Abhanga 2301
God takes whatever form each person needs or imagines, fierce, gentle, loving, or tender, yet remains formless underneath all of it.
The verse
उदारा कृपाळा पतितपावना । ब्रिदें नारायणा साच तुझीं ॥१॥ वर्णिलासी जैसा जाणतां नेणतां । तैसा तूं अनंता साच होसी ॥ध्रु.॥ दैत्यां काळ भक्तां मेघश्याममूर्ति । चतुर्भुज हातीं शंख चक्र ॥२॥ काम इच्छा तयां तैसा होसी राणीं । यशोदेच्या स्तनीं पान करी ॥३॥ होऊनि सकळ कांहींच न होसी । तुका म्हणे यासी वेद ग्वाही ॥४॥
Literal translation
Udārā, kṛpāḷā, patita-pāvana — your birudas, Nārāyaṇa, are true. As one describes — knowing or not-knowing — like that, you, Ananta, become true. Kāla to the daityas — mēgha-śyāma-mūrti to the bhaktas — chatur-bhuja, conch-and-chakra in hand. To those of kāma-desire, you become like that, in [Kṛṣṇa-līlā] — at Yaśodā's breast, you drink. Becoming all, you don't become anything — Tuka says — the Veda is witness.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| उदारा कृपाळा पतितपावना | "udārā, kṛpāḷā, patita-pāvana" |
| ब्रिदें नारायणा साच तुझीं | "your birudas, Nārāyaṇa, are true" |
| वर्णिलासी जैसा जाणतां नेणतां | "as one describes — knowing or not-knowing" |
| तैसा तूं अनंता साच होसी | "like that, you, Ananta, become true" |
| दैत्यां काळ भक्तां मेघश्याममूर्ति | "Kāla to the daityas — mēgha-śyāma-mūrti to the bhaktas" |
| चतुर्भुज हातीं शंख चक्र | "chatur-bhuja, conch-and-chakra in hand" |
| काम इच्छा तयां तैसा होसी राणीं | "to those of kāma-desire, you become like that, in [Kṛṣṇa-līlā]" |
| यशोदेच्या स्तनीं पान करी | "at Yaśodā's breast, you drink" |
| होऊनि सकळ कांहींच न होसी | "becoming all, you don't become anything" |
| तुका म्हणे यासी वेद ग्वाही | "Tuka says — the Veda is witness" |
What it means
Lord's-birudas-and-many-forms + becoming-all-yet-not-anything abhang.
The opening — three-birudas: udārā kṛpāḷā patita-pāvanā — bridē Nārāyaṇā sācha tujhīm — udārā, kṛpāḷā, patita-pāvana — your birudas, Nārāyaṇa, are true. Udārā (generous), kṛpāḷā (compassionate), patita-pāvana (purifier-of-the-fallen) — your-birudas, Nārāyaṇa, are-true.
The description-shapes-you: varṇilāsī jaisā jāṇatām nēṇatām — taisā tūm Ananta sācha hōsī — as one describes — knowing or not-knowing — like that, you, Ananta, become true. As-one-describes (knowing-or-not-knowing), like-that you-become-true (= you take-the-form the-bhakta-imagines).
THE FOUR-FORM CATALOG: 1. To daityas — Kāla: daityām kāḷa — to-the-daityas, you-are-Time/Death 2. To bhaktas — mēgha-śyāma-mūrti: bhaktām mēgha-śyāma-mūrti — chatur-bhuja hātīm śankha chakra — to-the-bhaktas, the-cloud-dark-form, chatur-bhuja-with-conch-and-chakra 3. To women of kāma-desire — Kṛṣṇa-līlā lover: kāma icchā tayām taisā hōsī rāṇīm — to-women-of-kāma-desire, you-become-like-that-in-the-(Kṛṣṇa-)līlā 4. To Yaśodā — suckling-child: Yaśōdēchyā stanīm pāna karī — at-Yaśodā's-breast, you-drink-milk
The closing — becoming-all-yet-nothing: hō'ūni sakaḷa kāmhīñcha na hōsī — Tukā mhaṇē yāsī Vēda gvāhī — becoming all, you don't become anything — Tuka says — the Veda is witness. Becoming-all, you-don't-become-anything; the-Veda is-witness-to-this (= the Lord's-multi-form-responsiveness is also-his nirguṇa-non-form-essence).
[T]
For someone today
For today: udārā, kṛpāḷā, patita-pāvana — your birudas are true; as one describes, knowing or not — Ananta becomes like that; Kāla to daityas, mēgha-śyāma-mūrti to bhaktas, chatur-bhuja with śankha-chakra; to women of kāma-desire — Kṛṣṇa-līlā lover; at Yaśodā's breast — suckling child; becoming all, not becoming anything — Tuka says — Veda is witness.
Where this applies
- When you struggle to relate to a rigid, singular image of the divine and need permission to meet God in a form that feels personal to you.
- When you're frightened or facing consequences and need to understand a stricter, more demanding side of the sacred.
- When you long for warmth, tenderness, or closeness in your relationship to the divine, like a parent's love.
- When you wonder how something formless can still show up in your life in a form you recognize.