Abhanga 363
Reaching Vaikuntha does not require grueling austerities or wearing down the body and self through extreme effort — none of that is necessary. It was Puṇḍalīka's great act of devotion that lifted the burden of the whole earth, bringing that heaven down within reach. Tukaram declares that he made the path an easy one, walked on foot: Pandharpur itself is Vaikuntha, right here on earth, not a distant place reserved for the few who can endure hardship.
The verse
वैकुंठा जावया तपाचे सायास । करणें जीवा नास न लगे कांहीं ॥१॥ तया पुंडलिकें केला उपकार । फेडावया भार पृथीवीचा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे सोपी केली पायवाट । पंढरी वैकुंठ भूमीवरी ॥३॥
Literal translation
To go to Vaikuṇṭha — tapa-sāyāsa — jīva-nāśa — none of that is needed. Puṇḍalīka did the upakāra — to lift the bhāra of the pṛthvī. Tuka says: He made the easy pāya-vāṭa — Pandhari is Vaikuṇṭha on the bhūmī.
मराठी: वैकुंठा जावया तपाचे सायास — करणें जीवा नास — न लगे कांहीं. तया पुंडलिकें केला उपकार — फेडावया भार पृथीवीचा. तुकाराम म्हणतां — सोपी केली पायवाट — पंढरी वैकुंठ भूमीवरी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| वैकुंठा जावया तपाचे सायास | "to go to Vaikuṇṭha — tapa-sāyāsa (austerity-effort)" |
| करणें जीवा नास | "to do — jīva-nāśa (destruction-of-life)" |
| न लगे कांहीं | "none of that is needed" |
| तया पुंडलिकें केला उपकार | "Puṇḍalīka did the upakāra" |
| फेडावया भार पृथीवीचा | "to lift the bhāra of the pṛthvī" |
| सोपी केली पायवाट | "(He) made the pāya-vāṭa easy" |
| पंढरी वैकुंठ भूमीवरी | "Pandhari is Vaikuṇṭha on the bhūmī" |
What it means
A short famous Pandhari-as-bhū-Vaikuṇṭha abhang. Three claims:
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वैकुंठा जावया तपाचे सायास — करणें जीवा नास — न लगे कांहीं — to go to Vaikuṇṭha — tapa-sāyāsa, jīva-nāśa — none needed. The opening-claim: no austerity-effort, no jīva-nāśa needed to reach Vaikuṇṭha. The traditional-route was thought to be tapasya; Tukaram dismisses this.
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तया पुंडलिकें केला उपकार — फेडावया भार पृथीवीचा — Puṇḍalīka did the upakāra to lift earth's burden. The Puṇḍalīka-claim: the great upakāra (favor) of Puṇḍalīka — was to lift the burden of the earth. The bhū-bhāra (earth's burden) was lifted by Puṇḍalīka's act of bringing Vaikuṇṭha to the bhūmī.
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तुका म्हणे सोपी केली पायवाट — पंढरी वैकुंठ भूमीवरी — Tuka says: He made the easy pāya-vāṭa — Pandhari is Vaikuṇṭha on bhūmī. The closing-radical-claim: He made an easy foot-path (pāya-vāṭa); Pandhari is Vaikuṇṭha on the earth. Vaikuṇṭha is not a far-elsewhere; it is here, in Pandhari.
[T]
For someone today
Reaching Vaikuntha does not require grueling austerities or wearing down the body and self through extreme effort — none of that is necessary. It was Puṇḍalīka's great act of devotion that lifted the burden of the whole earth, bringing that heaven down within reach. Tukaram declares that he made the path an easy one, walked on foot: Pandharpur itself is Vaikuntha, right here on earth, not a distant place reserved for the few who can endure hardship.
मराठी: वैकुंठाला जाण्यासाठी कठोर तपश्चर्या किंवा शरीर-मन झिजवणारे कष्ट करावे लागत नाहीत — त्याची काहीच गरज नाही. पुंडलिकांच्या भक्तीच्या महान कृत्यानेच पृथ्वीचा भार हलका केला आणि ते स्वर्ग जवळ आणले. तुकाराम सांगतात की त्यांनी ही वाट सोपी, पायी चालण्याइतकी सुलभ केली — पंढरपूर हेच वैकुंठ आहे, इथेच पृथ्वीवर, कष्ट सोसू शकणाऱ्या मोजक्यांसाठी राखीव असलेले दूरचे स्थान नव्हे.
Where this applies
- No tapa-sāyāsa, no jīva-nāśa needed. Anti-tapasya.
- Puṇḍalīka's upakāra. Earth's burden lifted.
- Pandhari is Vaikuṇṭha on earth. Bhū-Vaikuṇṭha doctrine.