Abhanga 542

In this age, no other method saves you like holding on to the divine does, and that grace is open to everyone, at every time, with nothing required except sincere feeling.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A no-upāya-hold-Viṭhōbā's-feet-take-with-bhāva abhang. Universal-grace register. The kali-yuga-claim: in this dark-age, no other upāya works. Five claims:

1. आणीक काळें न चले उपाय — धरावे या पाय विठोबाचे — in another kāḷa — no upāya works — hold Viṭhōbā's feet. The opening-claim: in thisāṇīka kāḷa(other / present time, the kali-yuga) — no upāya (means, method) works;hold these Viṭhōbā's feet.Foot-hold-as-only-effective-upāya-in-kali-yuga.

2. अवघें चि पुण्य असे तया पोटीं — अवघिया तुटी होय पापा — all puṇya in His pōṭa — all tuṭi of pāpa. The all-puṇya-claim: allpuṇya(merit) is in Hispōṭa(belly, inside); alltuṭi(cut, ending) ofpāpa(sin). Holding-feet-grants-all-puṇya-and-cuts-all-pāpa.

3. अवघें मोकळें अवघिया काळें — उद्धरती कुळें नरनारी — all mōkaḷē at all kāḷa — kuḷa narī-nara uddhārati. The universal-uplift-claim: allmōkaḷē(free, open, accessible); at allkāḷa; kuḷa (lineage), narī-nara (women-and-men) — uddhārati (are-uplifted).Universal-time-universal-people-uplifted.No-kāla-bar; no-jāti-bar; no-gender-bar.

4. काळ वेळ नाहीं गर्भवासदुःखें — उच्चारितां मुखें नाम एक — no kāḷa-vēḷa — no garbhavāsa-duḥkha — by uccāra mukha one nāma. The no-rebirth-claim: nokāḷa-vēḷa(time-restriction); nogarbhavāsa-duḥkha(suffering-of-the-womb-stay = rebirth-suffering); byuccāra(utterance) withmukha(mouth) — onenāma. One-nāma-uttered-cancels-rebirth-suffering. Nāma-as-rebirth-canceller.

5. तुका म्हणे कांहीं न लगे सांडावें — सांगतसें भावें घेती तयां — Tuka says: nothing samḍāvē — speaking with bhāva, take. The closing-no-abandonment-claim: Tuka says: nothing needs to besamḍāvē(abandoned, given-up); speaking withbhāva(stance, sincerity), take. No-need-to-abandon-anything; just-take-with-bhāva. Universal-grace-without-prerequisites.

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram says that in an age like this, no clever method or elaborate ritual will save you, only holding on to Vitthal, sincerely, works. He insists this grace has no fine print: it is open to everyone, every lineage, every gender, at every time, with no waiting period and no special qualification. Even the suffering of being born again and again can end just by speaking the divine name with real feeling. You do not need to give anything up or prove yourself first, just come as you are and take what is offered.

मराठी: तुकाराम महाराज म्हणतात की अशा काळात कुठलाही चतुर उपाय किंवा मोठा विधी तुम्हाला वाचवू शकत नाही, फक्त विठ्ठलाचे पाय मनापासून धरणेच खरोखर उपयोगी पडते. या कृपेला कुठलीही अट नाही, ती सगळ्या कुळांसाठी, सगळ्या स्त्री-पुरुषांसाठी, प्रत्येक काळात खुली आहे. वारंवार जन्म घेण्याचे दुःखसुद्धा एका नामाच्या मनःपूर्वक उच्चारणाने संपू शकते. यासाठी काहीही सोडून देण्याची किंवा आधी स्वतःला सिद्ध करण्याची गरज नाही, फक्त जसे आहात तसे यावे आणि जे दिले जाते आहे ते स्वीकारावे.

Where this applies

• Hold Viṭhōbā's feet. Only-effective-upāya.
• Puṇyainpōṭa;pāpa cut. Total-transfer.
• Universal: time, jāti, gender. No-bar.
• Nothing to abandon. Take-with-bhāva.

Related verses

• Abhanga 4481 — Tukaram promises that sincerely calling on the Lord's name, knowingly or unknowingly, with
• Abhanga 4482 — Tukaram teaches that no ritual equals sincerely speaking the Lord's name, that self-center
• Abhanga 2448 — The easiest path to God is repeating divine names with love at home, right where you are,
• Abhanga 2494 — Living in devotion turns an ordinary day into a festival and removes the fear of birth and