Abhanga 1621
For today: Viṭhṭhal — the cymbals, Viṭhṭhal — the flag-troupe, Viṭhṭhal in the mouth utter; Viṭhṭhal of all stock — speak Viṭhṭhal Viṭhṭhal; Viṭhṭhal — sound, distinction, fascination — Viṭhṭhal; Viṭhṭhal in joy, Viṭhṭhal in sorrow — in Tuka's mouth — Viṭhṭhal.
The verse
विठ्ठल टाळ विठ्ठल दिंडी । विठ्ठल तोंडीं उच्चारा ॥१॥ विठ्ठल अवघ्या भांडवला । विठ्ठल बोला विठ्ठल ॥ध्रु.॥ विठ्ठल नाद विठ्ठल भेद । विठ्ठल छंद विठ्ठल ॥२॥ विठ्ठल सुखा विठ्ठल दुःखा । तुकया मुखा विठ्ठल ॥३॥
Literal translation
Viṭhṭhal — cymbals; Viṭhṭhal — flag-troupe; Viṭhṭhal — utter in mouth. Viṭhṭhal — of all bhāṇḍavala; Viṭhṭhal — speak — Viṭhṭhal. Viṭhṭhal — sound; Viṭhṭhal — distinction; Viṭhṭhal — fascination — Viṭhṭhal. Viṭhṭhal in joy; Viṭhṭhal in sorrow — Tuka's mouth — Viṭhṭhal.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| विठ्ठल टाळ विठ्ठल दिंडी | "Viṭhṭhal — cymbals; — Viṭhṭhal — flag-troupe" |
| विठ्ठल तोंडीं उच्चारा | "Viṭhṭhal — in mouth — utter" |
| विठ्ठल अवघ्या भांडवला | "Viṭhṭhal — of all stock (bhāṇḍavala)" |
| विठ्ठल बोला विठ्ठल | "Viṭhṭhal — speak — Viṭhṭhal" |
| विठ्ठल नाद विठ्ठल भेद | "Viṭhṭhal — sound (nāda); — Viṭhṭhal — distinction (bhēda)" |
| विठ्ठल छंद विठ्ठल | "Viṭhṭhal — fascination (chanda) — Viṭhṭhal" |
| विठ्ठल सुखा विठ्ठल दुःखा | "Viṭhṭhal — in joy; — Viṭhṭhal — in sorrow" |
| तुकया मुखा विठ्ठल | "Tuka's mouth — Viṭhṭhal" |
What it means
The famous Viṭhṭhal-everywhere chant. A 4-verse abhang containing 16 occurrences of "Viṭhṭhal" — sung in nearly every modern warkari kīrtana. The repetitive-saturation embodies the bhakti-doctrine of Viṭhṭhal-as-everything.
Verse 1 — Instruments and utterance: Viṭhṭhal tāḷa Viṭhṭhal diṇḍī — Viṭhṭhal tōṇḍīm uccārā. Tāḷa = small cymbals (the warkari's primary-instrument); diṇḍī = flag-troupe procession; tōṇḍīm uccāra = utterance-in-the-mouth. The kīrtana-instruments-and-utterance — all are Viṭhṭhal.
Dhṛuva — All-stock: Viṭhṭhal avaghyā bhāṇḍavalā — Viṭhṭhal bōlā Viṭhṭhal. Bhāṇḍavala = capital, stock-in-trade, the merchant's-investment. Viṭhṭhal is the entire-merchant-stock (= the only-asset, the only-currency, the only-investment). Speak Viṭhṭhal Viṭhṭhal.
Verse 2 — Modes: Viṭhṭhal nāda Viṭhṭhal bhēda — Viṭhṭhal chanda Viṭhṭhal. Nāda = sound; bhēda = distinction / category / type; chanda = fascination, captivation. All sounds are Viṭhṭhal-sound; all distinctions are Viṭhṭhal-distinctions; all fascinations are Viṭhṭhal-fascinations.
Verse 3 — Affects + Tuka-mudra: Viṭhṭhal sukhā Viṭhṭhal duḥkhā — Tukayā mukhā Viṭhṭhal. Viṭhṭhal in joy, Viṭhṭhal in sorrow — in Tuka's mouth, Viṭhṭhal. The all-affect-pervasion + Tuka-signature.
This abhang is one of the most-loved-Tuka-pieces in warkari-tradition; its anaphoric-rhythm (Viṭhṭhal X Viṭhṭhal Y) and call-and-response-shape makes it ideal for kīrtana-singing. The whole-life-saturation by Viṭhṭhal (instrument, procession, mouth, capital, sound, category, fascination, joy, sorrow, signature) is the theological-claim.
[T]
For someone today
For today: Viṭhṭhal — the cymbals, Viṭhṭhal — the flag-troupe, Viṭhṭhal in the mouth utter; Viṭhṭhal of all stock — speak Viṭhṭhal Viṭhṭhal; Viṭhṭhal — sound, distinction, fascination — Viṭhṭhal; Viṭhṭhal in joy, Viṭhṭhal in sorrow — in Tuka's mouth — Viṭhṭhal.
Where this applies
- When you assume you can only feel close to the sacred in a temple or during formal prayer, and forget ordinary moments count too
- When you're going through a joyful time and want a way to keep it grounded rather than just consumed by excitement
- When you're in pain or grief and need a way to hold the sacred steady through the sorrow instead of feeling abandoned by it
- When you're singing or chanting in a group and want a simple repeated phrase that carries everyone along together