Abhanga 1041
Tukaram declares that for him, Vitthal alone is God; everything else, by comparison, is empty. He describes the image so many pilgrims carry in their minds: Vitthal standing behind Pundalik, the devoted son whose love drew God to Pandharpur, hands resting on his hips, waiting patiently on a brick. Tukaram says: let's actually look at this with our own eyes, not just repeat it as a phrase, and let's carry Rakhumai's husband, another name for Vitthal, in our hearts and minds. Devotion isn't just believing in an idea of God in the abstract. It's fixing your attention on something concrete and real to you, seeing it clearly, and holding it in your mind as your true north, letting lesser things fall away.
The verse
जींवीचा जिव्हाळा । पाहों आपुलिया डोळां ॥१॥ आम्हां विठ्ठल एक देव । येर अवघे चि वाव ॥ध्रु.॥ पुंडलिकाचे पाठीं । उभा हात ठेवुनि कटी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे चित्तीं । वाहूं रखुमाईंचा पती ॥३॥
Literal translation
Jīvīcā jivhāḷā — ḍōḷā. Viṭṭhala — ēka Dēva — yēra — vāva. Puṇḍalikācē pāṭhīm — hāta — kaṭī. Tuka says: chittī — vāhū — Rakhumāīñcā patī.
मराठी: जींवीचा जिव्हाळा — आपुलिया डोळां पाहों. आम्हां Viṭṭhala एक Dēva — येर अवघे-च वाव. Puṇḍalikācē पाठीं — हात कटीवर ठेवुनि उभा. Tuka म्हणे: चित्तीं — Rakhumāīñcā पती वाहूं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| जींवीचा जिव्हाळा | "jīvīcā jivhāḷā" |
| पाहों आपुलिया डोळां | "ḍōḷā" |
| आम्हां विठ्ठल एक देव | "Viṭṭhala — ēka Dēva" |
| येर अवघे चि वाव | "yēra — vāva" |
| पुंडलिकाचे पाठीं | "Puṇḍalikācē pāṭhīm" |
| उभा हात ठेवुनि कटी | "hāta — kaṭī" |
| चित्तीं वाहूं | "chittī — vāhū" |
| रखुमाईंचा पती | "Rakhumāīñcā patī" |
What it means
A let-us-see-the-heart's-warmth-with-our-own-eyes-for-us-Viṭṭhala-alone-is-Dēva-the-rest-is-all-empty-standing-behind-Puṇḍalik-hands-placed-on-the-waist-in-our-mind-let's-carry-Rakhumāī's-husband abhang. Carry-Rakhumāī's-pati-in-chitta register. Captures the iconographic Vitthal stance — hands on hips, standing on the brick behind Puṇḍalik. Four claims:
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जीवीचा-जिव्हाळा — आपुलिया-डोळां. See-with-our-own-eyes-claim. Let's see thejīvīcā jivhāḷā (the heart's-warmth, the inner-most-affection); with our ownḍōḷā (eye).
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Viṭṭhala-एक-Dēva — येर-वाव. Viṭṭhala-alone-Dēva-rest-empty-claim. For us,Viṭṭhalaalone is theDēva;the rest is all vāva (empty, void).
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पुंडलिक-पाठीं — हात-कटी. Standing-behind-Puṇḍalik-hands-on-waist-claim. Behind Puṇḍalik;standing, hands placed on the kaṭī (waist/hip). (The classic Pandhari iconography: Vitthal stands on a brick that Puṇḍalik laid out, hands on his own hips.)
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Tuka: चित्तीं — Rakhumāī-पती-वाहूं. Carry-Rakhumāī's-husband-claim. Tuka says: in (our)chittī;let's vāhū (carry, bear) the Rakhumāīñcā patī (Rakhumāī's husband).
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram declares that for him, Vitthal alone is God; everything else, by comparison, is empty. He describes the image so many pilgrims carry in their minds: Vitthal standing behind Pundalik, the devoted son whose love drew God to Pandharpur, hands resting on his hips, waiting patiently on a brick. Tukaram says: let's actually look at this with our own eyes, not just repeat it as a phrase, and let's carry Rakhumai's husband, another name for Vitthal, in our hearts and minds. Devotion isn't just believing in an idea of God in the abstract. It's fixing your attention on something concrete and real to you, seeing it clearly, and holding it in your mind as your true north, letting lesser things fall away.
मराठी: तुकाराम इथे स्पष्टपणे सांगतात की त्यांच्यासाठी विठ्ठल हाच एकमेव देव आहे; बाकी सगळं त्यापुढे रिकामं, निरर्थक आहे. ते वारकऱ्यांच्या मनात कायम असणारं ते चित्र उभं करतात: पुंडलिकाच्या पाठीशी उभा, कमरेवर हात ठेवून विटेवर शांतपणे थांबलेला विठ्ठल. पुंडलिक हा तो भक्त मुलगा होता ज्याच्या प्रेमापोटी देव पंढरपुरात येऊन उभा राहिला. तुकाराम म्हणतात की हे नुसतं बोलून दाखवण्याऐवजी आपण खरोखर आपल्या डोळ्यांनी बघूया, आणि रखुमाईच्या पतीला, म्हणजे विठ्ठलाला, आपल्या मनात घेऊन चालूया. भक्ती म्हणजे केवळ देवाची अमूर्त कल्पना मानणं नव्हे. तर आपल्या आयुष्यातल्या एका ठोस, खऱ्याखुऱ्या गोष्टीवर लक्ष केंद्रित करणं, ती नीट पाहणं आणि तिला आपल्या मनाच्या केंद्रस्थानी ठेवणं, जेणेकरून बाकीच्या क्षुल्लक गोष्टी आपोआप गळून पडतील.
Where this applies
- See-with-eyes. Jīvīcā-jivhāḷā.
- Only-Viṭṭhala. Yēra-vāva.
- Iconography. Hāta-kaṭī.
- Carry-in-chitta. Vāhū.