  4. Hanumat-japa removes sins. Vāyu-sutā jātī pāpē. Japa to Hanuman has sin-removing efficacy. (Compare 258's anutāpa-with-hari-smaraṇa frees; here, the Hanumat-japa parallel.)

For today: do invisible foundation-work like Hanuman's Sītā-śuddhi; be ready to pātāḷa-go when the loved-one is in degraded-state; take the sammukha-samōra stance with hands joined; do Hanumat-japa for sin-removal.

The closing-claimjapa-to-Hanuman removes sins — is important. The bhakti-tradition's Hanumat-japa practice is available to all bhaktas and has direct karma-effect.

मराठी: ही ओवी Hanumat चं role आणि Hanumat-japa चा effect नाव सांगते:

  1. Sītā-śuddhi-Rāmāyaṇa-च्या-आधी. Hanuman चा foundational taskSītā-finding Rāmāyaṇa unfold होण्या-आधी. Foundation-task broader narrative ला invisible असू शकतं पण entire narrative त्यावर depend. Invisible foundation-work तुमच्या situation मध्ये ओळखा.

  2. देवाला rescue करायला Pātāḷa-going. देव सुद्धा avakaḷā मध्ये असू शकतो (= प्रिय-व्यक्ती / source / देवता degraded-state मध्ये असू शकतात); Hanuman pātāḷa-rescue ला जातो. Dāsa-bhakta-warrior चं role: देव-captured-असताना pātāḷa-go करा. देव नेहमी upper-realms मध्ये असतो समजू नका; कधी कधी bhakta-rescue देव-rescue साठी लागते.

  3. Sammukha-stance hands-joined. समोर, हात जोडून, attentive, ready. Bhakta-stance sammukha samōrabehind / above / beside नाहीface-front, instruction receive करायला ready.

  4. Hanumat-japa pāpa removes. वायु-सुता जातीं पापें. Hanuman ला japa sin-removing efficacy.

आज: Hanuman च्या Sītā-śuddhi सारखं invisible foundation-work करा; प्रिय-व्यक्ती degraded-state मध्ये असेल — pātāḷa-go ready राहा; sammukha-samōra stance हात-जोडून घ्या; sin-removal साठी Hanumat-japa करा.

Closing-claimjapa-to-Hanuman pāpa removesमहत्त्वाचं. Bhakti-tradition चं Hanumat-japa practice सर्व bhaktas ला available आणि direct karma-effect.

Where this applies

Related verses