Abhanga 766
Tukaram asks what remembering Vitthal even once fails to accomplish, and answers that this simple remembrance is the essence of every spiritual practice and enough to carry you across the ocean of worldly struggle. Someone who keeps Vitthal in mind, he says, has effectively already done countless years of yoga, ritual, and austerity, without needing to perform any of it directly. So he tells us not to overcomplicate our practice: just repeat the easy three syllable name, Vi-Tha-La, and that alone is enough.
The verse
काय नव्हे केलें । एका चिंतितां विठ्ठलें ॥१॥ सर्व साधनांचें सार । भवसिंधु उतरी पार ॥ध्रु.॥ योगायागतपें । केलीं तयानें अमुपें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जपा । मंत्र तीं अक्षरी सोपा ॥३॥
Literal translation
What — not-done — one — cintitām — Viṭhṭhal? Sarva sādhanāncē sāra — bhava-sindhu — crosses — pāra. Yoga-yāga-tapas — by-him — amupē — done. Tuka says: jap — mantra — tīm akṣarī — sōpā.
मराठी: काय नव्हे केलें — एका चिंतितां विठ्ठलें?. सर्व साधनांचें सार — भव-सिंधू पार उतरी. योग-याग-तपें — त्याने अमुपें केलीं. Tuka म्हणे: जपा — मंत्र तीन-अक्षरी सोपा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| काय नव्हे केलें | "what — not-done" |
| एका चिंतितां विठ्ठलें | "one — cintitām — Viṭhṭhal" |
| सर्व साधनांचें सार | "sarva sādhanāncē sāra" |
| भवसिंधु उतरी पार | "bhava-sindhu — crosses — pāra" |
| योगायागतपें | "yoga-yāga-tapas" |
| केलीं तयानें अमुपें | "by-him — amupē — done" |
| जपा मंत्र तीं अक्षरी सोपा | "jap — mantra — tīm akṣarī — sōpā" |
What it means
A what-isn't-done-by-Viṭṭhal-cintana-essence-of-all-sādhanas-three-letter-mantra-easy abhang. Viṭṭhal-three-letter-mantra register. Three claims:
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काय-नव्हे-केलें — एका-चिंतितां विठ्ठलें — सर्व-सादनांचें-सार — भव-सिंधू-पार. Viṭṭhal-cintana-essence-of-all-sādhana-claim. What is not-done? — bycintitām(remembering) oneViṭhṭhal; (that is) thesāraof allsādhanas; crosses thebhava-sindhuacross. Viṭṭhal-cintana-is-essence-and-crosses-the-ocean.
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योग-याग-तप-त्याने अमुपें-केलीं. Yoga-yāga-tapas-uncountable-by-him-claim. Yoga-yāga-tapas — by-him (the one-who-remembers-Viṭṭhal) amupē (uncountable, immeasurable) (have been) done.Viṭṭhal-cintana-is-equivalent-to-uncountable-yoga-yāga-tapas-done. (The one who remembers Viṭṭhal hasalready done uncountable yoga-yāga-tapas.)
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Tuka: जपा — मंत्र तीन-अक्षरी सोपा. Three-letter-mantra-easy-claim. Tuka says:jap(recite) — themantraoftīm akṣarī(three letters:Vi-ṭha-la— Vi-Ṭha-La), thesōpā(easy). Just-jap-the-three-letter-easy-mantra.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram asks what remembering Vitthal even once fails to accomplish, and answers that this simple remembrance is the essence of every spiritual practice and enough to carry you across the ocean of worldly struggle. Someone who keeps Vitthal in mind, he says, has effectively already done countless years of yoga, ritual, and austerity, without needing to perform any of it directly. So he tells us not to overcomplicate our practice: just repeat the easy three syllable name, Vi-Tha-La, and that alone is enough.
मराठी: तुकाराम विचारतात की नुसतं विठ्ठलाचं चिंतन करून काय साध्य होत नाही, आणि उत्तर देतात की हे साधं स्मरणच सगळ्या साधनांचं सार आहे, हेच भवसागर पार करायला पुरेसं आहे. जो विठ्ठलाला मनात ठेवतो त्याने जणू असंख्य योग, यज्ञ आणि तप आधीच केलेले असतात, ते सगळं प्रत्यक्ष करायची गरजच उरत नाही. म्हणून ते सांगतात की साधना गुंतागुंतीची करू नका, फक्त सोप्या तीन अक्षरी नामाचा जप करा, विठ्ठल, इतकंच पुरेसं आहे.
Where this applies
- Viṭṭhal-cintana. Essence.
- Equal to allyoga-yāga-tapas. Equivalent.
- Three-letter mantra. Easy.