संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1567 of 4582

Abhanga 1567

For today: seeing the feet of this Viṣṇu-form uplifts crore-of-lineages; making kuravaṇḍī, I'll abandon the body; seeing his Śrī-mukha while bound by karma frees one like sun destroys darkness; Viṣṇu-worship by single-bhāva makes one eternally-free, worshipped in three worlds; bhaktas sway always in prema — even tīrthas come carry their bhakta's residual-trace; dull-jīvas are uplifted by connection; Tuka bows both feet in refuge.

When you'd offer the Pāṇḍharī-rāya-foot-ārtī — seeing the feet uplifts crore-lineages; tīrthas purified by bhakta-trace; Tuka bows both feet

The verse

पाहातां पाउले हे विष्णुमूर्ती । कोटिकुळां सहित जे उद्धरती ॥१॥ जय देव जय देव जय पंढरिराया । श्रीपंढरिराया। करुनियां कुरवंडी । सांडीन काया ॥ध्रु.॥ श्रीमुखासहित देखे जो कर्मा । पासुन सुटे जैसा रवि नासी तमा ॥२॥ विष्णूचें पूजन एकाभावेंसी । नित्यमुक्त पूज्य तिहीं लोकांसी ॥३॥ धालें सुखें सदा प्रेमें डुल्लती । तीर्थे मळिन वास तयांचा वाहाती ॥४॥ जड जीवां उद्धार होय लागोनि । शरण तुका वंदी पाउलें दोन्ही ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: Seeing the pā'ulē of this Viṣṇu-mūrti — with kōṭi-kuḷa, they uddharatī. Jaya Pāṇḍharī-rāya — making kuravaṇḍī, I will sāṇḍīna kāyā. Seeing Śrī-mukha with karma — gets free like ravi destroys tama. Viṣṇu-pūjana by ēkā-bhāva — nitya-mukta, pūjya to tihīm lōkas. Dhāle, by sukha, always by prema, they ḍullatī — tīrthas carry the maḷina-vāsa of theirs. To jaḍa-jīvas, uddhāra happens by connection — in śaraṇa, Tuka vandī pā'ulē dōnnhī.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
पाहातां पाउले हे विष्णुमूर्ती "seeingpā'ulē (feet) — these — Viṣṇu-mūrti"
कोटिकुळां सहित जे उद्धरती "with kōṭi-kuḷa (crore-of-lineages) — they uplift (uddharatī)"
जय देव जय देव जय पंढरिराया "jaya Deva jaya Deva jaya Paṇḍharī-rāyā"
करुनियां कुरवंडी सांडीन काया "making kuravaṇḍī (circling-around-as-sacrifice) — I will abandon (sāṇḍīna) — the kāyā (body)"
श्रीमुखासहित देखे जो कर्मा "along with Śrī-mukhawho seeskarma"
पासुन सुटे जैसा रवि नासी तमा "gets freelikeravi (sun) — destroystama (darkness)"
विष्णूचें पूजन एकाभावेंसी "pūjana of Viṣṇu — by one-bhāva (single-pointed-feeling)"
नित्यमुक्त पूज्य तिहीं लोकांसी "nitya-mukta, pūjya — to three lōkas"
धालें सुखें सदा प्रेमें डुल्लती "satisfied (dhālē) — by sukhaalways — by prēmathey sway (ḍullatī)"
तीर्थे मळिन वास तयांचा वाहाती "tīrthassully (maḷina) — their vāsa (residual-trace) — carry (vāhātī)"
जड जीवां उद्धार होय लागोनि "to jaḍa-jīvas — uplifthappensby connection"
शरण तुका वंदी पाउलें दोन्ही "in refuge — Tuka — bows-toboth feet (pā'ulē dōnnhī)"

What it means

Pāṇḍharī-rāya-foot-ārtī. Third āratī. The opening: pāhātām pā'ulē hē Viṣṇu-mūrtī — kōṭi-kuḷām sahita jē uddharatīseeing the pā'ulē (feet) — of this Viṣṇu-mūrti; — with crore-of-lineages, they uplift. Just-seeing-the-feet uplifts even one's-entire-lineage*.

The body-sacrifice: karuniyām kuravaṇḍī — sāṇḍīna kāyāmaking kuravaṇḍī (= circling-around-the-deity-and-throwing-off-as-sacrifice); — I will abandon the body. Kuravaṇḍī — folk-ritual where one circles a person/deity with rice-or-money-and-throws-it-away as protective-offering (= self-sacrifice gesture). Abandoning the body itself as kuravaṇḍī*.

The karma-freedom: Śrī-mukhā-sahita dēkhē jō karmā — pāsuna suṭē jaisā ravi nāsī tamā(when one) sees — Śrī-mukha — with karma; — gets free — like — sundestroystama (darkness). Looking at his face while-bound-by-karma frees one — like sun destroys darkness.

The eternal-status: Viṣṇūcēm pūjana ēkā-bhāvēmsī — nitya-mukta pūjya tihīm lōkāmsīViṣṇu-pūjana — by one-bhāva; — nitya-mukta, pūjya — to three lōkas. One-bhāva-pūjana makes one eternally-free and worship-worthy in all three worlds***.

The bhakta-state: dhālē sukhēm sadā prēmēm ḍullatī — tīrthē maḷina vāsa tayāñcā vāhātīsatisfied — by sukha — always — by prēma — they sway (ḍullatī); — tīrthassully — their vāsacarry. The bhaktas-of-Viṣṇu sway in prema; — tīrthas themselves go-bathe in their footprint-tracecarrying the bhakta's residual-vāsa as purification. (Striking inversion: tīrthas come-to-be-purified by bhaktas; cf. 1539's kathā-sindhu-jaḷa-nhā'ūm-yētī*.)

The closing-uplift-and-refuge: jaḍa jīvām uddhāra hōya lāgōnī — śaraṇa Tukā vandī pā'ulē dōnnhīto jaḍa-jīvas (= dull / sluggish life-forms) — uplifthappensby connection; — in refuge — Tuka — bowsboth feet. Even dull-jīvas are uplifted by connection-to-such-bhaktas; Tuka bows-to-both-feet in refuge*.

This āratī completes the 3-āratī-section (1565-1567): Pāṇḍharī-nātha → Garuḍa-dhvajā → Pāṇḍharī-rāya. Three different epithets for the same deity, three āratīs.

[T]

For someone today

For today: seeing the feet of this Viṣṇu-form uplifts crore-of-lineages; making kuravaṇḍī, I'll abandon the body; seeing his Śrī-mukha while bound by karma frees one like sun destroys darkness; Viṣṇu-worship by single-bhāva makes one eternally-free, worshipped in three worlds; bhaktas sway always in prema — even tīrthas come carry their bhakta's residual-trace; dull-jīvas are uplifted by connection; Tuka bows both feet in refuge.

Where this applies

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