Abhanga 1700
True adornment and identity come from belonging wholly to God, chanting his name, and wanting nothing else, not even liberation, only him.
The verse
आम्हां अळंकार मुद्रांचे शृंगार । तुळसीचे हार वाहों कंठीं ॥१॥ लाडिके डिंगर पंढरिरायाचे । निरंतर वाचे नामघोष ॥ध्रु.॥ आम्हां आणिकांची चाड चि नाहीं । सर्व सुखें पायीं विठोबाच्या ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आम्ही नेघों या मुक्ती । एकविण चित्ती दुजें नाहीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
To us, the ornaments are mudrā-śṛngāra — tulasī-hāra we wear at the throat. The beloved ḍingaras of Paṇḍhari-rāya — constant nāma-ghoṣa in mouth. To us, of others, no longing — all sukhas at Viṭhobā's feet. Tuka says: we don't take this mukti — no second in chitta except the One.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आम्हां अळंकार मुद्रांचे शृंगार | "to us — ornaments — of mudrās — adornment" |
| तुळसीचे हार वाहों कंठीं | "tulasī-hāra — we wear — at throat" |
| लाडिके डिंगर पंढरिरायाचे | "beloved — ḍingaras — of Paṇḍhari-rāya" |
| निरंतर वाचे नामघोष | "constant — in mouth — nāma-ghōṣa" |
| आम्हां आणिकांची चाड चि नाहीं | "to us — of others — no longing" |
| सर्व सुखें पायीं विठोबाच्या | "all sukhas — at Viṭhobā's feet" |
| तुका म्हणे आम्ही नेघों या मुक्ती | "Tuka says — we — don't take — this mukti" |
| एकविण चित्ती दुजें नाहीं | "except the One — in chitta — no second" |
What it means
Warkari-mudrā-tulasī-hāra-self-identification + ḍingara abhang.
The ornaments: āmhām aḷankāra mudrāñcē śṛngāra — tuḷasīcē hāra vāhōm kaṇṭhīm — to us, the ornaments are mudrā-śṛngāra — tulasī-hāra we wear at throat. Mudrā = the warkari sectarian-marks (tilaka, conch-and-discus mudrā); tulasī-hāra = the necklace-of-tulasī-beads worn by warkaris. These very (not gold or jewelry) are our ornaments.
The ḍingara: lāḍikē ḍingara Paṇḍhari-rāyācē — nirantara vācē nāma-ghōṣa — beloved ḍingaras of Paṇḍhari-rāya — constant nāma-ghoṣa in mouth. Ḍingara = a Marathi-warkari self-vocabulary term, roughly handsome-playful young attendants of the king (= the king's adoring-young-courtiers). Lāḍikē = beloved, fondled. We are the beloved-courtiers of Paṇḍhari-rāya — with constant nāma-ghoṣa in our mouths.
The closing: āmhām āṇikāñcī cāḍa chi nāhīm — sarva sukhē pāyīm Viṭhōbācyā / Tukā mhaṇē āmhī nēghōm yā muktī — ēka-vīṇa chittī dujē nāhīm — no longing for others — all sukhas at Viṭhobā's feet; Tuka says — we don't take this mukti — no second in chitta except the One. The anti-mukti, single-focused-on-Viṭhobā warkari-touchstone (compare 1457, 1579, 1631).
This abhang is one of the most-direct warkari self-articulations — naming the visible-marks (mudrā, tulasī-hāra), the self-identity (ḍingara), the practice (nāma-ghoṣa), the focus (Viṭhobā's feet), and the anti-mukti rejection.
[T]
For someone today
For today: to us, the ornaments are the warkari mudrā-marks — and we wear tulasī-bead necklaces at the throat; we are the beloved-courtiers of the Paṇḍhari-king — with constant chant of his name in our mouths; we have no longing for others — all our happiness is at Viṭhobā's feet; Tuka says — we don't take this mukti — there is no second in our chitta except the One.
Where this applies
- When you feel pressure to display wealth or status to feel worthy
- When you're offered an easy shortcut or reward that would pull you away from what you love
- When you wonder what your identity really rests on
- When you're tempted to treat devotion as a means to some other prize, even a spiritual one