Abhanga 535
Tukaram describes the sight of Viththal standing on the brick, hands on his hips, in the iconic Pandharpur pose. Just seeing that form settles his mind completely, and he feels he never wants to let go of those feet again. That inner peace spills outward, so he sings, claps, and dances in the temple out of sheer joyful love. He closes by saying that once you truly have God's name, everything else in life, at every moment, feels like worthless husk beside it.
The verse
देखोनियां तुझ्या रूपाचा आकार । उभा कटीं कर ठेवूनियां ॥१॥ तेणें माझ्या चित्ता होतें समाधान । वाटतें चरण न सोडावे ॥ध्रु.॥ मुखें गातों गीत वाजवितों टाळी । नाचतों राउळीं प्रेमसुखें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मज तुझ्या नामापुढें । तुश हें बापुडें सकळी काळ ॥३॥
Literal translation
Seeing the ākāra of Your rūpa — standing — kaṭi — hand placed. By that — citta — samādhāna — feels — caraṇa — don't let-go. With mukha sing — claps ṭāḷī — dance in rauḷa — prema-sukha. Tuka says: before Your nāma — tuṣa is bāpuḍē — at all kāḷa.
मराठी: देखोनियां तुझ्या रूपाचा आकार — उभा कटीं कर ठेवूनियां. तेणें माझ्या चित्ता होतें समाधान — वाटतें चरण न सोडावे. मुखें गातों गीत वाजवितों टाळी — नाचतों राउळीं प्रेमसुखें. तुकाराम म्हणतां — तुझ्या नामापुढें — तुश हें बापुडें सकळी काळ.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देखोनियां तुझ्या रूपाचा आकार | "seeing — ākāra of Your rūpa" |
| उभा कटीं कर ठेवूनियां | "standing — kaṭi — hand placed" |
| तेणें माझ्या चित्ता होतें समाधान | "by that — citta — samādhāna" |
| वाटतें चरण न सोडावे | "feels — caraṇa — don't let-go" |
| मुखें गातों गीत वाजवितों टाळी | "mukha — sing — claps ṭāḷī" |
| नाचतों राउळीं प्रेमसुखें | "dance — rauḷa — prema-sukha" |
| तुझ्या नामापुढें | "before Your nāma" |
| तुश हें बापुडें सकळी काळ | "tuṣa — bāpuḍē — at all kāḷa" |
What it means
A seeing-Pandharī-pose-citta-samādhāna-tuṣa-bāpuḍē abhang. The Vārkarī-iconographic-stance leads to inner-settling and outward-celebration. Three claims:
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देखोनियां तुझ्या रूपाचा आकार — उभा कटीं कर ठेवूनियां — seeing the ākāra of Your rūpa — standing — kaṭi — hand placed. The opening-vision-claim: seeing (dēkhōnīyām) theākāra(form-shape) of Yourrūpa; standing (ubhā) with the hand-placed-on-the-kaṭi (waist).The iconic-Pandharī-pose: standing-on-brick, hands-on-hips. (Compare 0497kaṭa-dharūnīyām-karīm; the same iconography.)
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तेणें माझ्या चित्ता होतें समाधान — वाटतें चरण न सोडावे — मुखें गातों गीत वाजवितों टाळी — नाचतों राउळीं प्रेमसुखें — by that — citta samādhāna — feels caraṇa don't let-go — mukha sing claps ṭāḷī — dance in rauḷa with prema-sukha. The citta-settled-and-celebration-claim: by that (vision) — thecittagetssamādhāna(settling, satisfaction); I-feel: thecaraṇa(feet) — should not be let-go (na sōḍāvē); withmukha(mouth) I sing thegīta(song); waving (vājavitōm) theṭāḷī(cymbal-clap); dancing (nācatōm) in therauḷa(royal-dwelling, temple); withprema-sukha. Inner-settling-becomes-outward-celebration. Sight-touch-voice-body all participate.
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तुका म्हणे मज तुझ्या नामापुढें — तुश हें बापुडें सकळी काळ — Tuka says: before Your nāma — tuṣa is bāpuḍē — at all kāḷa. The closing-priority-claim: Tuka says: before Yournāma; thetuṣa(chaff, husk = anything-other-than-You-including-mokṣa, the four-puruṣārthas, etc.) isbāpuḍē(poor-thing, helpless, of-no-account); at allkāḷa(times). Everything-else-is-chaff-of-no-account-before-the-nāma. (Compare 0531 ṛddhi-siddhi phōla; same priority-claim with the chaff-image.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram describes the sight of Viththal standing on the brick, hands on his hips, in the iconic Pandharpur pose. Just seeing that form settles his mind completely, and he feels he never wants to let go of those feet again. That inner peace spills outward, so he sings, claps, and dances in the temple out of sheer joyful love. He closes by saying that once you truly have God's name, everything else in life, at every moment, feels like worthless husk beside it.
मराठी: तुकाराम विठ्ठलाच्या त्या ओळखीच्या रूपाचं वर्णन करतात, विटेवर उभा, कमरेवर हात ठेवलेला. ते रूप बघताच त्यांचं मन पूर्णपणे शांत होतं, आणि त्या पायांना कधीच सोडू नये असं त्यांना वाटतं. ती आतली शांती बाहेर उतू जाते, ते गातात, टाळ्या वाजवतात आणि प्रेमसुखाने देवळात नाचतात. शेवटी ते म्हणतात की एकदा तुझं नाम मिळालं की बाकी सगळं, सर्वकाळ, केराच्या कस्पटासारखं क्षुल्लक वाटतं.
Where this applies
- When seeing an image, place, or person you love instantly calms your restless mind
- When a moment of peace makes you want to hold on and not walk away too soon
- When quiet inner contentment wants to become singing, dancing, or open celebration
- When you realize that, compared to what truly matters to you, everything else looks small