संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 768 of 4582

Abhanga 768

When you call out sincerely, God does not wait. Like Hari leaping from the pillar the instant Prahlad cried out, your Vithai comes running and breaks through whatever stands in the way. Tukaram addresses Vithoba here in her tender, motherly form, Vithai, who rushes to embrace you the moment you remember her. Just singing her name aloud, in kirtan, is enough to draw you into complete oneness with the divine. You do not need elaborate rituals; a genuine call and a sung name open the door.

When Viṭhāī jumps with the call and breaks the pillar — and you have to recognize this register

When no kṛpāvanta other than my Viṭhāī — and you accept this image

When by the nāma, gives sāyujyatā — and you receive this final claim

The verse

हाकेसरिसी उडी । घालूनियां स्तंभ फोडी ॥१॥ ऐसी कृपावंत कोण । माझे विठाईवांचून ॥ध्रु.॥ करितां आठव । धांवोनियां घाली कव ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे गीती गातां । नामें द्यावी सायुज्यता ॥३॥

Literal translation

With the hāka — uḍī — stambha — break. Such kṛpāvanta — who? — except my Viṭhāī. Āṭhava — done — running — kava. Tuka says: in gīta — singing — by nāma — sāyujyatā — gives.

मराठी: हाके-सरिसी उडी — स्तंभ फोडून. अशी कृपावंत कोण — माझ्या Viṭhāī-वांचून?. आठव करितां — धांवून येऊन कव घाली. Tuka म्हणे: गीती गातां — नामेंच sāyujyatā देई.

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
हाकेसरिसी उडी	"hāka-sarisī — uḍī (jump)"
घालूनियां स्तंभ फोडी	"stambha — break"
ऐसी कृपावंत कोण	"such kṛpāvanta — who?"
माझे विठाईवांचून	"my Viṭhāī — except"
करितां आठव	"āṭhava — done"
धांवोनियां घाली कव	"running — kava (embrace)"
गीती गातां	"in gīta — singing"
नामें द्यावी सायुज्यता	"by nāma — sāyujyatā — gives"

What it means

A Viṭhāī-jumps-on-call-breaks-pillar-runs-on-remembrance-gives-embrace-by-nāma-sāyujyatā abhang. Viṭhāī-jumps-Narasimha-echo register. Three claims:

हाके-सरिसी उडी — स्तंभ फोडून — कृपावंत कोण — Viṭhāī-वांचून. Jumps-breaks-pillar-Narasimha-echo-claim. With thehāka(call), (She) jumps — and breaks thestambha(pillar); such akṛpāvanta— who, except myViṭhāī?. Such-jumping-pillar-breaking-kṛpāvanta-no-other-than-Viṭhāī. (The hākē-sarisī uḍī — stambha phōḍī is the precise echo of the Narasimha-Prahlāda episode: when Prahlāda called, Hari leapt-out-of-the-pillar; Tuka attributes the same to Viṭhāī, the feminine-tender-form of Viṭhōbā.)
Āṭhava-करितां — धांवून-येऊन — कव घाली. Runs-on-remembrance-gives-embrace-claim. When theāṭhava(remembrance) is done; (She) runs andghālī kava(gives an embrace, takes-into-arms). Runs-and-embraces-on-remembrance.
Tuka: गीती-गातां — नामें-sāyujyatā. By-nāma-gives-sāyujyatā-claim. Tuka says: when sung ingīta, by thenāma, givessāyujyatā(oneness, merging — the highest of the four-fold-mukti). Singing-the-nāma-grants-sāyujyatā.

[T]

For someone today

मराठी: जेव्हा तुम्ही मनापासून हाक मारता, तेव्हा देव थांबत नाही. प्रल्हादाच्या हाकेला हरी जसा खांबातून झेप घेऊन आला, तशीच तुमची विठाई धावत येते आणि आडवं येणारं सगळं तोडून टाकते. इथे तुकाराम विठोबाला त्याच्या कोमल, मातृस्वरूपात, विठाई म्हणून, संबोधतात, जी आठवण होताच धावत येऊन कवेत घेते. फक्त तिचं नाम गाणं, कीर्तनात गाणं, हेच तुम्हाला पूर्ण ऐक्यापर्यंत नेण्यास पुरेसं आहे. मोठ्या विधींची गरज नाही, खरी हाक आणि गायलेलं नाम हेच दार उघडतं.

Where this applies

When you cry out for help and feel too small or unworthy to be heard
When you doubt whether devotion without elaborate ritual can be enough
When you feel far from God and need reminding that sincere remembrance alone draws a response
When you sing devotional songs and wonder if it truly accomplishes anything

Nāma (the Name) Bhakti