Abhanga 1377
Search with full attention until you see what you're looking for, hold it steady in mind, and trust that even the most flawed person can become pure in a single moment.
The verse
आणूनियां मना । आवघ्या धांडोळिल्या खुणा । देखिला तो राणा । पंढरपूरनिवासी ॥१॥ यासी अनुसरल्या काय । घडे ऐसें वांयां जाय । देखिले ते पाय । सम जीवीं राहाती ॥ध्रु.॥ तो देखावा हा विध । चिंतनें तें कार्य सद्धि । आणिकां संबंध । नाहीं पर्वकाळासी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे खळ । हो क्षणें चि निर्मळ । जाऊनियां मळ । वाळवंटीं नाचती ॥३॥
Literal translation
Bringing (it) to mind — having searched all khuṇas — (I) saw that king — Paṇḍharapūra-nivāsī. Those who follow him — what happens, that goes vāyām? — those feet, once seen, stay sama in the jīva. That darśana — this is the vidhi — by cintana, the work is accomplished. Tuka says: even the khaḷa — in a kṣaṇa — become nirmaḷa — the maḷa having gone, they dance on the vāḷavaṇṭa.
मराठी: मनांत आणून — अवघ्या खुणा धांडोळून — पाहिला तो — राणा — पंढरपूर-निवासी. यासी अनुसरल्या — काय — घडलेलें — वायां जाईल? — देखिलें — ते पाय — सम — जीवीं — राहातीं. तो देखावा — हाच विधि — चिंतनानें — तेंच कार्य — सिद्धि. Tukā म्हणे — खळ-च — क्षणीं नर्मल — मळ जाऊनी — वाळवंटीं नाचतीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आणूनियां मना | "having brought (āṇūniyām) — to mind" |
| आवघ्या धांडोळिल्या खुणा | "all the khuṇas — dhāṇḍōḷilyā (= searched / probed)" |
| देखिला तो राणा | "(I) saw — that rāṇa (king)" |
| पंढरपूरनिवासी | "Paṇḍharapūra-nivāsī (resident-of-Paṇḍharapūra)" |
| यासी अनुसरल्या काय घडे ऐसें वांयां जाय | "those who follow him — what happens — that goes vāyām (vain)?" |
| देखिले ते पाय सम जीवीं राहाती | "those feet — once seen — stay sama (equal) — in the jīva" |
| तो देखावा हा विध | "that dēkhāvā (seeing) — this is the vidhi (procedure)" |
| चिंतनें तें कार्य सद्धि | "by cintana — that kārya (work) is siddhi (accomplished)" |
| तुका म्हणे खळ हो क्षणें चि निर्मळ | "Tuka says — even the khaḷa (wicked) — in a kṣaṇa — nirmaḷa (pure)" |
| जाऊनियां मळ वाळवंटीं नाचती | "the maḷa (impurity) — having gone — they dance — on the vāḷavaṇṭa (sandbank)" |
What it means
Saw-the-king-of-Paṇḍharapūra abhang. Closing image: even the wicked dance on the Bhīmā sandbank.
The opening journey-of-the-mind: āṇūniyām manā — avaghyā dhāṇḍōḷilyā khuṇā — dēkhilā tō rāṇā — Paṇḍharapūra-nivāsī — bringing it to mind — havingdhāṇḍōḷilyā(searched / probed) all thekhuṇas(signs) — (I)saw— thatrāṇa(king) — Paṇḍharapūra-nivāsī. After exhausting all signs / all explorations, the bhakta sees the king. The seeing is the result of the searching.
The principle: yāsī anusaralyā kāya ghaḍē aisē vāyām jāya? — those who follow him — whathappensin a way thatgoes vāyām(vain)? Nothing the followers experience is wasted; everything counts. Dēkhilē tē pāya — sama jīvīm rāhātī — those feet, once seen,stay sama(= equal / steady) — in the jīva. Once the feet are seen, they stay there in the jīva, not as a transient image but as a sama-presence.
The vidhi: tō dēkhāvā hā vidhi — cintanē tē kārya siddhi — thatdarśana— this is thevidhi(procedure); by cintana, thatkārya(work) issiddhi(accomplished). Cintana alone accomplishes the kārya of darśana. No other ritual-procedure needed.
The closing image is foundational warkari: Tukā mhaṇē khaḷa hō kṣaṇē chi nirmaḷa — jā'ūniyām maḷa — vāḷavaṇṭīm nācatī — Tuka says — even thekhaḷa(wicked / despicable) — in akṣaṇa— becomenirmaḷa(pure) — themaḷa(impurity) having gone — theydanceon thevāḷavaṇṭa(sandbank). Vāḷavaṇṭa is the sandbank of the Bhīmā at Paṇḍharpur — where the vārī-pilgrims dance during the festival. The complete-democratic-bhakti-claim: even the most wicked become pure in a single kṣaṇa, and join the dance on the sandbank.
[T]
For someone today
For today: bring all signs to mind, search them — see the king of Paṇḍharapūra; nothing his followers go through is wasted; cintana alone accomplishes darśana; even the wicked become pure in a kṣaṇa and dance on the sandbank.
Where this applies
- When you've searched for meaning through many paths and finally feel you've found what you were looking for
- When you wonder whether all the struggle of your spiritual search was worth it
- When you want a steady inner image to return to instead of a complicated ritual
- When you doubt someone can change because of their past, and need to remember that anyone can turn clean in an instant