संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1569 of 4582

Abhanga 1569

For today: you are imperishable, beyond perception, beyond the highest Brahman — Lakṣmī's husband, whose very essence and workings can never be fully known; your greatness is beyond measure. Victory to you, Śrī-pati, giver of every blessing and auspiciousness — I offer you this ārtī. You are Madhusūdana, the life of sages, the one who lifts the Earth's burden, the lover of the humble and the lowly, the root of everything, the treasure of victory. You are an ocean of joy, a mine of every good quality, the crown-jewel among warriors, the very form of welfare and liberation, the stealer of hearts. You are Nanda's son, worshipped through all three worlds, known by countless names, stamped upon every one of your avatars. From creation through protection to destruction, the power is entirely yours; Tukayā-bandhu takes refuge in you — save us in every way there is.

When you'd offer a Viṣṇu-epithet-rich ārtī — avināśa, Madhusūdana, sukha-sāgara, guṇa-āgara, mukuṭa-maṇī, kalyāṇa-mūrti

The verse

अविनाशा अलक्षा परता परब्रम्हा । अकळकळा कमळापती न कळे महिमा ॥१॥ जय देव जय देव जया जी श्रीपती । मंगळशुभदायका करीन आरती ॥ध्रु.॥ मधुसूदन मुनिजीवन धरणीश्रमहरणा । दीनवत्सळ सकळां मूळ जय जयनिधाना ॥२॥ सुखसागर गुणआगर मुगुटमणी शूरा । कल्याणकैवल्यमूर्ति मनोहरा ॥३॥ नंदा नंदनवंदन त्रिभुवनांभीतरी । अनंतनामीं ठसा अवतारांवरी ॥४॥ उत्पत्तिपाळणपासुन संहारणसत्ता । शरण तुकयाबंधु तारीं रिति बहुतां ॥५॥

Literal translation

Avināśa, alakṣa, parata-paraBrahma — akaḷa-kaḷā Kamaḷā-pati, mahima not known. Jaya Śrī-pati — mangaḷa-śubha-dāyaka — I will make ārtī. Madhusūdana, muni-jīvana, dharaṇī-śrama-haraṇa — dīna-vatsala, root of all, jaya, jaya-nidhāna. Sukha-sāgara, guṇa-āgara, mukuṭa-maṇī of warriors — kalyāṇa-kaivalya-mūrti, manō-hara. Nanda's nandana, worshipped within tribhuvana — infinite-named, seal over avatāras. Creation-protection-onward, destruction-power — refuge, Tukayā-bandhu, save (us) in many (ways).

मराठी: अविनाशा — अलक्षा — परता — परब्रम्हा; — अकळ-कळा — कमळा-पती — न — कळे — महिमा. जय — देव — जय — देव — जया — जी — श्रीपती; — मंगळ-शुभ-दायका — करीन — आरती. मधुसूदन — मुनि-जीवन — धरणी-श्रम-हरणा; — दीन-वत्सळ — सकळां — मूळ — जय — जय-निधाना. सुख-सागर — गुण-आगर — मुगुट-मणी — शूरा; — कल्याण-कैवल्य-मूर्ति — मनोहरा. नंदा — नंदन-वंदन — त्रिभुवनां-भीतरी; — अनंत-नामीं — ठसा — अवतारां-वरी. उत्पत्ति-पाळण-पासुन — संहारण-सत्ता; — शरण — तुकया-बंधु — तारीं — रिति — बहुतां.

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
अविनाशा अलक्षा परता परब्रम्हा	"avināśa (imperishable), alakṣa (unmarkable), paratā para-Brahma (beyond the supreme Brahman)"
अकळकळा कमळापती न कळे महिमा	"akaḷa-kaḷā (essence-and-act-not-known) — Kamaḷā-pati (Lakṣmī's-husband); — mahima — does not get known"
जय देव जय देव जया जी श्रीपती	"jaya Deva — O Śrī-pati"
मंगळशुभदायका करीन आरती	"mangaḷa-śubha-dāyaka — I will make — ārtī"
मधुसूदन मुनिजीवन धरणीश्रमहरणा	"Madhusūdana (slayer-of-Madhu), muni-jīvana, dharaṇī-śrama-haraṇa (= remover of Earth's burden)"
दीनवत्सळ सकळां मूळ जय जयनिधाना	"dīna-vatsala, root of all, jaya, jaya-nidhāna (treasure-of-victory)"
सुखसागर गुणआगर मुगुटमणी शूरा	"sukha-sāgara, guṇa-āgara, mukuṭa-maṇī, śūra"
कल्याणकैवल्यमूर्ति मनोहरा	"kalyāṇa-kaivalya-mūrti, manō-hara"
नंदा नंदनवंदन त्रिभुवनांभीतरी	"Nanda's nandana (son) — worship — within tribhuvana"
अनंतनामीं ठसा अवतारांवरी	"ananta-nāma; — seal — over avatāras"
उत्पत्तिपाळणपासुन संहारणसत्ता	"creation-protection-onward to destruction-power"
शरण तुकयाबंधु तारीं रिति बहुतां	"in refuge — Tukayā-bandhu — save — riti bahutām (= many ways / many)"

What it means

Śrī-pati-ārtī (epithet-rich). A 5-verse āratī — composed by Tukayā-bandhu (Tuka's brother) — densely packed with Viṣṇu-epithets in Sanskritic compounds. The opening: avināśā alakṣā paratā para-Brahmā — akaḷa-kaḷā Kamaḷā-pati na kaḷē mahimā — imperishable, unmarkable, beyond-the-supreme-Brahman; — essence-and-act-not-known, Lakṣmī's-husband; — greatness — not known. Hari is beyond what can be tracked.

The epithet-cascades: - (v.2) Madhusūdana, muni-jīvana, dharaṇī-śrama-haraṇa, dīna-vatsala, mūḷa, jaya-nidhāna — slayer-of-Madhu, muni-life, Earth's-burden-remover, beloved-of-the-lowly, root-of-all, treasure-of-victory. - (v.3) sukha-sāgara, guṇa-āgara, mukuṭa-maṇī, śūra, kalyāṇa-kaivalya-mūrti, manō-hara — ocean-of-pleasure, mine-of-quality, crown-jewel of warriors, welfare-liberation-form, mind-stealer. - (v.4) Nanda-nandana-vandana, ananta-nāma, seal-over-avatāras. - (v.5) creation-protection-onward-to-destruction-power.

The closing: śaraṇa Tukayā-bandhu tārīm riti bahutām — in refuge — Tukayā-bandhu — save (us) in many ways. (Tukayā-bandhu signature is consistent across these middle-āratīs of the section.)

This is the most-Sanskritic āratī of the cluster — heavy with Sanskrit-compound-epithets unlike the warkari-Marathi-style of most of Tukaram's regular abhangs. This may indicate Tukayā-bandhu's distinct compositional style — more Sanskritic-Vaiṣṇava-stotra-tradition, less desī-Marathi-folk than Tukaram himself. (Worth noting in notes/observations.md.)

[T]

For someone today

मराठी: आजसाठी: तू अविनाशी, अगोचर, परब्रह्माच्याही पलीकडचा आहेस — लक्ष्मीपती, ज्याचं मूळ स्वरूप आणि कार्य कधीच पूर्णपणे कळत नाही; तुझा महिमा अगणित आहे. जय असो, श्रीपती, प्रत्येक मंगल आणि शुभाचा दाता — मी तुला ही आरती ओवाळतो. तू मधुसूदन आहेस, मुनींचं जीवन आहेस, धरणीचा भार हलका करणारा आहेस, दीनांवर आणि गरिबांवर प्रेम करणारा आहेस, सर्वांचं मूळ आहेस, विजयाचा खजिना आहेस. तू सुखाचा सागर, गुणांची खाण, वीरांमधला मुगुटमणी, कल्याण आणि कैवल्याची मूर्ती, मनाला मोहवणारा आहेस. तू नंदाचा पुत्र आहेस, तिन्ही लोकांत पूजिला जाणारा, अनंत नावांनी ओळखला जाणारा, प्रत्येक अवतारावर तुझी छाप आहे. उत्पत्तीपासून पालनापर्यंत आणि संहारापर्यंत सगळी सत्ता तुझीच आहे; तुकयाबंधू तुला शरण आला आहे — आम्हा सर्वांना अनेक प्रकारे तार.

Where this applies

When you try to describe something profound, like love or grief, and find that words keep falling short
When you are tempted to judge your spiritual life by how eloquent your prayers sound rather than by their sincerity
When you feel awed by something vast, like the night sky or a newborn child, and words seem inadequate
When you stop trying to explain your need perfectly and simply ask for help