Abhanga 1540
For today: the body of the one who speaks Acyuta always is sacred, the speech merit-laden; contemplating such a one, sinners cross and sin-piles burn; Hari himself desires the dust of his feet, runs behind; what else remains when Vaikuṇṭha-king is at the throat?; the Deva-bhakta confluence is the nāma-Trivēṇi.
The verse
पवित्र तो देह वाणी पुण्यवंत । जो वदे अच्युत सर्व काळ ॥१॥ तयाच्या चिंतनें तरतील दोषी । जळतील रासी पातकाच्या ॥ध्रु.॥ देव इच्छी रज चरणींची माती । धांवत चालती मागें मागें ॥२॥ काय त्यां उरलें वेगळें आणीक । वैकुंठनायक जयां कंठीं ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे देवभक्तांचा संगम । तेथें ओघ नाम त्रिवेणीचा ॥४॥
Literal translation
Pavitra is the dēha — vāṇī is puṇyavanta — of one who speaks Acyuta sarva-kāḷa. By cintana of him, dōṣīs cross — pātaka-piles burn. Deva desires the raja-of-his-caraṇa-mātī — runs walking behind, behind. What else remained separate — when Vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka is at their kaṇṭha? Tuka says: Deva-bhakta-sangama — there, the ōgha of nāma is the Trivēṇi-current.
मराठी: पवित्र — तो — देह — वाणी — पुण्यवंत; — जो — वदे — अच्युत — सर्व — काळ. तयाच्या — चिंतनें — तरतील — दोषी; — जळतील — रासी — पातकाच्या. देव — इच्छी — रज — चरणींची — माती; — धांवत — चालती — मागें — मागें. काय — त्यां — उरलें — वेगळें — आणीक? — वैकुंठ-नायक — जयां — कंठीं. Tukā म्हणे — देव-भक्तांचा — संगम; — तेथें — ओघ — नाम — त्रिवेणीचा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पवित्र तो देह वाणी पुण्यवंत | "pavitra — that dēha; — vāṇī — puṇyavanta" |
| जो वदे अच्युत सर्व काळ | "(one) who — speaks — Acyuta — sarva-kāḷa" |
| तयाच्या चिंतनें तरतील दोषी | "by contemplating that one — sinners — cross-over" |
| जळतील रासी पातकाच्या | "piles (rāsī) — of pātaka — will burn" |
| देव इच्छी रज चरणींची माती | "Deva — desires — raja (dust) — of (his) caraṇa's — mātī" |
| धांवत चालती मागें मागें | "running — walks — behind, behind" |
| काय त्यां उरलें वेगळें आणीक | "what — to them — remained — separate — anything else?" |
| वैकुंठनायक जयां कंठीं | "Vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka — at whose kaṇṭha" |
| तुका म्हणे देवभक्तांचा संगम | "Tuka says — of Deva-and-bhakta — sangama (confluence)" |
| तेथें ओघ नाम त्रिवेणीचा | "there — the ōgha (current) — of nāma — is the Trivēṇi's" |
What it means
Pavitra-tō-dēha abhang. The opening: pavitra tō dēha vāṇī puṇyavanta — jō vadē Acyuta sarva-kāḷa — pavitra (sacred) — thatdēha; — vāṇī (speech) — puṇyavanta; — (one) who — speaks — Acyuta — sarva-kāḷa (all-time).Body-pure, speech-merit-laden — for one who speaks "Acyuta" all the time. (Compare 1483'succārāvīm-vācē-nāma— utter the name; here thebody-and-speech-quality of such a one.)
The contagion-effect: tayācyā cintanēm taratīla dōṣī — jaḷatīla rāsī pātakācyā — bycontemplating-that-one—sinners—cross-over; —pilesofpātaka—will burn.Even contemplating-such-a-bhakta saves sinners and burns sin-heaps. (= thebhakta-as-saving-power; cf. 1466'skṛpā-sāgara — saint as ocean-of-grace.)
The Hari-runs-behind: Deva icchī raja caraṇīñcī mātī — dhāvata cālatī māgēm māgēm — Deva —desires— theraja-of-his-caraṇa-mātī; —running—walks—behind, behind.Hari himself runs behind such a bhakta wanting his foot-dust. (StrikingHari-as-bhakta's-attendant; cf. 1495'sHari-as-bhakta's-debtor.)
The completeness-claim: kāya tyām uralēm vēgaḷēm āṇīka — Vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka jayām kaṇṭhīm — what — to them —remained separate—anything else?; —Vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka— at whosekaṇṭha. What else could remain to-be-attained when Vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka is already at their throat?
The closing-confluence: Deva-bhaktāñcā sangama — tēthēm ōgha nāma trivēṇīcā — thesangama(confluence) — ofDeva-and-bhakta; — there — theōgha(current) — ofnāma— is theTrivēṇi. The Deva-bhakta meeting-place is the Trivēṇi (= triple-confluence at Prayag) — flowing with nāma-current. (= the bhakta-Hari-sangama equals the most-holy tīrtha.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: the body of the one who speaks Acyuta always is sacred, the speech merit-laden; contemplating such a one, sinners cross and sin-piles burn; Hari himself desires the dust of his feet, runs behind; what else remains when Vaikuṇṭha-king is at the throat?; the Deva-bhakta confluence is the nāma-Trivēṇi.
Where this applies
- When you wonder whether your own quiet devotion has any real effect on others
- When you feel there's nothing left to seek once your faith has grown steady
- When you're drawn to being near someone whose devotion quietly inspires you
- When you doubt whether a simple daily habit of naming God matters as much as a pilgrimage