Abhanga 507
The vast, formless presence that fills the universe became a simple, lovable child so ordinary devotion could reach it, even though its deeper mystery stays beyond full understanding.
The verse
ओवाळूं आरती पंढरीराया । सर्वभावें शरण आलों तुझिया पायां ॥१॥ सर्व व्यापून कैसें रूप आकळ । तो हा गौळ्या घरीं जाला कृष्ण बाळ ॥ध्रु.॥ स्वरूप गुणातीत जाला अवतारधारी । तो हा पांडुरंग उभा विटेवरी ॥२॥ भक्तिचिया काजा कैसा रूपासि आला । ब्रिदाचा तोडर चरणीं मिरविला ॥३॥ आरतें आरती ओवाळिली । वाखाणितां कीर्ति वाचा परतली ॥४॥ भावभक्तिबळें होसी कृपाळु देवा । तुका म्हणे पांडुरंगा तुझ्या न कळती मावा ॥५॥
Literal translation
Wave āratī to Pandharī-rāya — sarva-bhāva-śaraṇa at Your feet. All-pervading — how is the rūpa graspable? — became Kṛṣṇa-bāḷa in the gauḷī's house. Svarūpa-guṇātīta became avatāra-dhārī — Pāṇḍuranga stands on the viṭā. For bhakti's kāja — came to rūpa — brīda-toḍara on His feet. Offered āratī — vāṇī turned-back from describing kīrti. By bhāva-bhakti-baḷa You become kṛpāḷu — Tuka says: Pāṇḍuranga — Your māvā can't be known.
मराठी: ओवाळूं आरती पंढरीराया — सर्वभावें शरण आलों तुझिया पायां. सर्व व्यापून कैसें रूप आकळ — तो हा गौळ्या घरीं जाला कृष्ण बाळ. स्वरूप गुणातीत जाला अवतारधारी — तो हा पांडुरंग उभा विटेवरी. भक्तिचिया काजा कैसा रूपासि आला — ब्रिदाचा तोडर चरणीं मिरविला. आरतें आरती ओवाळिली — वाखाणितां कीर्ति वाचा परतली. भावभक्तिबळें होसी कृपाळु देवा. तुकाराम म्हणतां — पांडुरंगा तुझ्या न कळती मावा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ओवाळूं आरती पंढरीराया | "wave āratī to Pandharī-rāya" |
| सर्वभावें शरण आलों तुझिया पायां | "sarva-bhāva-śaraṇa — at Your feet" |
| सर्व व्यापून कैसें रूप आकळ | "all-pervading — how rūpa graspable?" |
| तो हा गौळ्या घरीं जाला कृष्ण बाळ | "became Kṛṣṇa-bāḷa in gauḷī's house" |
| स्वरूप गुणातीत जाला अवतारधारी | "svarūpa-guṇātīta became avatāra-dhārī" |
| पांडुरंग उभा विटेवरी | "Pāṇḍuranga stands on viṭā" |
| भक्तिचिया काजा रूपासि आला | "for bhakti's kāja — came to rūpa" |
| ब्रिदाचा तोडर चरणीं मिरविला | "brīda-toḍara on His feet" |
| वाखाणितां कीर्ति वाचा परतली | "vāṇī turned-back from describing kīrti" |
| भावभक्तिबळें होसी कृपाळु देवा | "by bhāva-bhakti-baḷa — You become kṛpāḷu" |
| पांडुरंगा तुझ्या न कळती मावा | "Pāṇḍuranga — Your māvā — can't be known" |
What it means
A wave-āratī-to-Pandharī-rāya abhang. Famous as one of the canonical Tukaram-āratīs. Five claims:
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ओवाळूं आरती पंढरीराया — सर्वभावें शरण आलों तुझिया पायां — wave āratī to Pandharī-rāya — sarva-bhāva-śaraṇa at Your feet. Opening-call: we wave (ovāḷūm) theāratī(lamp-circling-worship) toPandharī-rāya(king of Pandharī); withsarva-bhāva-śaraṇa(whole-stance-surrender) we have come at Your feet. Āratī-with-total-śaraṇa.
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सर्व व्यापून कैसें रूप आकळ — तो हा गौळ्या घरीं जाला कृष्ण बाळ — all-pervading — how is rūpa graspable? — became Kṛṣṇa-bāḷa in gauḷī's house. The paradox: the all-pervading (sarva-vyāpūna) — how is therūpa(form)ākaḷa(graspable)? He becameKṛṣṇa-bāḷa(child-Kṛṣṇa) in thegauḷī(cowherd-woman, Yaśodā)'s house. The cosmic-deva graspable as Yaśodā's child.
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स्वरूप गुणातीत जाला अवतारधारी — तो हा पांडुरंग उभा विटेवरी — svarūpa-guṇātīta became avatāra-dhārī — Pāṇḍuranga stands on viṭā. The avatāra-on-the-brick claim: thesvarūpa-guṇātīta(own-form-beyond-attributes) becameavatāra-dhārī(form-bearing); Pāṇḍuranga stands on theviṭā (brick at Pandharpur).Beyond-attributes-takes-the-brick-form.
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भक्तिचिया काजा कैसा रूपासि आला — ब्रिदाचा तोडर चरणीं मिरविला — for bhakti's kāja — came to rūpa — brīda-toḍara on His feet. Bhakti-pulled-Him-to-form: for bhakti'skāja(work, sake) — He came torūpa(form); thebrīda-toḍara(epithet-anklet, the anklet-of-vows) shone (miravilā) on His feet. The bhakti-vows-and-epithets are-on-His-feet-as-anklet.
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आरतें आरती ओवाळिली — वाखाणितां कीर्ति वाचा परतली — भावभक्तिबळें होसी कृपाळु — पांडुरंगा तुझ्या न कळती मावा — offered āratī — vāṇī turned back — bhāva-bhakti-baḷa makes You kṛpāḷu — Pāṇḍuranga Your māvā can't be known. Closing-confession: we offeredāratī; thevāṇī(speech) turned-back fromvākhāṇitām(describing) thekīrti(fame, glory); bybhāva-bhakti-baḷa(sentiment-devotion-strength) You becomekṛpāḷu; Pāṇḍuranga — Yourmāvā(māyā / illusion / play) —na kaḷatī(cannot be known). Speech-fails-bhakti-makes-You-kṛpāḷu-Your-māvā-incomprehensible.
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For someone today
This is Tukaram's famous aarti to Pandharinath, offered with total surrender at his feet. It reminds you that the same being who fills the whole universe and cannot be grasped by the mind chose to become a small, ordinary child in a cowherd's home, so that ordinary people could love and reach him. Devotion pulled that vast, formless presence down into a shape you can actually see, standing on a simple brick. When Tukaram tries to praise this fully, his own words fail him, and all he can do is offer the lamp and admit that love and devotion move God to compassion even though God's deeper mystery stays beyond anyone's understanding. Read this as permission to stop needing to fully explain or understand what you love and simply offer your devotion anyway.
मराठी: ही तुकारामांची पंढरीरायाला वाहिलेली प्रसिद्ध आरती आहे, जी संपूर्ण शरणागतीने त्याच्या पायांशी अर्पण केली आहे. ही आपल्याला आठवण करून देते की जो संपूर्ण विश्व व्यापून आहे आणि ज्याचे स्वरूप बुद्धीला आकळत नाही, तोच एका साध्या गवळ्याच्या घरी लहान मूल बनून आला, जेणेकरून सामान्य माणसांना त्याच्यावर प्रेम करता यावे आणि त्याच्यापर्यंत पोहोचता यावे. भक्तीने त्या अफाट, निराकार अस्तित्वाला डोळ्यांना दिसणाऱ्या रूपात, एका साध्या विटेवर उभे राहून, खेचून आणले. तुकाराम याचे पूर्ण वर्णन करायला जातात तेव्हा त्यांची वाणीच थांबते, आणि ते फक्त आरती ओवाळतात आणि कबूल करतात की भाव-भक्तीच्या बळावर देव कृपाळू होतो, तरीही त्याची खोल माया कोणालाही पूर्णपणे कळत नाही.
Where this applies
- Āratīwithsarva-bhāva-śaraṇa. Total-stance.
- All-pervading → Yaśodā's child. Bhakti-graspability.
- Brīda-toḍara on feet. Vows-as-anklet.
- Māvā unknowable. Confess-incomprehensibility.