Abhanga 1452
When devotion becomes genuine, one thing can become so sweet to you that you stop giving your attention to anything else.
The verse
आणीक कांहीं मज नावडे मात । एक पंढरिनाथ वांचुनिया ॥१॥ त्याची च कथा आवडे कीर्तन । तें मज श्रवणें गोड लागे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे संत म्हणोत भलतें । विठ्ठलापरतें न मनी कांहीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
No other māta pleases me — except one Paṇḍharī-nātha. His alone, kathā, pleases — kīrtana — that, by śravaṇa, strikes me gōḍa. Tuka says: let samtas say bhalatēm — beyond Viṭhṭhala, I don't manī anything.
मराठी: आणीक — कांहीं — मज — नावडे — मात; — एक — पंढरि-नाथ — वांचुनिया. त्याची — च — कथा — आवडे — कीर्तन; — तें — मज — श्रवणें — गोड — लागे. Tukā म्हणे — संत — म्हणोत — भलतें; — विठ्ठलापरतें — न — मनी — कांहीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आणीक कांहीं मज नावडे मात | "any other (āṇīka) — māta (talk) — to me — na āvaḍē (does not please)" |
| एक पंढरिनाथ वांचुनिया | "(except) one Paṇḍharī-nātha — apart from (vāñcuniyā)" |
| त्याची च कथा आवडे कीर्तन | "his alone (chi) — kathā — pleases — kīrtana" |
| तें मज श्रवणें गोड लागे | "that — to me — by śravaṇa (hearing) — gōḍa (sweet) — strikes (lāgē)" |
| तुका म्हणे संत म्हणोत भलतें | "Tuka says — samtas — let them say (mhaṇōta) — bhalatēm (anything, whatever)" |
| विठ्ठलापरतें न मनी कांहीं | "beyond Viṭhṭhala (paratēm) — I don't take to mind (na manī) — anything" |
What it means
Only-Paṇḍharī-nātha-talk-pleases abhang. A direct extension of 1430's Viṭhṭhalāvāñcūnī-vāṇī-nā'ikēm (no non-Viṭhṭhal-speech in ears) and 1437's vācē-Viṭhṭhala-na-bōla-nāvaḍatī (no Viṭhṭhal in speech, words don't please). The opening: āṇīka kāhīm maja nāvaḍē māta — ēka Paṇḍharī-nātha vāñcuniyā — no othermāta(talk) pleases me — except onePaṇḍharī-nātha. (= the single-topic-of-interest: only the Paṇḍharī-king's matter.)
The aesthetic-claim: tyācī chi kathā āvaḍē kīrtana — tēm maja śravaṇēm gōḍa lāgē — only hiskathāpleases —kīrtana; — that — byśravaṇa— strikes me asgōḍa(sweet). The kathā-kīrtana (= the narration-and-singing genre) is the sweet-genre; — for the bhakta, only this is rasa.
The closing tolerance: samta mhaṇōta bhalatēm — Viṭhṭhalā-paratēm na manī kāhīm — (let) thesamtas — say (mhaṇōta) —bhalatēm(anything); —beyond Viṭhṭhala— I don't take to mind (na manī) — anything. Even saints may say what they will — I won't take any non-Viṭhṭhal-content to mind. (Striking firmness: not even saints' non-Viṭhṭhal-talk is admitted. This is one-pointed-bhakti-discrimination at its most strict.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: no other talk pleases me except Paṇḍharī-nātha; only his kathā-kīrtana is sweet to hear; saints may say what they will — beyond Viṭhṭhala, I take nothing to mind.
Where this applies
- When you notice one practice or one relationship has become so meaningful that everything else feels like noise
- When friends keep pulling your attention toward gossip or distractions and you want to stay focused on what matters
- When you're deciding what to spend your free time listening to or reading
- When you feel torn between many interests and wish you had one clear center