Abhanga 1595
Go out to meet love halfway, and trust that the saints and mentors who arrive first will carry you the rest of the way to God.
The verse
चला जाऊं रे सामोरे । पुढें भेटों विठ्ठल धुरे ॥१॥ फेडावया धणी । प्रेमसुखाची आजि ॥ध्रु.॥ पुढें आले कृपावंत । मायबाप साधुसंत ॥२॥ आळंगिला बाहीं । ठेविला विठोबाचे पायीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Come, let us go to meet — forward, let us meet Viṭhṭhal at the front. To fulfill today the dhaṇī of prema-sukha. The kṛpāvanta have come forward — māya-bāpa, sādhu-samta. Embraced with arms — placed at Viṭhobā's feet.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| चला जाऊं रे सामोरे | "come, let us go — to meet (sāmōrē)" |
| पुढें भेटों विठ्ठल धुरे | "forward — let us meet — Viṭhṭhal — at (the) front (dhurē)" |
| फेडावया धणी | "to fulfill — the dhaṇī (surge / abundance)" |
| प्रेमसुखाची आजि | "of prema-sukha — today" |
| पुढें आले कृपावंत | "forward — have come — kṛpāvanta" |
| मायबाप साधुसंत | "māya-bāpa — sādhu-samta" |
| आळंगिला बाहीं | "embraced — by arms" |
| ठेविला विठोबाचे पायीं | "placed — at Viṭhobā's feet" |
What it means
Saints-embrace-and-place-at-Viṭhobā's-feet abhang. Vaikuṇṭha-gamana cluster.
The opening invitation: calā jā'ūm rē sāmōrē — puḍhēm bhēṭōm Viṭhṭhala dhurē — come, let us go forward to meet — let us meet Viṭhṭhal at the front (dhurē). Sāmōrē = facing-forward / to-meet; dhurē = at-the-head / at-the-front; (= let us meet Viṭhṭhal at the head of the procession).
The why-of-meeting: phēḍāvayā dhaṇī — prēma-sukhācī āji — to fulfill today the dhaṇī of prema-sukha. Dhaṇī = the surge / abundance / overflow; phēḍaṇē = to discharge, to fulfill, to pay off. To pay off / fulfill the prema-sukha that is overflowing today. (= the prema-debt has accumulated; today is the day to discharge it.)
The saints-arrive-first: puḍhē ālē kṛpāvanta — māya-bāpa sādhu-samta — the kṛpāvanta have come forward — māya-bāpa, sādhu-samta. The saints / mother-father-saints arrive first (= ahead of Viṭhṭhal himself). The saints-as-the-Lord's-vanguard.
The embrace-and-placement: āḷangilā bāhīm — ṭhēvilā Viṭhōbācē pāyīm — embraced with arms — placed at Viṭhobā's feet. The saints embrace Tuka with their arms and carry him / place him at Viṭhobā's feet. (Striking-formulation: the saints are the active-agents; they carry the bhakta to the Lord's feet. Compare 1580's yā samtāmsī niravim hēm maja dē'ī — consign me to these saints — fulfilled here.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: come, let us go forward to meet — let us meet Viṭhṭhal at the head of the procession; to fulfill today the surge of prema-sukha; the kṛpāvanta have come forward — the mother-father-sādhu-saints; embraced with their arms — placed at Viṭhobā's feet.
Where this applies
- When you have been waiting to act on strong feelings of love or gratitude and today is finally the day to do something about it
- When a mentor, elder, or trusted friend shows up before the big moment to guide and support you
- When you need someone to physically or emotionally carry you toward a goal you could not reach alone
- When you feel love and appreciation building up inside you and do not know how to express it