Abhanga 1483
The body is temporary, so speak God's name now, since it has already saved countless people and Krishna offers it freely to everyone, no elite scholarship required.
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
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 — theperishablebody willperish—know; —why don'tyouutter—nāma— by yourvācā? 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 — bynāmaalone —crores upon croreshave been saved; — bynāma—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 — nosāraintri-bhuvanaother thannāma; —whydoyounotremember(it) in mind?
The closing-supremacy claim: nāma Vēdāñsī āgaḷēm — tēm dilēm Gōpāḷēm phukāsāṭīm — nāma — toVedas — isāgaḷēm(= set-apart / surpassing / superior); —that— has been given — byGōpāḷa—phukāsāṭīm(for free). Two strong claims: (1) nāma surpasses the Vedas (= nāma is higher than Veda-knowledge); (2) Gopāḷa hasgiven 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
- When you keep postponing prayer or remembrance because you think you'll get to it later
- When you feel spiritual practice is only for scholars or the highly educated
- When you're grieving mortality and searching for something worth holding onto
- When you assume real devotion requires elaborate rituals rather than something simple and free