संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 866 of 4582

Abhanga 866

A place where people live in genuine devotion together becomes so blessed that even death hesitates to enter it.

When where Vaiṣṇavas dwell, the bhūmi is blessed, the dēśa puṇya — and you have to recognize this register
When no doṣa to the medicine; the dūta reports to Yama — and you accept this image
When Garuḍa-banners; bhūmi resounds with jaya-call; Gōvinda on natural rhythm — and you allow this image

The verse

जेथें वैष्णवांचा वास । धन्य भूमी पुण्य देश ॥१॥ दोष नाहीं ओखदासी । दूत सांगे यमापाशीं ॥ध्रु.॥ गरुडटकयांच्या भारें । भूमि गर्जे जेजेकारें ॥२॥ सहज तयां जनां छंद । वाचे गोविंद गोविंद ॥३॥ तुळसीवनें रंगमाळा । अवघा वैकुंठसोहळा ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे भेणें । काळ नये तेणें राणें ॥५॥

Literal translation

Where — Vaiṣṇava — vāsa — dhanya bhūmi puṇya dēśa. Dōṣa — none — ōkhada — dūta — Yama. Garuḍa-ṭaka — bhāra — bhūmi — garjē — jējē-kāra. Sahaja — jana — chanda — vācā — Gōvinda Gōvinda. Tuḷasī-vana — ranga-māḷā — Vaikuṇṭha-sōhaḷā. Tuka says: bhēṇē — kāḷa — not-come — rāṇē.

मराठी: जेथें वैष्णवांचा वास — धन्य भूमी, पुण्य देश. दोष नाहीं ओखदासी (औषधाला) — दूत यमा-पाशीं सांगे. Garuḍa-टकयांच्या भारें — भूमि जेजे-कारें गर्जे. सहज त्या जनांना छंद — वाचें Gōvinda Gōvinda. तुळसी-वनें, रंग-माळा — अवघा Vaikuṇṭha-सोहळा. Tuka म्हणे: भेणें — काळ त्या राणें (territory) येत नाहीं.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
जेथें वैष्णवांचा वास "where — Vaiṣṇava — vāsa"
धन्य भूमी पुण्य देश "dhanya — bhūmi — puṇya — dēśa"
दोष नाहीं ओखदासी "dōṣa — none — ōkhada"
दूत सांगे यमापाशीं "dūta — tells — Yama-side"
गरुडटकयांच्या भारें "Garuḍa-ṭaka — bhāra"
भूमि गर्जे जेजेकारें "bhūmi — garjē — jējē-kāra"
सहज तयां जनां छंद "sahaja — jana — chanda"
वाचे गोविंद गोविंद "vācā — Gōvinda Gōvinda"
तुळसीवनें रंगमाळा "tuḷasī-vana — ranga-māḷā"
अवघा वैकुंठसोहळा "all — Vaikuṇṭha-sōhaḷā"
भेणें "bhēṇē (fear)"
काळ नये तेणें राणें "kāḷa — not-come — rāṇē"

What it means

A where-Vaiṣṇavas-dwell-bhūmi-blessed-dēśa-puṇya-no-doṣa-to-medicine-Yama's-dūta-reports-Garuḍa-banners-bhūmi-resounds-jaya-Gōvinda-on-natural-rhythm-tuḷasī-groves-rangoli-Vaikuṇṭha-celebration-out-of-fear-kāḷa-doesn't-come abhang. Vaiṣṇava-territory-kāḷa-fled register. Five claims:

  1. जेथें-वैष्णवांचा-वास — धन्य-भूमी-पुण्य-देश — दोष-नाहीं-ओखदासी — दूत-यमा-पाशीं. Vaiṣṇava-territory-blessed-no-doṣa-Yama-dūta-reports-claim. Where theVaiṣṇavasvāsa; thatbhūmiisdhanya, thedēśaispuṇya; nodōṣato theōkhada(the bhakti-medicine — = no fault in this remedy); thedūta(Yama's-messenger) tells (this) besideYama. Vaiṣṇava-place-blessed; medicine-faultless; Yama's-own-dūta-reports. (The dūta-Yama-pāśī image: even the Yama-dūta reports back to Yama that this place is off-limits.)

  2. Garuḍa-टकया-भारें — भूमी-गर्जे-जेजे-कारें. Garuḍa-banners-bhūmi-resounds-claim. With thebhāraofGaruḍa-ṭakas (the Garuḍa-standards / banners of Vaiṣṇava-processions — the Garuḍa-flag is the canonical Vaiṣṇava-standard);the bhūmi garjē (resounds) with jējē-kāra (the jaya-jaya call).Garuḍa-banner-loads; ground-resounds-with-jaya.

  3. सहज-त्या-जनां-छंद — वाचें-Gōvinda-Gōvinda. Gōvinda-on-natural-rhythm-claim. Thosejanahave asahajachanda (natural rhythm);Gōvinda Gōvindaon thevācā. Natural-rhythm-of-Gōvinda-on-tongue.

  4. तुळसी-वनें-रंग-माळा — Vaikuṇṭha-सोहळा. Vaikuṇṭha-celebration-on-earth-claim. Tuḷasī-vanas, ranga-māḷā (rangoli-row, the colorful pattern-rows);all is the Vaikuṇṭha-sōhaḷā (Vaikuṇṭha-celebration).Vaikuṇṭha-celebration-on-earth.

  5. Tuka: भेणें — काळ-राणें-नाहीं-येत. Kāḷa-doesn't-come-out-of-fear-claim. Tuka says: out ofbhēṇē (fear)—kāḷadoesn't come to thatrāṇē (territory, region — the rāṇē is the boundary-of-jurisdiction).Kāḷa-fears-and-doesn't-enter-this-territory. (Closing-claim: evenkāḷa(death-and-time) is afraid to come into therāṇē (the territorial-jurisdiction) of the Vaiṣṇavas.)

[T]

For someone today

Wherever devoted people gather in genuine devotion, that place becomes something sacred and safe, this verse claims even death itself becomes hesitant to enter such a place. Where Vaishnavas live, the ground itself is called blessed; there's nothing wrong or hidden with this practice, so much so that even Yama's own messenger reports back that this territory is protected. Amid Garuda banners, the joyful cry of victory, the natural habit of chanting God's name, and tulsi gardens with festive rangoli patterns, life there already resembles a celebration in heaven. Tukaram's point: a community steeped in devotion carries an almost tangible protection.

मराठी: जिथे खऱ्या भक्तीने माणसे एकत्र येतात, ती जागा पवित्र आणि सुरक्षित बनते, इतकी की मृत्यूसुद्धा तिथे येण्यास कचरतो, असं ही ओवी सांगते. जिथे वैष्णव राहतात, ती भूमी धन्य मानली जाते; या भक्तीत काही दोष नाही, इतकं की यमाचा दूतही यमाकडे परत जाऊन सांगतो की ही जागा सुरक्षित आहे. गरुडाचे झेंडे, जयजयकाराचा गजर, आपोआप जिभेवर येणारं गोविंद नाम, तुळशीची वने आणि रांगोळ्या, हे सगळं जणू वैकुंठाचा सोहळाच आहे. तुकारामांचा मुद्दा असा की, भक्तीत रमलेला समुदाय जवळजवळ स्पर्श करता येईल इतकं संरक्षण घेऊन येतो.

Where this applies

Mortality / Vairāgya Bhakti

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