Abhanga 1483
For today: the perishable body will perish — why don't you utter the nāma by your mouth?; by nāma, crores have been saved and seated in Vaikuṇṭha; no sāra in three worlds beyond nāma; nāma surpasses the Vedas — Gopāḷa has given it for free.
The verse
नाशवंत देह नासेल हा जाणा । कां रे उच्चाराना वाचे नाम ॥१॥ नामें चि तारिले कोटट्या हे कोटी । नामें हे वैकुंठी बैसविले ॥ध्रु.॥ नामापरतें सार नाहीं त्रिभुवनीं । तें कां तुम्ही मनीं आठवाना ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नाम वेदांसी आगळें । तें दिलें गोपाळें फुकासाटीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: The nāśavanta dēha will nāsēla — know — why do you not uccāra by vācā the nāma? By nāma alone, kōṭyā kōṭī tārile — by nāma seated in Vaikuṇṭha. Other than nāma, no sāra in tribhuvana — why do you not āṭhavā in mind? Tuka says: nāma is to Vēdas āgaḷē — given by Gōpāḷa, phukāsāṭīm.
मराठी: नाशवंत — देह — नासेल — हा — जाणा; — कां — रे — उच्चारा-ना — वाचे — नाम. नामें — चि — तारिले — कोटट्या — हे — कोटी; — नामें — हे — वैकुंठी — बैसविले. नामा-परतें — सार — नाहीं — त्रिभुवनीं; — तें — कां — तुम्ही — मनीं — आठवा-ना. Tukā म्हणे — नाम — वेदांसी — आगळें; — तें — दिलें — गोपाळें — फुकासाटीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नाशवंत देह नासेल हा जाणा | "nāśavanta (perishable) — dēha — will perish (nāsēla) — this — know (jāṇā)" |
| कां रे उच्चाराना वाचे नाम | "why (kām rē, vocative-particle) — do not utter (uccārā nā) — by vācā — nāma" |
| नामें चि तारिले कोटट्या हे कोटी | "by nāma alone (chi) — saved (tārilē) — kōṭyā kōṭī (crores upon crores)" |
| नामें हे वैकुंठी बैसविले | "by nāma — these — in Vaikuṇṭha — have been seated (baisavilē)" |
| नामापरतें सार नाहीं त्रिभुवनीं | "other than nāma — there is no sāra — in tri-bhuvana" |
| तें कां तुम्ही मनीं आठवाना | "that — why (kām) — do you (tumhī) — not remember (āṭhavā nā) — in (your) mind?" |
| तुका म्हणे नाम वेदांसी आगळें | "Tuka says — nāma — to Vedas — āgaḷēm (= set-apart / surpassing)" |
| तें दिलें गोपाळें फुकासाटीं | "that — has been given — by Gōpāḷa — phukāsāṭīm (for free)" |
What it means
Nāma-surpasses-Veda-given-free-by-Gopāḷa abhang. A direct nāma-mahimā exhortation. The opening: nāśavanta dēha nāsēla hā jāṇā — kām rē uccārā nā vācē nāma — the perishable body will perish — know; — why don't you utter — nāma — by your vācā? Direct address: the body will go anyway; what holds you back from uttering the name?
The historical-claim: nāmēm chi tārilē kōṭyā hē kōṭī — nāmēm hē Vaikuṇṭhīm baisavilē — by nāma alone — crores upon crores have been saved; — by nāma — seated in Vaikuṇṭha. Crores have already been saved by nāma — and seated in Vaikuṇṭha. (Compare 1434's Bāḷa-Dhruva-Vālmīki-gaṇikā-Prahlāda enumeration; here just the cumulative-claim.)
The unique-essence-claim: nāmā-paratēm sāra nāhīm tribhuvanīm — tēm kām tumhī manīm āṭhavā nā — no sāra in tri-bhuvana other than nāma; — why do you not remember (it) in mind?
The closing-supremacy claim: nāma Vēdāñsī āgaḷēm — tēm dilēm Gōpāḷēm phukāsāṭīm — nāma — to Vedas — is āgaḷēm (= set-apart / surpassing / superior); — that — has been given — by Gōpāḷa — phukāsāṭīm (for free). Two strong claims: (1) nāma surpasses the Vedas (= nāma is higher than Veda-knowledge); (2) Gopāḷa has given it free. (The free-grace-economic-image — cf. 1426's kharēm bōlē tarī — phukāsāṭhīm jōḍē Harī; 1457's don't-want-Vaikuṇṭha-this-rasa-here; 1468's Veda-couldn't-grasp-we-caught-singing. Tuka constantly returns to: bhakti-nāma is free, easy, and surpasses the elite Veda-route*.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: the perishable body will perish — why don't you utter the nāma by your mouth?; by nāma, crores have been saved and seated in Vaikuṇṭha; no sāra in three worlds beyond nāma; nāma surpasses the Vedas — Gopāḷa has given it for free.
Where this applies
- Body-will-perish-why-not-utter-nāma.* Nāśavanta-dēha-nāsēla-uccārā-nāma.
- Crores-saved-and-seated-in-Vaikuṇṭha.* Nāmēm-kōṭyā-kōṭī-Vaikuṇṭhīm.
- No-sāra-in-three-worlds-but-nāma.* Nāmā-paratēm-sāra-na-tribhuvanīm.
- Nāma-surpasses-Veda-given-free-by-Gopāḷa.* Nāma-Vēdāñsī-āgaḷēm-Gōpāḷēm-phukāsāṭīm.