संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1569 of 4582

Abhanga 1569

English: Avināśa, alakṣa, parata-paraBrahma — akaḷa-kaḷā Kamaḷā-pati, mahima not known.

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

English: 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 refugeTukayā-bandhusaveriti 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 mahimāimperishable, 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-nidhānaslayer-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-haraocean-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 bahutāmin 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

For today: the imperishable, unmarkable, beyond-supreme-Brahman, essence-and-act-not-known, Lakṣmī's-husband — greatness not knowable; jaya Śrī-pati, auspicious-good-giver; Madhusūdana, life-of-sages, Earth's-burden-remover, lover-of-the-lowly, root-of-all, treasure-of-victory; ocean-of-pleasure, mine-of-quality, warrior-crown-jewel, welfare-liberation-form, mind-stealer; Nanda's son worshipped in three worlds, infinite-named, seal-over-avatāras; creator-protector-destroyer; Tukayā-bandhu takes refuge — save us in many ways.

Where this applies

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