Abhanga 454
The divine appears here as a radiant, dancing goddess who is beyond full understanding yet still comes down to meet devotees at Pandharpur, and the fitting response is simple humility.
The verse
विशाळ व्यंकट नेत्र । वैजयंती तळपे कंठीं वो । कास पीतांबराची । चंदन सुगंध साजे उटी वो ॥१॥ कोटि रविशशिप्रभा । लोपल्या सकळा वो । न कळे ब्रम्हादिकां । अनुपम्य इची लीळा वो ॥ध्रु.॥ कटीं क्षुद्र घंटिका । शब्द करिताती माधुरी वो । गर्जत चरणीं वाकी । अभिनव संगीत नृत्य करी वो ॥२॥ सर्वकळासंपन्न । मंजुळ बोले हास्यवदनीं वो । बहु रूपें नटली । आदिशक्ति नारायणी वो ॥३॥ आरंभिला गोंधळ इनें । चंद्रभागेतिरीं वो । आली भक्तिकाजा । कृष्णाबाई योगेश्वरी वो ॥४॥ नारद तुंबर गायन । ब्रम्हानंद करिती गंधर्व वो। वंदी चरणरज तेथें । तुकयाचा बंधव वो ॥५॥
Literal translation
Wide vyankaṭa eyes — vaijayantī at neck — pītāmbara waist — sandal-fragrance on uṭi. Koṭi ravi-śaśi prabhā disappear — Brahmā etc. don't know — Her līlā incomparable. Tiny ghaṇṭikā at waist — sweet śabda — anklets at feet roar — abhinava-sangīta-nṛtya. All-kaḷā-complete — sweet speech, hāsya-vadana — multi-formed — Ādi-Śakti Nārāyaṇī. She began gōmdhaḷa at Chandrabhāgā-tīra — came for bhakti-kāja — Krishnā-bāī Yogeśvarī. Nārada-Tumbar singing — Brahmānanda-Gandharvas — bows the foot-dust — Tukya's bandhava.
मराठी: विशाळ व्यंकट नेत्र — वैजयंती तळपे कंठीं — कास पीतांबराची — चंदन सुगंध साजे उटी. कोटि रविशशिप्रभा लोपल्या सकळा — न कळे ब्रम्हादिकां — अनुपम्य इची लीळा. कटीं क्षुद्र घंटिका शब्द करिताती माधुरी — गर्जत चरणीं वाकी — अभिनव संगीत नृत्य करी. सर्वकळासंपन्न — मंजुळ बोले हास्यवदनीं — बहु रूपें नटली — आदिशक्ति नारायणी. आरंभिला गोंधळ इनें चंद्रभागेतिरीं — आली भक्तिकाजा — कृष्णाबाई योगेश्वरी. तुकयाबंधु म्हणतां — नारद तुंबर गायन ब्रम्हानंद करिती गंधर्व — वंदी चरणरज तेथें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| विशाळ व्यंकट नेत्र | "wide vyankaṭa eyes" |
| वैजयंती तळपे कंठीं | "vaijayantī shines at kaṇṭha" |
| कास पीतांबराची | "pītāmbara waist" |
| चंदन सुगंध साजे उटी | "sandal-fragrance on the uṭi" |
| कोटि रविशशिप्रभा लोपल्या सकळा | "koṭi ravi-śaśi prabhā — disappear all" |
| न कळे ब्रम्हादिकां अनुपम्य इची लीळा | "Brahmā etc. don't know — Her līlā incomparable" |
| कटीं क्षुद्र घंटिका शब्द करिताती माधुरी | "tiny ghaṇṭikā at waist — sweet śabda" |
| गर्जत चरणीं वाकी | "anklets at feet — garjat" |
| अभिनव संगीत नृत्य करी | "abhinava-sangīta-nṛtya" |
| सर्वकळासंपन्न | "all-kaḷā-complete" |
| मंजुळ बोले हास्यवदनीं | "sweet speech, hāsya-vadana" |
| बहु रूपें नटली आदिशक्ति नारायणी | "multi-formed — Ādi-Śakti Nārāyaṇī" |
| आरंभिला गोंधळ इनें चंद्रभागेतिरीं | "she began gōmdhaḷa at Chandrabhāgā-tīra" |
| आली भक्तिकाजा कृष्णाबाई योगेश्वरी | "came for bhakti-kāja — Krishnā-bāī Yogeśvarī" |
| नारद तुंबर गायन ब्रम्हानंद करिती गंधर्व | "Nārada-Tumbar singing — Brahmānanda-Gandharvas" |
| वंदी चरणरज तेथें तुकयाचा बंधव | "bows the foot-dust — Tukya's bandhava" |
What it means
A Yogeśvarī-Krishnā-bāī-gōmdhaḷa abhang. Tukya-bamdhu mudra (Kānhōbā Tukārām). The deity here is Krishnā-bāī Yogeśvarī — Yogeśvarī is a Marāṭhī goddess (often associated with Ambejogāī and identified with Lakshmī/Reṇukā / Pārvatī forms in different traditions); here syncretized with Krishna-Lakshmī as the Ādi-Śakti Nārāyaṇī. Six claims:
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विशाळ व्यंकट नेत्र — वैजयंती तळपे कंठीं — कास पीतांबराची — चंदन सुगंध साजे उटी — wide vyankaṭa eyes — vaijayantī at neck — pītāmbara waist — sandal-fragrance on uṭi. The opening-portrait: widevyankaṭa(lotus-like) eyes; vaijayantī (the jasmine-tulasī garland of Viṣṇu) at the neck;pītāmbara(yellow-silk, also Viṣṇu's) waist;sandal-fragrance on the body's uṭi (paste-application).Goddess with Viṣṇu's-attributes; Vaiṣṇavī-form.
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कोटि रविशशिप्रभा लोपल्या सकळा — न कळे ब्रम्हादिकां — अनुपम्य इची लीळा — koṭi ravi-śaśi prabhā disappear — Brahmā etc. don't know — incomparable līlā. The cosmic-glory claim: crores of sun-moon-rays disappear in Her presence; Brahmā and others don't know Her; Herlīlāis incomparable.
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कटीं क्षुद्र घंटिका शब्द करिताती माधुरी — गर्जत चरणीं वाकी — अभिनव संगीत नृत्य करी — tiny ghaṇṭikā at waist sweet śabda — anklets roar — abhinava-sangīta-nṛtya. The dance-image: tiny waist-bells make sweet sounds; foot-anklets roar; She doesabhinava-sangīta-nṛtya(novel-music-dance).
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सर्वकळासंपन्न — मंजुळ बोले हास्यवदनीं — बहु रूपें नटली — आदिशक्ति नारायणी — all-kaḷā-complete — sweet speech, hāsya-vadana — multi-formed — Ādi-Śakti Nārāyaṇī. The Ādi-Śakti claim: complete in allkaḷās(arts); sweet speech, smiling face; multi-formed (assumes many forms); (She is)Ādi-Śakti Nārāyaṇī. Primordial-Power as the feminine aspect of Nārāyaṇa.
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आरंभिला गोंधळ इनें चंद्रभागेतिरीं — आली भक्तिकाजा — कृष्णाबाई योगेश्वरी — began gōmdhaḷa at Chandrabhāgā-tīra — came for bhakti-kāja — Krishnā-bāī Yogeśvarī. The Pandhari-Yogeśvarī claim: She began thegōmdhaḷaat theChandrabhāgā-tīra(river-bank at Pandharpur); came forbhakti-kāja(the work of bhakti); Krishnā-bāī Yogeśvarī. Yogeśvarī as Pandhari-resident-bhakta-helper.
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नारद तुंबर गायन — ब्रम्हानंद करिती गंधर्व — वंदी चरणरज तेथें — तुकयाचा बंधव — Nārada-Tumbar singing — Brahmānanda-Gandharvas — bows the foot-dust — Tukya's bandhava. The closing-image: Nārada and Tumbar (Sage and Gandharva) sing; Brahmānanda and Gandharvas (heavenly-singers) (perform);Tukya's bandhava (Kānhōbā) bows the foot-dust there.Heavenly-music + foot-dust-bowing.
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For someone today
This abhang paints a vivid portrait of the goddess Krishnabai Yogeshwari, dressed with Vishnu's own emblems, showing that the feminine and masculine faces of the divine are not separate but one power wearing many forms. Her radiance is said to outshine countless suns and moons, and even the great gods cannot fully grasp her ways, a reminder that some things are simply beyond your understanding, and that is all right. She dances with bells ringing at her waist and anklets sounding at her feet, a picture of joy and skill rather than solemn distance. She does not stay in some remote heaven; she comes down to the riverbank at Pandharpur specifically for the work of devotion, meeting ordinary bhaktas where they are. The fitting response, amid the singing of celestial musicians, is simply to bow low and honor the dust of her feet.
मराठी: या अभंगात कृष्णाबाई योगेश्वरी या देवीचे सजीव चित्र रेखाटले आहे, जी विष्णूची चिन्हे परिधान करते, हे दाखवते की परमेश्वराचे स्त्री आणि पुरुष रूप वेगळे नसून एकाच शक्तीची अनेक रूपे आहेत. तिचे तेज कोट्यवधी सूर्य-चंद्रांनाही मागे टाकते असे म्हटले आहे, आणि ब्रह्मादेवांसारख्या मोठ्या देवांनाही तिचा पूर्ण थांग लागत नाही, हे आठवण करून देते की काही गोष्टी आपल्या पूर्ण आकलनाच्या पलीकडे असतात, आणि हे स्वाभाविक आहे. ती कमरेला घंटा वाजवत आणि पायात वाकी वाजवत नाचते, हे गांभीर्यापेक्षा आनंद आणि कौशल्याचे चित्र आहे. ती कुठल्या दूरच्या स्वर्गात राहत नाही, ती खास भक्तीच्या कामासाठी पंढरपुरातील चंद्रभागेच्या तीरावर उतरते, सामान्य भक्तांना त्यांच्या जागी भेटायला येते. गंधर्वांच्या गाण्यामध्ये योग्य प्रतिसाद इतकाच आहे की तिच्या पायाच्या धुळीला वंदन करावे.
Where this applies
- Goddess wears Viṣṇu's-attributes. Vaiṣṇavī.
- Cosmic-light eclipses in Her presence. Superlative.
- Anupamya līlā. Brahmā doesn't know.
- Ādi-Śakti Nārāyaṇī multi-formed. Primordial-Power.
- Came to Chandrabhāgā for bhakti-kāja. Pandhari-helper.
- Bow the foot-dust. Closing-act.