Abhanga 1468
For today: Paṇḍharī is the root of all tīrthas and fruit of all vratas — Brahma alone there; we've seen with our own eyes; he stands kaṭīm-kara, the life of jīvas; father of people, ocean of grace, beyond love-bounds for the poor, Kāla for the wicked; what the Veda couldn't grasp, we caught while singing.
The verse
तीर्थांचे मूळ व्रतांचें फळ । ब्रम्ह तें केवळ पंढरिये ॥१॥ तें आम्हीं देखिलें आपुल्या नयनीं । फिटलीं पारणीं डोळियांचीं ॥ध्रु.॥ जीवांचें जीवन सुखाचें सेजार । उभें कटीं कर ठेवूनियां ॥२॥ जनाचा जनिता कृपेचा सागर । दीनां लोभापार दुष्टां काळ ॥३॥ सुरवरां चिंतनीं मुनिवरां ध्यानीं । आकार निर्गुणीं तें चि असे ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे नाहीं श्रुती आतुडलें । आम्हां सांपडलें गीती गातां ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: The root of tīrthas, the fruit of vratas — Brahma alone at Paṇḍharī. That we have seen with our own eyes — the eyes' long-fast satisfied. Jīvas' life, sukha's neighbor — standing kaṭīm-kara. Father of people, ocean of grace — to the dīna, beyond love-bounds; to the duṣṭa, Kāla. In gods' cintana, sages' dhyāna — ākāra in the nirguṇa, that very. Tuka says: not grasped by Śruti — caught by us while singing gīti.
मराठी: तीर्थांचे — मूळ — व्रतांचें — फळ; — ब्रम्ह — तें — केवळ — पंढरिये. तें — आम्हीं — देखिलें — आपुल्या — नयनीं; — फिटलीं — पारणीं — डोळियांचीं. जीवांचें — जीवन — सुखाचें — सेजार; — उभें — कटीं — कर — ठेवूनियां. जनाचा — जनिता — कृपेचा — सागर; — दीनां — लोभापार — दुष्टां — काळ. सुरवरां — चिंतनीं — मुनिवरां — ध्यानीं; — आकार — निर्गुणीं — तें — चि — असे. Tukā म्हणे — नाहीं — श्रुती — आतुडलें; — आम्हां — सांपडलें — गीती — गातां.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तीर्थांचे मूळ व्रतांचें फळ | "the mūḷa (root) of tīrthas — the phaḷa (fruit) of vratas" |
| ब्रम्ह तें केवळ पंढरिये | "Brahma — kēvaḷa (= alone / pure) — at Paṇḍharī" |
| तें आम्हीं देखिलें आपुल्या नयनीं | "that — we — have seen — with our own (āpulyā) — nayana (eyes)" |
| फिटलीं पारणीं डोळियांचीं | "fulfilled (phiṭalīm) — the pāraṇī (= long-fast satisfaction) — of (the) eyes" |
| जीवांचें जीवन सुखाचें सेजार | "the jīvana (life) of jīvas — the sējāra (neighbor) of sukha" |
| उभें कटीं कर ठेवूनियां | "standing — kaṭīm kara — having placed (the) hands at the waist" |
| जनाचा जनिता कृपेचा सागर | "the janitā (father / generator) of jana — kṛpā's — ocean" |
| दीनां लोभापार दुष्टां काळ | "to dīnas (poor) — lōbha-pāra (= beyond love-bounds); — to duṣṭas — kāḷa" |
| सुरवरां चिंतनीं मुनिवरां ध्यानीं | "in sura-varas' (gods') cintana — in muni-varas' (sages') dhyāna" |
| आकार निर्गुणीं तें चि असे | "ākāra (form) — in the nirguṇa — that very — is" |
| तुका म्हणे नाहीं श्रुती आतुडलें | "Tuka says — has not — to Śruti — been grasped (ātuḍalēm)" |
| आम्हां सांपडलें गीती गातां | "to us — has been caught (sāmpaḍalēm) — while singing (gātām) — gīti" |
What it means
Paṇḍharī-is-root-of-tīrthas-and-Brahma abhang. The opening proclamation: tīrthāñcē mūḷa vratāñcēm phaḷa — Brahma tēm kēvaḷa Paṇḍharīyē — the mūḷa of all tīrthas — the phaḷa of all vratas — Brahma alone — at Paṇḍharī. (= Paṇḍharī is the source-pilgrimage and the result-vow; Brahma stands there in person.)
The eyewitness-claim: tēm āmhīm dēkhilēm āpulyā nayanīm — phiṭalīm pāraṇīm ḍōḷiyāñcīm — that — we have seen — with our own eyes; — the pāraṇī (= breaking-of-fast satiation) of the eyes — fulfilled. Pāraṇī — the long-fast-finally-broken image — the eyes' own long-fast for darśana has been broken into satiation.
The iconographic-image: jīvāñcēm jīvana sukhācēm sējāra — ubhē kaṭīm kara ṭhēvūniyām — the jīvana (life) of jīvas — the sējāra (= neighbor) of sukha; — standing — kaṭīm kara (= hands-on-waist). The Viṭṭhal-iconography: standing on the brick, hands at the waist. (Compare 1448's viṭē-pāva-dhariyēlē — feet held on the brick.)
The character-list: janācā janitā kṛpēcā sāgara — dīnām lōbhāpāra duṣṭām kāḷa — father-of-people, kṛpā's ocean; — to the dīna, beyond love-bounds; — to the duṣṭa, Kāla. Two-faces of Hari: limitless-love for the poor, Time-itself for the wicked.
The transcendence-claim: sura-varām cintanīm muni-varām dhyānīm — ākāra nirguṇīm tē chi asē — in gods' contemplation, sages' meditation; — form — in the nirguṇa — that very. Saguṇa-as-form-in-nirguṇa — same theme as 1448's saguṇa-nirguṇa-meet-at-feet*.
The closing punchline: nāhīm Śrutī ātuḍalēm — āmhām sāmpaḍalēm gītī gātām — (what) was not grasped by Śruti — we caught — while singing gīti. The bhakti-supremacy-line: what the Veda-Śruti couldn't reach, we caught while singing. (One of the most-quoted Tukaram-lines: bhakti-singing succeeds where Veda-study fails.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: Paṇḍharī is the root of all tīrthas and fruit of all vratas — Brahma alone there; we've seen with our own eyes; he stands kaṭīm-kara, the life of jīvas; father of people, ocean of grace, beyond love-bounds for the poor, Kāla for the wicked; what the Veda couldn't grasp, we caught while singing.
Where this applies
- Paṇḍharī-is-root-of-tīrthas-and-Brahma.* Tīrtha-mūḷa-vrata-phaḷa-Paṇḍharī-Brahma.
- Eyes'-long-fast-fulfilled.* Phiṭalīm-pāraṇīm-ḍōḷiyā.
- Standing-kaṭīm-kara-life-of-jīvas.* Ubhē-kaṭīm-kara-jīvāñcē-jīvana.
- Father-of-people-ocean-of-grace.* Janitā-kṛpā-sāgara-dīna-lōbhāpāra-duṣṭa-kāḷa.
- What-Veda-couldn't-grasp-caught-singing.* Śrutī-ātuḍalēm-na-gītī-gātām-sāmpaḍalēm.