Abhanga 1450
English: The Purāṇas tell the pavāḍa of nāma — having become kīrtana, that very (Hari) has stayed.
The verse
नामाचे पवाडे बोलती पुराणें । होऊनि कीर्तन तो चि ठेला ॥१॥ आदिनाथा कंठीं आगळा हा मंत्र । आवडीचें स्तोत्र सदा घोकी ॥ध्रु.॥ आगळें हे सार उत्तमा उत्तम । ब्रम्हकर्मा नाम एक तुझें ॥२॥ तिहीं त्रिभुवनीं गमन नारदा । हातीं विणा सदा नाम मुखीं ॥३॥ परिक्षिती मृत्यु सातां दिवसांचा । मुक्त जाला वाचा उच्चारितां ॥४॥ कोळियाची कीर्ति वाढली गहन । केलें रामायण रामा आधीं ॥५॥ सगुण निर्गुण तुज म्हणे वेद । तुका म्हणे भेद नाहीं नांवा ॥६॥
Literal translation
English: The Purāṇas tell the pavāḍa of nāma — having become kīrtana, that very (Hari) has stayed. In Ādi-nātha's throat is this āgaḷā mantra — the stōtra of his āvaḍī, he always recites. This sāra is uttamā-uttama, set-apart — to Brahma-karma, your nāma alone. In the three worlds, Nārada moves — vīṇā in hand always, nāma in mouth. Parīkṣita's death of seven days — he became mukta when (he) uttered (it) by vācā. The Kōḷī's kīrti grew gahana — he made Rāmāyaṇa before Rāma. Saguṇa-nirguṇa, the Veda calls you — Tuka says: no bhēda to the nāma.
मराठी: नामाचे — पवाडे — बोलती — पुराणें; — होऊनि — कीर्तन — तो — चि — ठेला. आदि-नाथा — कंठीं — आगळा — हा — मंत्र; — आवडीचें — स्तोत्र — सदा — घोकी. आगळें — हे — सार — उत्तमा — उत्तम; — ब्रम्ह-कर्मा — नाम — एक — तुझें. तिहीं — त्रिभुवनीं — गमन — नारदा; — हातीं — विणा — सदा — नाम — मुखीं. परिक्षिती — मृत्यु — सातां — दिवसांचा; — मुक्त — जाला — वाचा — उच्चारितां. कोळियाची — कीर्ति — वाढली — गहन; — केलें — रामायण — रामा — आधीं. सगुण — निर्गुण — तुज — म्हणे — वेद; — Tukā म्हणे — भेद — नाहीं — नांवा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नामाचे पवाडे बोलती पुराणें | "of nāma — pavāḍa (= heroic-deeds) — Purāṇas — tell" |
| होऊनि कीर्तन तो चि ठेला | "having become kīrtana — that very (one) (= Hari) — has stayed (ṭhēlā)" |
| आदिनाथा कंठीं आगळा हा मंत्र | "in Ādi-nātha (= Śiva)'s throat — āgaḷā (= set-apart / excellent) — this mantra" |
| आवडीचें स्तोत्र सदा घोकी | "the stōtra of (his) āvaḍī (love) — sadā ghōkī (always recites)" |
| आगळें हे सार उत्तमा उत्तम | "this sāra (essence) — uttamā uttama (highest of high) — āgaḷēm (set-apart)" |
| ब्रम्हकर्मा नाम एक तुझें | "to Brahma-karma — your nāma — one (alone is means)" |
| तिहीं त्रिभुवनीं गमन नारदा | "in (the) three (tihīm) — tribhuvana — gamana (travel) — Nārada's" |
| हातीं विणा सदा नाम मुखीं | "vīṇā in hand — always — nāma in mouth" |
| परिक्षिती मृत्यु सातां दिवसांचा | "Parīkṣita's — mṛtyu — of seven days" |
| मुक्त जाला वाचा उच्चारितां | "(he) became mukta — when (it) is uttered (uccāritām) — by vācā" |
| कोळियाची कीर्ति वाढली गहन | "Kōḷī (= the fisherman, Vālmīki)'s — kīrti (fame) — grew gahana (deep)" |
| केलें रामायण रामा आधीं | "made Rāmāyaṇa — before Rāma (himself)" |
| सगुण निर्गुण तुज म्हणे वेद | "saguṇa, nirguṇa — the Veda — calls you" |
| तुका म्हणे भेद नाहीं नांवा | "Tuka says — bhēda — is none — to (the) nāma" |
What it means
Nāma-pavāḍā with purāṇic-examples abhang. A continuation of 1434's anti-anti-nāma polemic — same catalogue-of-nāma-power-examples approach. The opening: nāmācē pavāḍē bōlatī Purāṇē — hō'ūnī kīrtana tō chi ṭhēlā — the pavāḍa (heroic-deeds) of the nāma — the Purāṇas tell; — having become kīrtana — that very (Hari) — has stayed. Hari has stayed (in the world) as kīrtana itself. (Striking Hari-as-kīrtana-form identification.)
The catalogue of examples:
(1) Ādi-nātha kaṇṭhīm āgaḷā hā mantra — āvaḍīcēm stōtra sadā ghōkī — in Ādi-nātha (= Śiva)'s throat — this mantra is āgaḷā (set-apart / excellent); — the stōtra of his āvaḍī — he always recites. Even Śiva keeps reciting Hari-stōtra. (Reference to Rāma-rāma-rāmaḥ whispered by Śiva to Pārvatī, classical Rāma-tāraka-mantra trope; cf. Rāma-Rakṣā-Stōtra.)
(2) āgaḷēm hēm sāra uttamā uttama — Brahma-karmā nāma ēka tujhē — this is the highest-of-high sāra; — for Brahma-karma — your nāma alone (is the means). (= even for attaining the Brahman, only nāma — not yajña, tapas, mantra, etc.)
(3) tribhuvanīm gamana Nāradā — hātīm vīṇā sadā nāma mukhīm — Nārada — travels in the three worlds — vīṇā in hand always, nāma in mouth. (= the classical Nārada-as-perpetual-bhakta-singer image.)
(4) Parīkṣitī mṛtyu sātām divasāñcā — mukta jālā vācā uccāritām — Parīkṣita's death of seven days — became mukta when (he) uttered (it) by vācā. (= reference to the Bhāgavata-Purāṇa — King Parīkṣita, cursed to die in 7 days, listened-to/uttered the Bhāgavata-narrative and attained mukti.)
(5) Kōḷiyācī kīrti vāḍhalī gahana — kēlēm Rāmāyaṇa Rāmā ādhīm — the Kōḷī (fisherman) — his kīrti grew deep; — made Rāmāyaṇa — before Rāma. The Vālmīki reference — once a Kōḷī (fisher / hunter) named Ratnākara — by Rāma-nāma (uttered backward as marā-marā but still effective) — he became Vālmīki and composed the Rāmāyaṇa even before Rāma's appearance was complete. The power of nāma anticipated Rāma's own deeds*.
(6) saguṇa nirguṇa tuja mhaṇē Veda — Tukā mhaṇē bhēda nāhīm nāmvā — the Veda calls you saguṇa-nirguṇa; — Tuka says — no bhēda — to (the) nāma. The closing punchline: the Veda may parse you as saguṇa-or-nirguṇa, but the nāma has no bhēda — the nāma works equally for both. (Pairs with 1448's avaghē sākarēcēm anga-vyanga-na — the sugar-body has no deficient piece; the nāma is undivided.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: the Purāṇas tell nāma's pavāḍas — Hari himself has stayed as kīrtana; Śiva keeps reciting it, Nārada wanders the three worlds with vīṇā and nāma, Parīkṣita-of-7-day-death was freed by uttering, the fisherman became Vālmīki and composed Rāmāyaṇa before Rāma — there is no bhēda in the name.
Where this applies
- Hari-stays-as-kīrtana.* Hō'ūnī-kīrtana-tō-chi-ṭhēlā.
- Śiva-recites-Hari-stotra.* Ādi-nātha-kaṇṭhīm-mantra-āvaḍīcēm-stōtra.
- Brahma-karma-by-nāma-alone.* Brahma-karmā-nāma-ēka.
- Nārada-with-vīṇā-and-nāma.* Tribhuvanīm-Nāradā-vīṇā-nāma-mukhīm.
- Parīkṣita-saved-in-7-days-by-uttering.* Parīkṣitī-sātām-divasāñcā-vācā-uccāritām.
- Vālmīki-composed-Rāmāyaṇa-before-Rāma.* Kōḷiyācī-Rāmāyaṇa-Rāmā-ādhīm.
- No-bhēda-in-nāma.* Bhēda-nāhīm-nāmvā.