Abhanga 1587
The verse
तुम्ही सनकादिक संत । म्हणवितां कृपावंत ॥१॥ एवढा करा उपकार । देवा सांगा नमस्कार ॥ध्रु.॥ भाकूनि करुणा । विनवा वैकुंठींचा राणा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मज आठवा । मुळ लवकरी पाठवा ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: You, Sanaka-and-other-saints — you let yourselves be called kṛpāvanta. Do this much favor — convey my namaskāra to Deva. Entreat with karuṇā — beseech the Vaikuṇṭha-king. Tuka says: remember me — send the mūḷa quickly.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तुम्ही सनकादिक संत | "you — Sanaka-and-others — saints" |
| म्हणवितां कृपावंत | "let yourselves be called — kṛpāvanta (compassionate)" |
| एवढा करा उपकार | "just this much (ēvaḍhā) — do — the favor (upakāra)" |
| देवा सांगा नमस्कार | "to Deva — say — my namaskāra" |
| भाकूनि करुणा | "entreat (bhākūni) — karuṇā" |
| विनवा वैकुंठींचा राणा | "beseech — the Vaikuṇṭha-king" |
| तुका म्हणे मज आठवा | "Tuka says — remember me" |
| मुळ लवकरी पाठवा | "the mūḷa (= source / summons) — quickly — send" |
What it means
Send-for-me-to-Vaikuṇṭha abhang. A short, intense address to the great saints, asking them to intercede with the Lord on Tukaram's behalf — send the mūḷa (= the summons / origin-call) to take him up to Vaikuṇṭha.
The opening: tumhī Sanaka-ādika samta — mhaṇavitām kṛpāvanta — you, Sanaka-and-other-saints, you let yourselves be called kṛpāvanta. Sanaka-ādika = the four eternal-boy-saints (Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana, Sanat-kumāra) — the primordial-bhakti-rishis. Mhaṇavitām kṛpāvanta — you let yourselves be called compassionate; (= if you accept this title, then prove it).
The favor-request: ēvaḍhā karā upakāra — Devā sāngā namaskāra — do just this much favor — convey my namaskāra to Deva. The minimal-favor: just convey my namaskāra to the Lord — but in this minimum is hidden the whole request.
The intercession: bhākūni karuṇā — vinavā Vaikuṇṭhīñcā rāṇā — entreat with karuṇā — beseech the Vaikuṇṭha-king. Bhākūni — to entreat with imploring-voice; vinavā — beseech-on-my-behalf. The saints become advocates with the Lord.
The closing-petition: maja āṭhavā — mūḷa lavakarī pāṭhavā — remember me — send the mūḷa quickly. Mūḷa — the source, the origin, the summons-from-the-king to a subject. The send the mūḷa line: the King-of-Vaikuṇṭha must send the summons (= the divine call) to take Tuka up.
This abhang sits among Tukaram's late-life ascent-poems — when he openly asks for ascension to Vaikuṇṭha (the vaikuṇṭha-gamana tradition that ends his life-story). The traditional-Warkari narrative holds that Pāṇḍuranga sent the puṣpaka-vimāna (heavenly-chariot) and Tukaram ascended-bodily — fulfilling the mūḷa-pāṭhavā request.
[T]
For someone today
For today: you are the Sanaka-and-other-saints — you let yourselves be called compassionate; do this one favor — convey my namaskāra to Deva; entreat with karuṇā, beseech the Vaikuṇṭha-king; Tuka says — remember me, and send the summons quickly.
Where this applies
- Sanaka-saints-call-yourselves-compassionate.* Sanaka-ādika-mhaṇavitām-kṛpāvanta.
- Convey-namaskāra-to-Deva-favor.* Devā-sāngā-namaskāra-upakāra.
- Entreat-karuṇā-beseech-Vaikuṇṭha-king.* Bhākūni-karuṇā-Vaikuṇṭhīcā-rāṇā.
- Remember-me-send-summons-quickly.* Maja-āṭhavā-mūḷa-pāṭhavā.