संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1554 of 4582

Abhanga 1554

For today: Viṭhṭhal in the citta strikes sweet while singing; Viṭhṭhal is our life, the cymbals our wealth; Viṭhṭhal is our speech, life-restoring nectar; colored by this color, Tuka is Viṭhṭhal throughout his body.

When everything has become Viṭhṭhal — Viṭhṭhal in citta is sweet; Viṭhṭhal is life and speech; Tuka is Viṭhṭhal throughout body

The verse

विठ्ठल हा चित्ती । गोड लागे गातां गीतीं ॥१॥ आम्हां विठ्ठल जीवन । टाळ चिपळिया धन ॥ध्रु.॥ विठ्ठल हे वाणी । अमृत हे संजिवनी ॥२॥ रंगला या रंगें । तुका विठ्ठल सर्वांगें ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Viṭhṭhal in citta — sweet while singing gītīs. To us, Viṭhṭhal is jīvana — tāḷa-cipaḷī are wealth. Viṭhṭhal is vāṇī — amṛta, life-restoring. Colored by this ranga — Tuka is Viṭhṭhal throughout the body.

मराठी: विठ्ठल — हा — चित्ती; — गोड — लागे — गातां — गीतीं. आम्हां — विठ्ठल — जीवन; — टाळ — चिपळिया — धन. विठ्ठल — हे — वाणी; — अमृत — हे — संजिवनी. रंगला — या — रंगें; — Tukā — विठ्ठल — सर्वांगें.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
विठ्ठल हा चित्ती "Viṭhṭhalathis — in (the) citta"
गोड लागे गातां गीतीं "sweetstrikeswhile singinggītī"
आम्हां विठ्ठल जीवन "to us — Viṭhṭhalajīvana (life)"
टाळ चिपळिया धन "tāḷa, cipaḷī (cymbals) — dhana"
विठ्ठल हे वाणी "Viṭhṭhala — this — vāṇī"
अमृत हे संजिवनी "amṛta — this — sañjivanī (life-restoring)"
रंगला या रंगें "colored — by this — ranga"
तुका विठ्ठल सर्वांगें "Tuka — Viṭhṭhala — throughout (the) body"

What it means

Viṭhṭhal-throughout-the-body abhang. A complete-Viṭhṭhal-saturation portrait. The opening: Viṭhṭhala hā citti — gōḍa lāgē gātām gītīmViṭhṭhalain citta; — sweet strikeswhile singing gītīs. Viṭhṭhal in citta becomes-sweet when sung in gītī.

The life-and-wealth: āmhām Viṭhṭhala jīvana — tāḷa cipaḷiyā dhanato us — Viṭhṭhala — is jīvana (life); — tāḷa (large-cymbals), cipaḷī (= small-clap-cymbals / cipala-clappers) — are wealth. Viṭhṭhal = our life; the cymbal-instruments = our wealth. (= the bhajan-instruments are the bhakta's currency. Compare 1421's avaghēm-bhāṇḍavala-Viṭhṭhala-ēkalā* — same theme.)

The speech-elixir: Viṭhṭhala hē vāṇī — amṛta hē sañjivanīViṭhṭhala — this — vāṇī (speech); — amṛta — this — sañjivanī (life-restoring). Viṭhṭhal-name in speech is the sañjivanī-amṛta (= the life-restoring-elixir; cf. Mṛta-sañjivanī mantra).

The closing-saturation: rangalā yā rangēm — Tukā Viṭhṭhala sarva-angēmcolored by this — ranga; — Tuka — Viṭhṭhala — throughout (the) body. Tuka is Viṭhṭhal throughout the body. (Striking-claim: full-body-saturation; not just citta or vāṇī, but every-anga is Viṭhṭhal. Compare 1510's angā-ālā-Śrī-ranga — same body-Hari claim.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: Viṭhṭhal in the citta strikes sweet while singing; Viṭhṭhal is our life, the cymbals our wealth; Viṭhṭhal is our speech, life-restoring nectar; colored by this color, Tuka is Viṭhṭhal throughout his body.

Where this applies

Related verses