Abhanga 1438
Chanting God's name is proof enough on its own, so say it however imperfectly, stay ready for death, and trust it as the seed at the heart of all scripture.
The verse
आम्हांसी तों नाहीं आणीक प्रमाण । नामासी कारण विठोबाच्या ॥१॥ घालूनियां कास करितो कैवाड । वागों नेदीं आड किळकाळासी ॥ध्रु.॥ अबद्ध वांकडें जैशातैशा परी । वाचे हरि हरि उच्चारावें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आम्हां सांपडलें निज । सकळां हें बीज पुराणांचें ॥३॥
Literal translation
To us — no other pramāṇa — only nāma is the kāraṇa of Viṭhobā. Having tucked up, I make kaivāḍa — let nothing get in the way of kiḷa-kāḷa. Incoherent, crooked, howsoever — by the vācā, Hari Hari must be uttered. Tuka says: we have caught the nija — to all, this is the bīja of the Purāṇas.
मराठी: आम्हांसी — तों — नाहीं — आणीक — प्रमाण; — नामासी — कारण — विठोबाच्या. घालूनियां — कास — करितो — कैवाड; — वागों — नेदीं — आड — किळ-काळासी. अबद्ध — वांकडें — जैशा-तैशा — परी; — वाचे — हरि — हरि — उच्चारावें. Tukā म्हणे — आम्हां — सांपडलें — निज; — सकळां — हें — बीज — पुराणांचें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आम्हांसी तों नाहीं आणीक प्रमाण | "to us — there is no other (āṇīka) — pramāṇa (valid-knowledge-means)" |
| नामासी कारण विठोबाच्या | "to (the) nāma — kāraṇa (= cause / sufficient-instrument) — of Viṭhobā" |
| घालूनियां कास करितो कैवाड | "having tucked-up (ghālūnī kāsa) — I make (karitō) — kaivāḍa (= protection-stance / championship)" |
| वागों नेदीं आड किळकाळासी | "let not (nēdīm) — vāgōm (= move / behave) — āḍa (in-the-way) — to kiḷa-kāḷa (= time-of-end)" |
| अबद्ध वांकडें जैशातैशा परी | "abaddha (incoherent), vānkaḍēm (crooked), jaiśā-taiśā (= as-it-may-be)" |
| वाचे हरि हरि उच्चारावें | "by the vācā — Hari Hari — must be uttered" |
| तुका म्हणे आम्हां सांपडलें निज | "Tuka says — we have caught (sāmpaḍalēm) — the nija (= one's own / inmost-truth)" |
| सकळां हें बीज पुराणांचें | "to all (sakaḷām) — this — is the bīja (seed) — of (the) Purāṇas" |
What it means
Only-nāma-is-our-pramāṇa abhang. A direct-continuation of 1434's anti-anti-nāma polemic. The opening: āmhāmsī tōm nāhīm āṇīka pramāṇa — nāmāsī kāraṇa Viṭhōbācyā — to us — there is no other (āṇīka)pramāṇa; — thenāmaalone is thekāraṇaof Viṭhobā. Pramāṇa is the technical term in Indian epistemology (six classical pramāṇas: pratyakṣa, anumāna, śabda, etc.); Tuka rejects them all — for us, only nāma is pramāṇa. (= the bhakti-pramāṇa-thesis: bhakti-experience overrides all other knowing; cf. Bhāgavata-Purāṇa's bhakti-pramāṇa alongside the standard six.)
The active stance: ghālūniyām kāsa karitō kaivāḍa — vāgōm nēdīm āḍa kiḷa-kāḷāsī — havingtucked-up(thekāsa= thefold-of-the-dhoti tied at the waist for vigorous action); — I makekaivāḍa(= protection-stance); — let nothing —vāgōm(move) —āḍa(in-the-way) — tokiḷa-kāḷa(= thekāla-of-end= death-time). The kāsa-tucked-up warrior-stance: I am ready, none-shall-block-me at death-time. (= bhakti-as-warrior-stance; cf. 1410's sāvadhāna-buddhī — alert-buddhi.)
The democratization: abaddha vānkaḍēm jaiśā-taiśā parī — vācē Hari Hari uccārāvēm — incoherent, crooked, however-it-may-be — by thevācā,Hari Hari— must be uttered. Don't worry about quality of the recitation — just utter it howsoever. (Compare 1433's prakaṭa pasārā jēthēm tēthēm — open public expanse, anywhere; here howsoever-incoherent.)
The closing: sāmpaḍalēm nija — sakaḷām hēm bīja purāṇāñcē — we havecaughtthenija(= our own / our inmost-truth); —to all, this is the bīja(seed) — of thePurāṇas. Nāma is the seed-essence of all the Purāṇa-corpus. (Compare 1421's tatva-bīja-pā'ulēm — paths-traced-by-the-truth-seed; here nāma-as-seed-of-purāṇas.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: only nāma is our pramāṇa; tuck up and stand the kaivāḍa-stance — let nothing block you at the death-time; utter Hari-Hari howsoever incoherent; we have caught the nija — this is the seed of all the Purāṇas.
Where this applies
- When you feel you must get the words of a prayer perfectly right before you're allowed to say them.
- When you're facing a frightening or uncertain moment and need something steady to hold onto.
- When you're overthinking whether your practice counts as real devotion instead of just doing it.
- When you want a simple daily habit that doesn't depend on getting every detail correct.