Abhanga 1538
A single sincere turn toward God can undo even a lifetime of ruin, as it did for Ajamila.
The verse
उगविल्या गुंती । ऐशा मागें नेणों किती ॥१॥ ख्यात केली अजामेळें । होतें निघालें दिवाळें ॥ध्रु.॥ मोकलिला प्रायश्चित्ती । कोणी न धरिती हातीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मुक्त वाट । वैकुंठीची घडघडाट ॥३॥
Literal translation
Entanglements unwound — I don't know how many behind. Ajāmēḷa made it famous — when his divāḷē had come about. Released by prāyaścitti — no one held his hand. Tuka says: mukta-vāṭa — Vaikuṇṭha's ghaḍa-ghaḍāṭa.
मराठी: उगविल्या — गुंती; — ऐशा — मागें — नेणों — किती. ख्यात — केली — अजामेळें; — होतें — निघालें — दिवाळें. मोकलिला — प्रायश्चित्ती; — कोणी — न — धरिती — हातीं. Tukā म्हणे — मुक्त — वाट; — वैकुंठीची — घड-घडाट.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| उगविल्या गुंती | "entanglements — unwound (ugavilyā)" |
| ऐशा मागें नेणों किती | "like that — behind — I don't know — how many" |
| ख्यात केली अजामेळें | "made famous — by Ajāmēḷa" |
| होतें निघालें दिवाळें | "had come about (nighālēm) — bankruptcy (divāḷēm)" |
| मोकलिला प्रायश्चित्ती | "released — by prāyaścitta" |
| कोणी न धरिती हातीं | "no one — holds — (his) hand" |
| तुका म्हणे मुक्त वाट | "Tuka says — mukta vāṭa (= liberated road)" |
| वैकुंठीची घडघडाट | "of Vaikuṇṭha — ghaḍa-ghaḍāṭa (= bell-clamor)" |
What it means
Ajāmīḷa-precedent abhang. The opening: ugavilyā gumtī — aiśā māgēm nēṇōm kitī — unwoundentanglements— like that — behind — I don't know how many. I don't know how many such entanglements have-already-been-unwound (= Hari has rescued countless others before me).
The Ajāmīḷa-reference: khyāta kēlī Ajāmēḷē — hōtēm nighālēm divāḷēm — made famous — byAjāmēḷa— when hisdivāḷēm(bankruptcy) had come. The Bhāgavata-Purāṇa story: Ajāmīḷa, the Brahmin-fallen-into-sin, on his deathbed called his son named Nārāyaṇa — Hari heard "Nārāyaṇa" and Yama's-messengers were repulsed. His bankruptcy-state was redeemed by single utterance. (Compare 1434's Bāḷa-Dhruva-Vālmīki-gaṇikā-Prahlāda — same tradition of nāma-pavāḍa-precedents.)
The no-need-for-helper: mōkalilā prāyaścittī — kōṇī na dharitī hātīm — released byprāyaścitta— no one holds (his) hand. Released by mere atonement-utterance; no other helper needed.
The closing-image: mukta vāṭa — Vaikuṇṭhīcī ghaḍa-ghaḍāṭa — theliberated road— ofVaikuṇṭha—ghaḍa-ghaḍāṭa(= bell-clatter / clamor). Striking-image: the road-to-Vaikuṇṭha clatters with bells (= the celebratory-bell-procession of those-being-saved). Or: bell-clatter of the chariots-going-to-Vaikuṇṭha.
[T]
For someone today
For today: countless entanglements have been unwound before me; Ajāmīḷa made it famous when his bankruptcy came; released by mere atonement-utterance, no helper-hand needed; the liberated road to Vaikuṇṭha clatters with bells.
Where this applies
- When you feel your situation is too broken or too far gone to fix
- When you're ashamed to ask for help because of what you've done
- When you think forgiveness requires an elaborate ritual or an intermediary
- When you're afraid a single, brief moment of sincere prayer won't count