Abhanga 1577
For today: in bhakti's belly, the bōdha is the bread-on-spike flame; with five-prāṇas, jīva, and heart-feeling, let us circle the ārtī to my Paṇḍharī-nātha — both hands joined, head placed at his feet; what mahimā shall I describe now? — kōṭi Brahma-hatyās go away by merely seeing his face; Rāhī and Rakhumāī flank both his arms, peacock-feather cāmaras fan him here and there; Tuka says: taking the lamp, the śōbhā rises into unmana — and on the brick stands the beauty-pith of Paṇḍharī-Viṭṭhal.
The verse
भक्तीचिया पोटीं बोध कांकडा ज्योती । पंचप्राण जीवें भावें ओंवाळूं आरती ॥१॥ ओंवाळू आरती माझ्या पंढरीनाथा । दोन्ही कर जोडोनि चरणीं ठेवीन माथा ॥ध्रु.॥ काय महिमा वर्णू आतां सांगणें तें किती । कोटि ब्रम्हहत्या मुख पाहतां जाती ॥२॥ राही रखुमाईं दोही दों बाही । मयूर पिच्छचामरें ढाळिति ठायीं ठायीं ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे दीप घेऊनि उन्मनति शोभा । विटेवरी उभा दिसे लावण्यगाभा ॥४॥ ॥१३॥
Literal translation
English: In bhakti's belly, bōdha is the kānkaḍā-jyōti — pañca-prāṇa, jīva, bhāva, let us circle the ārtī. Let me circle the ārtī to my Paṇḍharī-nātha — both hands joined, I will place my head at his feet. What mahimā shall I describe now — telling how much? Kōṭi Brahma-hatyās go away by seeing the mukha. Rāhī, Rakhumāī, both at his two arms — peacock-feather cāmaras fan here and there. Tuka says: taking the lamp, unmanati śōbhā — standing on the brick, lāvaṇya-gābha appears.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| भक्तीचिया पोटीं बोध कांकडा ज्योती | "in (the) bhakti's pōṭa (belly) — bōdha — kānkaḍā-jyōti (bread-on-spike-flame)" |
| पंचप्राण जीवें भावें ओंवाळूं आरती | "five-prāṇas, jīva, bhāva — let us circle — the ārtī" |
| ओंवाळू आरती माझ्या पंढरीनाथा | "let me circle the ārtī — to my Paṇḍharī-nātha" |
| दोन्ही कर जोडोनि चरणीं ठेवीन माथा | "both hands joined — at (the) feet — I will place — my head" |
| काय महिमा वर्णू आतां सांगणें तें किती | "what mahimā — shall I describe — now — telling — how much" |
| कोटि ब्रम्हहत्या मुख पाहतां जाती | "kōṭi Brahma-hatyās — mukha — seeing — go away (jātī)" |
| राही रखुमाईं दोही दों बाही | "Rāhī Rakhumāī — both — at (the) two arms" |
| मयूर पिच्छचामरें ढाळिति ठायीं ठायीं | "peacock-feather-cāmaras — they fan — here-and-there" |
| तुका म्हणे दीप घेऊनि उन्मनति शोभा | "Tuka says — taking — the lamp — rising into unmana — śōbhā" |
| विटेवरी उभा दिसे लावण्यगाभा | "on (the) brick — standing — appears — lāvaṇya-gābha (beauty-pith)" |
What it means
Closing-Pāṇḍuranga-ārtī. The 13-āratī cluster closes here at marker ॥१३॥. A 4-verse closing-ārtī to Paṇḍharī-nātha.
The opening: bhaktīciyā pōṭīm bōdha kānkaḍā jyōtī — pañca-prāṇa jīvē bhāvē ōmvāḷūm āratī — in bhakti's pōṭa (= belly / interior), bōdha is the kānkaḍā-jyōti (bread-on-spike-flame); pañca-prāṇa, jīva, bhāva — let us circle the ārtī. Kānkaḍā = the bread-on-a-spike used as a torch; bhakti's interior holds the bōdha-flame as the torch. The circling-instruments are internal: five prāṇas, jīva, bhāva — not external lamps, but one's own life-breath, soul, and heart-feeling.
The dhṛuva-line: ōmvāḷūm āratī mājhyā Paṇḍharī-nāthā — dōnhī kara jōḍōni caraṇīm ṭhēvīna māthā — let me circle the ārtī to my Paṇḍharī-nātha — both hands joined, I will place my head at the feet. The two-handed-namaskāra-and-head-at-feet — the ultimate-prostration.
The mahimā-claim: kāya mahimā varṇūm ātām sāngaṇēm tēm kitī — kōṭi Brahma-hatyā mukha pāhātām jātī — what mahimā can I describe — telling how much?; — kōṭi Brahma-hatyās go away by seeing the mukha. The kōṭi-Brahma-hatyā (= ten million Brahmin-killings) expiation-claim — the most extreme of all sins; seeing the mukha alone removes them. (This same line recurs across Tukaram's expiation-corpus.)
The flanking-consorts: Rāhī Rakhumāīm dōhī dōm bāhī — mayūra-piccha-cāmarēm ḍhāḷiti ṭhāyīm ṭhāyīm — Rāhī, Rakhumāī, both at his two arms; peacock-feather cāmaras fan here-and-there. The Paṇḍharī-iconography: Rāhī-Rakhumāī flanking on either side; peacock-feather fly-whisks fanning.
The closing-image: Tukā mhaṇē dīpa ghē'ūni unmanati śōbhā — viṭē-vari ubhā disē lāvaṇya-gābhā — Tuka says: taking the lamp, the śōbhā rises into unmana; — standing on the brick (viṭē-vari), appears the lāvaṇya-gābha (beauty-pith). Unmana = the trans-mental state; viṭē-vari ubhā = the brick-standing Viṭṭhal of Paṇḍharpur; lāvaṇya-gābha = the beauty-pith. When the lamp is raised, the śōbhā-rises-into-unmana — and on the brick stands the beauty-pith. The ārtī-cycle closes with the Paṇḍharī-Viṭṭhal-image — the brick-standing-Lord.
Marker ॥१३॥ — closes the 13-āratī cluster (1565-1577). The 13 ārtīs cover: Pāṇḍuranga, Bhairava, Kālabhairava, Khaṇḍobā/Mhāḷasā, Datta, Hanumanta-Lakṣmaṇa-Rāma-Sītā, Janārdana, Kṛṣṇa, Vibhūti-Tukayā-bandhu (1568-69), Pāṇḍuranga-Lakṣmī-kānta, Kṛṣṇa-nātha, Catur-bhuja, Bāla-Kṛṣṇa, Hareśvara-Śiva, Gaṇa-pati, Pāṇḍuranga (1576), and this closing-Pāṇḍuranga-ārtī.
[T]
For someone today
For today: in bhakti's belly, the bōdha is the bread-on-spike flame; with five-prāṇas, jīva, and heart-feeling, let us circle the ārtī to my Paṇḍharī-nātha — both hands joined, head placed at his feet; what mahimā shall I describe now? — kōṭi Brahma-hatyās go away by merely seeing his face; Rāhī and Rakhumāī flank both his arms, peacock-feather cāmaras fan him here and there; Tuka says: taking the lamp, the śōbhā rises into unmana — and on the brick stands the beauty-pith of Paṇḍharī-Viṭṭhal.
Where this applies
- Bhakti-belly-bodha-bread-on-spike-five-prāṇas-circle-ārtī.* Bhakti-pōṭa-bōdha-kānkaḍa-pañca-prāṇa-ōmvāḷa.
- Both-hands-joined-head-at-feet-Paṇḍharī-nātha.* Dōnhī-kara-jōḍa-māthā-caraṇīm.
- Kōṭi-Brahma-hatyā-go-by-seeing-mukha.* Kōṭi-Brahma-hatyā-mukha-pāhātām-jātī.
- Rāhī-Rakhumāī-both-arms-peacock-cāmara-fanning.* Rāhī-Rakhumāī-bāhī-mayūra-piccha-cāmara.
- Lamp-rises-to-unmana-brick-standing-beauty-pith.* Dīpa-unmanata-viṭē-vari-lāvaṇya-gābha.