Abhanga 1527

Writing and repeating the divine name steadily, as something that becomes joyfully habitual, clears away wrongdoing and ends the restless search for more.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

Write-Kṛṣṇa-Rāma-name-line abhang. A practical-instruction for nāma-abhyāsa. The opening: Kṛṣṇa-Rāma-nāma māṇḍī pām vōḷī — tēṇē hō'īla hōḷī pāpā dhunī — theKṛṣṇa-Rāma-nāma—write-down— thevōḷī(line); — by it — there will be —hōḷī(= bonfire) — ofpāpas —washing-clean. Write down the line "Kṛṣṇa-Rāma" — by that, your sins are bonfire-burned and washed-clean. (Striking-instruction: physical-writing of the name is itself a sin-eraser. The māṇḍī pām — literally write-out-on-the-page — points to a physical-letter-writing practice. Compare 1483's uccārā-nā-vācē-nāma — utter the name; here the write-it-down version.)

The abhyāsa-spell: aisā manā chanda lāvīm rē abhyāsa — jayā nāhīm nāsa Brahma-rasā — such —chanda(= spell) — apply — to themana—abhyāsa; —to which Brahma-rasahas nonāśa. Apply such a spell-practice to the mind — the Brahma-rasa that has no destruction. (= the abhyāsa itself becomes spell-like / addictive; cf. 1397's abhyāsa-foundational-power.)

The acquisition-counsel: jōḍī tarī aisī karāvī na sarē — puḍhēm āsa nurē māgutālī — if you make anacquisition— let it be such thatdoesn't run out; —ahead—āsa(longing) —no remainder—further. Make an acquisition that's permanent; once-acquired, no further-longing remains.

The closing-promise: aisēm dharā kāhīm manīm — yātāyātī khāṇīm cukatīla — letsomething such— be held in mind; — theyātāyāta(= going-and-coming) —khāṇī(= rebirth-mines / wombs) —will be missed. Hold this in mind, and the rebirth-mines will be skipped. (Compare 1491's bhōgītīla khāṇī — same khāṇī-rebirth-mine image, here as missed.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: write the Kṛṣṇa-Rāma-name on the line — your sins are burned and washed-clean; apply such an abhyāsa-spell to the mind — the Brahma-rasa doesn't perish; if you make an acquisition, let it be one that doesn't run out, no further-longing remains; hold this in mind and the rebirth-mines will be missed.

Where this applies

• When you feel weighed down by old guilt and want a simple way to start clearing it
• When a daily practice feels like a chore and you want it to become something you actually crave
• When you're deciding what to invest your time and energy in for the long run
• When you're tired of always wanting more and wish for something that finally feels enough

Related verses

• Abhanga 2448 — The easiest path to God is repeating divine names with love at home, right where you are,
• Abhanga 2467 — What looks like your whole world, like a fig to the insect living inside it, is only a tin
• Abhanga 2494 — Living in devotion turns an ordinary day into a festival and removes the fear of birth and
• Abhanga 4481 — Tukaram promises that sincerely calling on the Lord's name, knowingly or unknowingly, with