Abhanga 657

At the final hour only the inward remembrance of the divine name holds up; everything else, however impressive, falls away.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A Viṭṭhal-japa-final-arrow-samsāra-snake-poison-Tuka-daṇḍavata abhang. Nāma-as-final-weapon-and-confession-of-samsāra-deceit register. Five claims:

1. नाम चांगलें — रूप गोमटें — डोळे निव — ताप हर — Viṭṭhal-Viṭṭhal japa — pragaṭa-svalpa-atisāra — auspicious nāma, beautiful rūpa, eyes cool, tāpa removed, Viṭṭhal-Viṭṭhal japa — manifest-brief-supreme-essence. The opening-japa-claim: the nāma is auspicious, the rūpa is beautiful; eyes-are-cooled, tāpa-is-removed; Viṭṭhal-Viṭṭhal this is the japa; pragaṭa (manifest), svalpa (brief), atisāra (supremely-essential).Manifest-brief-essence-japa.

2. Nirvāṇa-arrow — daśa-dāna doesn't go — Nārāyaṇa-cintana breaks duḥkha — śastra at nirvāṇa-hour — daśa-dāna no place — Nārāyaṇa breaks duḥkha by cintana. The final-hour-arrow-claim: theśastra(weapon) is thenirvāṇīmcā bāṇa(arrow at the final-hour);the niḍūta samaya avasāna (close-time-of-end);daśa-dāna(the ten-elaborate-dānas) — where-would-they-go (= are useless then)?; Nārāyaṇa breaksduḥkhabycintana (remembrance).At-the-final-hour-only-the-nāma-arrow-works-not-elaborate-dāna.

3. All Highest's mata — śaraṇāgata — this only ucita — all Highest's mata — śaraṇāgata — this only ucita. The consensus-claim: all Highest'smata(consensus, opinion); one becomes-siddhi—anaṇtamakes-it-so;therefore one must become śaraṇāgata (refuge-given);this only is ucita (right).Surrender-is-the-only-right-thing.

4. I sulked at samsāra — pāṇḍharā sarpa-vikhāra — distance from You, Giver — rusalōm samsārā — pāṇḍharā sarpa-vikhāra — antara dātārā. The whitened-snake-poison-claim: I have-sulked at samsāra; (samsāra is) thepāṇḍharā sarpa-vikhāra (whitened, deceptive-looking snake-poison — looks-pure-but-is-poison);gives me antara (distance) from You, Giver;by-reason-of-this-dāvēdāra (claimant).Samsāra-as-whitened-snake-poison-creates-distance-from-deva.

5. भोगविल्या-खाणी — नसतां-छंद मनीं — माजलों — bōḍaṇī विटंबना — पावलों दंड — आतां खंड पाहिजे — Tuka दंडवत — experienced-khāṇī — non-existent chanda in mind — went-mad-in-wandering — bōḍaṇī viṭambanā — received daṇḍa — now-khaṇḍa-needed — Tuka daṇḍavata. The closing-confession-and-prostration: (samsāra) made-me-experience thekhāṇī(wombs / species); set a non-existentchanda(passion) in the mind; I went-mad in my-wandering; bōḍaṇī viṭambanā happened (complete-mockery, ritual-disgrace);received the daṇḍa of what-was-done;now must-be the khaṇḍa (breaking, severance);Tuka daṇḍavata (prostrates) to deva.Confession-of-samsāra-deception-and-Tuka-prostration.

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram says the simplest thing carries the deepest power: quietly repeating Vitthal's name cools the eyes and lifts real suffering, more surely than any elaborate ritual can. At the moment of death, all the careful planning and generous giving in the world will be useless -- only that inward remembrance holds up. He confesses that worldly life once looked pure and harmless to him, like a white snake, but it was poison all along, and it pulled him away from God. Having already paid the price for his own confusion and wandering, he simply bows down and asks to be released.

मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की सर्वात साधी गोष्ट सर्वात खोल परिणाम करते. विठ्ठलाचे नाम शांतपणे घेतल्याने डोळे निवतात आणि खरे दुःख दूर होते, कोणत्याही मोठ्या कर्मकांडापेक्षा अधिक खात्रीने. मृत्यूच्या क्षणी सगळे नियोजन आणि दानधर्म निरुपयोगी ठरतात, तेव्हा फक्त अंतःकरणातील स्मरणच टिकून राहते. संसार त्यांना पूर्वी शुद्ध आणि निरुपद्रवी वाटला, जणू पांढरा साप, पण तो सुरुवातीपासूनच विष होता आणि त्याने त्यांना देवापासून दूर नेले. आपल्या भ्रमांची आणि भटकंतीची किंमत आधीच चुकवल्यानंतर ते केवळ नतमस्तक होऊन मुक्तीची याचना करतात.

Where this applies

• Viṭṭhal-japa — atisāra. Japa-priority.
• Nirvāṇa-bāṇa—Nārāyaṇa-cintana. Final-hour.
• Samsāra —pāṇḍharā sarpa-vikhāra. Samsāra-as-deceit.
• Tukadaṇḍavata. Prostration-confession.

Related verses

• 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
• 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