संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1244 of 4582

Abhanga 1244

For today: suddenly the nāma can come on the tongue and pāpa goes; Ajāmiḷa was saved for the Name's-own-sake — vēḷō-vēḷām utterance is enough.

When Viṭṭhala comes suddenly on the tongue — sweetness fills the belly, pāpa goes; Ajāmiḷa was uplifted for the (Hari-)name's sake

The verse

गोड जालें पोट धालें । अवचित वाचे आलें । म्हणतां पाप गेलें । विठ्ठलसें वाचेसी ॥१॥ सत्य माना रे सकळ । उद्धरिला अजामेळ । पातकी चांडाळ । नामासाटीं आपुलिया ॥ध्रु.॥ चित्त पावलें आनंदा । सुखसमाधीतें सदा । म्हणतां गोविंदा । वेळोवेळां वाचेसी ॥२॥ हें जाणती अनुभवी । जया चाड तो चोजवी । तुका म्हणे दावी । रूप तें चि अरूपा ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Sweetness came, belly filled — suddenly it came on the tongue — saying it, pāpa went — Viṭṭhala on the tongue. Believe truly, all of you — Ajāmiḷa was uplifted — though pātakī cāṇḍāḷa — for the sake of his (own) name. Citta reached ānanda — sukha-samādhi always — saying Govinda from time to time on the tongue. The experienced know this — who has longing, experiences. Tuka says: that very rūpa shows itself — in the arūpa.

मराठी: गोडी आली, पोट धालें — अवचित वाचेला आलें — म्हणतां पाप गेलें — विठ्ठल वाचेला. खरें मानूं या रे सकळ — अजामेळ उद्धरिला — पातकी, चांडाळ असून — आपल्या नामासाठीं. चित्त आनंदाला पावलें — सुख-समाधींत सदा — गोविंदा म्हणतां — वेळोवेळां वाचेला. हें जाणणारे अनुभवी — ज्याला चाड (इच्छा) तो चोजवी (अनुभवतो) — Tukā म्हणे — रूप तें-च अरूपांत दावी.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
गोड जालें पोट धालें "sweetness came, belly filled (dhālēm = saturated)"
अवचित वाचे आलें "suddenly (avacita) came on the tongue"
म्हणतां पाप गेलें "saying (it), pāpa went"
विठ्ठलसें वाचेसी "Viṭṭhala on the vācē (tongue)"
उद्धरिला अजामेळ "Ajāmiḷa was uplifted"
पातकी चांडाळ "(though) pātakī, cāṇḍāḷa"
नामासाटीं आपुलिया "for the sake of (Hari's) own nāma"
चित्त पावलें आनंदा "citta reached ānanda"
सुखसमाधीतें सदा "sukha-samādhi always"
म्हणतां गोविंदा वेळोवेळां वाचेसी "saying Govinda from time to time on the tongue"
हें जाणती अनुभवी "the experienced (anubhavī) know this"
जया चाड तो चोजवी "who has cāḍa (longing) — that one experiences (cōjavī)"
दावी रूप तें चि अरूपा "that very rūpa shows itself in arūpa (formless)"

What it means

Bhupāḷyā 6 of 8 — the avacita coming of the nāma.

The image is intimate and household: the bhakta is just sitting, and avacita (suddenly, unexpectedly) the word Viṭṭhala comes onto the tongue. Gōḍa jālēm pōṭa dhālēmsweetness came, belly filled — the body's image of contentment from the simple naming.

The Ajāmiḷa reference: he was uplifted nāmā-sāṭīm āpuliyāfor his (= Hari's) own name's sake. This is the same theology as 1214 (Hari's nāma-abhimāna): Hari saves not for the bhakta's worthiness but for the integrity of his own names. Ajāmiḷa called Nārāyaṇa (his son's name) at death — but the Name has its own power; it saved.

Vēḷō-vēḷām vācēsītime to time on the tongue — the same understated practice as 1233's vēḷō-vēḷām manīm dhyāya. Not constant; not strenuous — but vēḷō-vēḷām on the tongue is enough.

The closing — rūpa tē chi arūpāthat very rūpa shows itself in the arūpa — is profound: the form (Viṭṭhala) reveals itself in the formless (arūpa). The two are not opposites; the rūpa-arūpa-non-difference is what the anubhavī (experiencer) knows.

[T]

For someone today

For today: suddenly the nāma can come on the tongue and pāpa goes; Ajāmiḷa was saved for the Name's-own-sake — vēḷō-vēḷām utterance is enough.

Where this applies

Related verses