संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1592 of 4582

Abhanga 1592

For today: on this side Hari has come — conch and discus shine in his hand; Garuḍa comes with the whoosh of wings, saying "fear not, fear not" quickly; the radiance of crown-and-earrings — their tēja eclipses the sun-rays; megha-śyāma-coloured Hari, eye-pleasing charming mūrti; four-armed with vaijayantī, mālā swaying at the neck; the pītāmbara — how it glitters — the ten directions illumined; Tuka has become well-pleased — the very throne of Vaikuṇṭha has come to my house.

When you'd narrate the climactic-Hari-arrival — Hari with śankha-cakra; Garuḍa-whoosh; mukuṭa-kuṇḍala-tēja eclipses sun; Vaikuṇṭha-pīṭha came to my house

The verse

पैल आले हरि । शंख चक्र शोभे करीं ॥१॥ गरुड येतो फडत्कारें । ना भी ना भी म्हणे त्वरे ॥ध्रु.॥ मुगुटकुंडलांच्या दीप्ति । तेजें लोपला गभस्ति ॥२॥ मेघश्यामवर्ण हरि । मूर्ति डोळस साजिरी ॥३॥ चुतर्भुज वैजयंती । गळां माळ हे रुळती ॥४॥ पीतांबर झळके कैसा । उजळल्या दाही दिशा ॥५॥ तुका जालासे संतुष्ट । घरा आलें वैकुंठपीठ ॥६॥

Literal translation

English: On this side, Hari has come — śankha-cakra shine in his hand. Garuḍa comes with phaḍatkāra — "fear not, fear not," he says quickly. Of mukuṭa-kuṇḍalas, the radiance — by their tēja, the gabhasti is eclipsed. Megha-śyāma-coloured Hari — mūrti, eye-pleasing, charming. Four-armed, vaijayantī — at neck, the māḷa is swaying. The pītāmbara, how it glitters — the ten directions illumined. Tuka has become samtuṣṭa — the Vaikuṇṭha-pīṭha has come to my house.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
पैल आले हरि "on this side (paila) — Hari — has come"
शंख चक्र शोभे करीं "śankha-cakrashine — in (his) hand"
गरुड येतो फडत्कारें "Garuḍacomes — with phaḍatkāra (whoosh)"
ना भी ना भी म्हणे त्वरे "fear not, fear not — (he) saysquickly"
मुगुटकुंडलांच्या दीप्ति "of (the) mukuṭa-kuṇḍalasradiance"
तेजें लोपला गभस्ति "by (the) tējaeclipsed — the gabhasti (sun-rays)"
मेघश्यामवर्ण हरि "megha-śyāma-colouredHari"
मूर्ति डोळस साजिरी "mūrtieye-pleasingcharming"
चुतर्भुज वैजयंती "four-armedvaijayantī"
गळां माळ हे रुळती "at neck — the māḷais swaying"
पीतांबर झळके कैसा "the pītāmbarahow it glitters"
उजळल्या दाही दिशा "illumined — the ten directions"
तुका जालासे संतुष्ट "Tuka — has becomesamtuṣṭa (well-pleased)"
घरा आलें वैकुंठपीठ "to my house — has come — the Vaikuṇṭha-pīṭha"

What it means

Climactic-Hari-arrival abhang. The narrative-peak of the vaikuṇṭha-gamana cluster (1588-1597). After four anticipation-abhangs (1588-1591), the arrival itself.

The opening: paila ālē Hari — śankha cakra śōbhē karīmon this side (= the side approaching), Hari has come — śankha-cakra shining in his hand. Paila = the near-side, this-side; the visible-arrival is announced.

The Garuḍa-mount: Garuḍa yētō phaḍatkārē — nā bhī nā bhī mhaṇē tvarēGaruḍa comes with phaḍatkāra (= whoosh of wings); "fear not, fear not," he says quickly. Phaḍatkāra = flapping-whoosh; the eagle-mount descends with audible-wings. The abhaya-vacanafear not, fear not — the standard Vaiṣṇava-divine-greeting.

The radiance-iconography: muguṭa-kuṇḍalāñcyā dīpti — tējēm lōpalā gabhastiof mukuṭa-kuṇḍalas, the radiance — by their tēja, the gabhasti (sun-rays) is eclipsed. The Lord's crown-and-earring radiance eclipses the very sun.

The body: mēgha-śyāma-varṇa Hari — mūrti ḍōḷasa sājirīmegha-śyāma-coloured Hari — mūrti, eye-pleasing, charming. Megha-śyāma = cloud-dark / monsoon-cloud-coloured — Vaiṣṇava-iconographic-cognate (= dark-blue Kṛṣṇa-Hari complexion). Ḍōḷasa = eye-filling / one-who-fills-the-eye.

The arms-and-cloth: catur-bhuja vaijayantī — gaḷām māḷa hē ruḷatī ... pītāmbara jhaḷakē kaisā — ujaḷalyā dāhī diśāfour-armed, vaijayantī; at neck the māḷa swaying ... pītāmbara, how it glitters; the ten directions illumined. The full Viṣṇu-iconographic-set — same vocabulary as the Vaiṣṇava ārtīs at 1565-1577.

The closing-claim: Tukā jālāsē samtuṣṭa — gharā ālēm Vaikuṇṭha-pīṭhaTuka has become samtuṣṭa — to my house has come the Vaikuṇṭha-pīṭha. Vaikuṇṭha-pīṭha = the very throne-of-Vaikuṇṭha. The Lord's seat / locus has come to my houseVaikuṇṭha is here in my home now (= Vaikuṇṭha-comes-to-the-bhakta-rather-than-bhakta-going-to-Vaikuṇṭha; the inverted-pilgrimage).

[T]

For someone today

For today: on this side Hari has come — conch and discus shine in his hand; Garuḍa comes with the whoosh of wings, saying "fear not, fear not" quickly; the radiance of crown-and-earrings — their tēja eclipses the sun-rays; megha-śyāma-coloured Hari, eye-pleasing charming mūrti; four-armed with vaijayantī, mālā swaying at the neck; the pītāmbara — how it glitters — the ten directions illumined; Tuka has become well-pleased — the very throne of Vaikuṇṭha has come to my house.

Where this applies

Related verses