Abhanga 1619
For today: the good paṇḍita is the one who daily worships Viṭhṭhal; he sees all as sama-Brahma — Viṭhṭhal is in all beings; no place is empty — Vāsudeva is in all beings; Tuka says — that one alone is the true dāsa — at the very sight of him, faults flee.
The verse
पंडित तो चि एक भला । नित्य भजे जो विठ्ठला ॥१॥ अवघें सम ब्रम्ह पाहे । सर्वां भूतीं विठ्ठल आहे ॥ध्रु.॥ रिता नाहीं कोणी ठाव । सर्वां भूतीं वासुदेव ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे तो चि दास । त्यां देखिल्या जाती दोष ॥३॥
Literal translation
The good paṇḍita is the one who daily worships Viṭhṭhal. Sees all as sama-Brahma — Viṭhṭhal is in all bhūtas. No place is empty — Vāsudeva is in all bhūtas. Tuka says: that one is the dāsa — seeing him, the dōṣas flee.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पंडित तो चि एक भला | "paṇḍita — that very one — one — good" |
| नित्य भजे जो विठ्ठला | "daily — worships — who — Viṭhṭhal" |
| अवघें सम ब्रम्ह पाहे | "all — sama-Brahma — sees" |
| सर्वां भूतीं विठ्ठल आहे | "in all bhūtas — Viṭhṭhal — is" |
| रिता नाहीं कोणी ठाव | "not empty — any — place" |
| सर्वां भूतीं वासुदेव | "in all bhūtas — Vāsudeva" |
| तुका म्हणे तो चि दास | "Tuka says — that very one — dāsa" |
| त्यां देखिल्या जाती दोष | "seeing him — flee — dōṣas" |
What it means
True-paṇḍita-as-Viṭhṭhal-bhakta abhang. Companion-positive to 1618's negative-portrait.
The redefinition: paṇḍita tō chi ēka bhalā — nitya bhajē jō Viṭhṭhalā — the good paṇḍita is the one who daily worships Viṭhṭhal. The paṇḍita-title is reclaimed from book-learning and given to daily-Viṭhṭhal-bhajan.
The sama-Brahma-vision: avaghēm sama Brahma pāhē — sarvām bhūtīm Viṭhṭhal āhē — sees all as sama-Brahma — Viṭhṭhal is in all bhūtas. The sama-Brahma-vision (= seeing the-equal-Brahma in all) which the bookish-paṇḍita failed-to-attain in 1618 is here-the-mark-of-the-true-paṇḍita.
The non-empty-pervasion: ritā nāhīm kōṇī ṭhāva — sarvām bhūtīm Vāsudēva — no place is empty — Vāsudeva in all bhūtas. Vāsudeva = Kṛṣṇa as the all-pervading-one; no place is empty of him.
The dāsa-effect: Tukā mhaṇē tō chi dāsa — tyām dēkhilyā jātī dōṣa — Tuka says: that one is the dāsa — seeing him, the dōṣas flee. That paṇḍita-bhakta is the true-dāsa; just seeing him, the dōṣas (= sins / faults) flee.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the good paṇḍita is the one who daily worships Viṭhṭhal; he sees all as sama-Brahma — Viṭhṭhal is in all beings; no place is empty — Vāsudeva is in all beings; Tuka says — that one alone is the true dāsa — at the very sight of him, faults flee.
Where this applies
- When you're tempted to judge someone's spirituality by their credentials or how much scripture they can quote
- When you catch yourself treating some people as more worthy of respect than others
- When you feel disconnected from the world around you and forget that the sacred is present in ordinary people and places
- When you're around someone whose quiet, consistent devotion makes you want to be a better person just by being near them