Abhanga 2304

This is a remarkable 35-verse abhang where every line begins with the next letter of the alphabet, and together the verses walk through the whole of the bhakti path. Take the Lord's side, remember the Deity of Pandhari, chant the Name like a drumbeat, let go of craving, keep the Lord's feet in your heart, be wary of passing fads, and remember everything passes through Vitthal. Choose compassion over ego, value the Name above wealth and family duty, spend your strength serving others, keep Govinda's name on your lips, and don't postpone worship to some future day. Real honor comes through Narayana, attachment binds you, and the good you already know to do should be done now, not later. Tuka signs this one not with his usual line 'Tuka says' but as a 'servant of Vishnu,' saying the renown belongs to all who serve.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A REMARKABLE 35-VERSE ĒKĀKHAḌĪ ABHANG — the entire Marathi alphabet as bhakti-pedagogy.

This 35-verse-abecedarian-composition is one of-the-most-virtuosic-formal-compositions in-Tukārām's-corpus. Each verse begins with a successive consonant of the Marathi alphabet, instructing the jīva-on-some-aspect-of-bhakti-dharma. The form combines:

• mnemonic-pedagogy — the alphabetical-sequence aids-memorization
• literary-virtuosity — the poet fits-bhakti-content to-the-constraint-of-the-letter
• completeness-symbolism — A-to-Kṣa signals the comprehensiveness-of-the-teaching

Closing mudra: khyāti kēlī Viṣṇu-dāsīm — Tukā mhaṇē pāhā kaisī — the renown was made by Viṣṇu-dāsas — Tukā says, see how. Uses the Viṣṇu-dāsa signature (cf. 2169) rather than the usual Tukā mhaṇē.

The teaching-sequence moves through: take-the-Lord's-side, remember-Paṇḍharī's-Deva, drumbeat-the-Name, escape-the-cycle, abandon-tṛṣṇā, hold-feet-in-chitta, beware-many-fads, all-pass-through-Viṭhṭhal, dayā-vs-ahankāra, wealth-vs-family-service, the-Name-is-true-bhāgya, para-upakāra-spend-strength, Govinda-Govinda-in-speech, no-future-postponement-of-bhajana, fame-and-honor-come-through-Nārāyaṇa, vāsanā-binds, hita-is-in-hand-but-you-don't-do-it, wear-tulsī-mudrā-ornaments, the-Viṣṇu-dāsas-make-the-renown.

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For someone today

This is a remarkable 35-verse abhang where every line begins with the next letter of the alphabet, and together the verses walk through the whole of the bhakti path. Take the Lord's side, remember the Deity of Pandhari, chant the Name like a drumbeat, let go of craving, keep the Lord's feet in your heart, be wary of passing fads, and remember everything passes through Vitthal. Choose compassion over ego, value the Name above wealth and family duty, spend your strength serving others, keep Govinda's name on your lips, and don't postpone worship to some future day. Real honor comes through Narayana, attachment binds you, and the good you already know to do should be done now, not later. Tuka signs this one not with his usual line 'Tuka says' but as a 'servant of Vishnu,' saying the renown belongs to all who serve.

मराठी: हा एक विलक्षण पस्तीस कडव्यांचा अभंग आहे, ज्यात प्रत्येक ओळ वर्णमालेच्या पुढच्या अक्षराने सुरू होते, आणि सगळी कडवी मिळून भक्तिमार्गातून पूर्णपणे फिरवून आणतात. देवाची बाजू घ्या, पंढरीच्या देवाचे स्मरण करा, नामाचा गजर करा, तृष्णा सोडा, देवाचे पाय चित्तात धरा, नाना उपाधींपासून सावध राहा, आणि लक्षात ठेवा की सर्व काही विठ्ठलातूनच जाते. अहंकारापेक्षा दया निवडा, धन आणि कुटुंबसेवेपेक्षा नामाला खरे भाग्य माना, परोपकारासाठी शक्ती खर्च करा, गोविंद-गोविंद मुखात ठेवा, आणि भजन उद्यावर ढकलू नका. खरा मान नारायणातूनच मिळतो, वासना बांधून ठेवते, आणि जे हित हातात आहे ते आताच करा, पुढे ढकलू नका. तुका इथे नेहमीच्या 'तुका म्हणे' ऐवजी 'विष्णुदास' म्हणून सही करतात, आणि सांगतात की कीर्ती सर्व सेवकांची आहे.

Where this applies

• When you're trying to build a complete, memorable set of daily spiritual habits instead of scattered ones
• When you catch yourself keeping score with pride instead of acting from compassion
• When you find yourself telling others you'll start praying or reflecting tomorrow instead of today
• When you're weighing whether to spend your energy chasing wealth or serving people around you

Related verses

• Abhanga 2448 — The easiest path to God is repeating divine names with love at home, right where you are,
• Abhanga 2494 — Living in devotion turns an ordinary day into a festival and removes the fear of birth and
• Abhanga 4481 — Tukaram promises that sincerely calling on the Lord's name, knowingly or unknowingly, with
• Abhanga 4482 — Tukaram teaches that no ritual equals sincerely speaking the Lord's name, that self-center