संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1542 of 4582

Abhanga 1542

For today: we abide in this awareness, making Hari-kathā pure; we alone are the devas on earth, the treasure caught in our mouth; both lineages cross by singing and hearing in joy-form; this mantra doesn't waver — no caste-lineage, no time-occasion needed; my Viṭhṭhala is the rest — I store the longing in my heart.

When you'd see how the bhakta-collective works — we are devas-on-earth; both lineages cross; mantra needs no caste-time

The verse

येणें बोधें आम्ही असों सर्वकाळ । करूनि निर्मळ हरिकथा ॥१॥ आम्ही भूमीवरी एक देवांचे । निधान हें वाचे सांपडलें ॥ध्रु.॥ तरतील कुळें दोन्ही उभयतां । गातां आइकतां सुखरूप ॥२॥ न चळे हा मंत्र न म्हणों यातीकुळ । न लगे काळ वेळ विचारावी ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे माझा विठ्ठल विसांवा । सांटवीन हांवा हृदयांत ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: With this bōdha, we are sarva-kāḷa — making Hari-kathā nirmaḷa. We on bhūmī are the only Devas — this nidhāna has been caught in vācā. Both kuḷas of both sides will cross — by gātām-āikatām in sukha-rūpa. This mantra doesn't waver — don't say yāti-kuḷa — no need to consider kāḷa-vēḷa. Tuka says: my Viṭhṭhal is visāvā — I will store hāmvā in hṛdaya.

मराठी: येणें — बोधें — आम्ही — असों — सर्व-काळ; — करूनि — निर्मळ — हरि-कथा. आम्ही — भूमी-वरी — एक — देवांचे; — निधान — हें — वाचे — सांपडलें. तरतील — कुळें — दोन्ही — उभयतां; — गातां — आइकतां — सुख-रूप. न — चळे — हा — मंत्र — न — म्हणों — याति-कुळ; — न — लगे — काळ — वेळ — विचारावी. Tukā म्हणे — माझा — विठ्ठल — विसांवा; — सांटवीन — हांवा — हृदयांत.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
येणें बोधें आम्ही असों सर्वकाळ "with thisbōdha — we — aresarva-kāḷa"
करूनि निर्मळ हरिकथा "makingnirmaḷa (pure) — Hari-kathā"
आम्ही भूमीवरी एक देवांचे "we — on bhūmī — alone — of Devas"
निधान हें वाचे सांपडलें "nidhāna (treasure) — this — to vācā — has been caught (sāmpaḍalēm)"
तरतील कुळें दोन्ही उभयतां "kuḷas — bothboth-sideswill cross"
गातां आइकतां सुखरूप "by singing, hearingsukha-rūpa"
न चळे हा मंत्र न म्हणों यातीकुळ "does not waver — this mantra; — let's not say — yāti-kuḷa"
न लगे काळ वेळ विचारावी "no needkāḷa-vēḷa (time-occasion) — to be considered"
तुका म्हणे माझा विठ्ठल विसांवा "Tuka says — myViṭhṭhala — is visāvā (rest / refuge)"
सांटवीन हांवा हृदयांत "I will store (sāṭavīna) — hāmvā (= craving / longing) — in (the) hṛdaya"

What it means

We-are-devas-on-earth abhang. The opening: yēṇē bōdhēm āmhī asōm sarva-kāḷa — karūnī nirmaḷa Hari-kathāwith this bōdha (= awareness / illumination) — we are — always; — making Hari-kathānirmaḷa (pure). We always abide in this awareness, making the kathā pure.

The bold-claim: āmhī bhūmī-varī ēka Devāñcē — nidhāna hēm vācē sāmpaḍalēmwe — on bhūmī — alone — of Devas; — this nidhāna (treasure) — to vācā — has been caught. We bhaktas alone are the devas on earth; this treasure is caught in our mouth. (Striking-claim: bhūmī-varī ēka Devāñcē — bhaktas as the only-devas-on-earth. Compare 1495's Hari-as-bhakta's-debtor + 1488's vīra-juñjhāra* — bhakta-as-divine-presence theme.)

The lineage-rescue: taratīla kuḷē dōnnhī ubhayatām — gātām āikatām sukha-rūpakuḷas — both sideswill cross — by singing and hearingsukha-rūpa (joy-formed). Both family-lineages (mother's and father's, or singer's and listener's) cross over by singing and hearing — in joy-form. (Compare 1485's kōṭi-kuḷē-Hari-singer's-vāṭulī* — same lineage-rescue theme.)

The democratization: na caḷē hā mantra na mhaṇōm yāti-kuḷa — na lagē kāḷa vēḷa vicārāvīthis mantra — doesn't waver; — let's not say — yāti-kuḷa (caste-and-lineage); — no need — kāḷa-vēḷa (time-and-occasion) — to consider. The famous warkari-claim: no caste-or-lineage-restriction; no time-or-occasion-restriction; the mantra is unwaveringly powerful. (Compare 1411 / 1444 / 1447 — same anti-restriction register; here as complete-list.)

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē mājhā Viṭhṭhala visāvā — sāṭavīna hāmvā hṛdayāntaTuka says — my Viṭhṭhala — is visāvā (= rest / refuge); — I will storehāmvā (= craving / longing) — in (the) hṛdaya. Viṭhṭhala is my refuge; I'll store the longing in my heart.

[T]

For someone today

For today: we abide in this awareness, making Hari-kathā pure; we alone are the devas on earth, the treasure caught in our mouth; both lineages cross by singing and hearing in joy-form; this mantra doesn't waver — no caste-lineage, no time-occasion needed; my Viṭhṭhala is the rest — I store the longing in my heart.

Where this applies

Related verses