Abhanga 1468
Paṇḍharpur holds in person what all pilgrimages and vows only point toward, and singing in devotion reaches what scriptural study alone could not.
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
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 — themūḷaof alltīrthas — thephaḷaof allvratas —Brahma alone— atPaṇḍharī. (= 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; — thepāraṇī(= 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 — thejīvana(life) of jīvas — thesējāra(= neighbor) ofsukha; —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 thedīna,beyond love-bounds; — to theduṣṭa,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 thenirguṇa—that very.Saguṇa-as-form-in-nirguṇa— same theme as 1448'ssaguṇa-nirguṇa-meet-at-feet.
The closing punchline: nāhīm Śrutī ātuḍalēm — āmhām sāmpaḍalēm gītī gātām — (what) wasnot graspedbyŚruti—we caught— whilesinginggīti. 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.)
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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
- When someone feels they must visit every holy site to find peace, and needs to hear that devotion itself can be the destination
- When a person feels unseen or unworthy, and needs reassurance that grace has no limit for those who are struggling
- When someone has hurt others and fears there is no reckoning, and needs to understand that consequence still comes for cruelty
- When a person believes only scholars or years of study can reach the divine, and needs to hear that simple singing can get there too