संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2319 of 4582

Abhanga 2319

For today: whose dhyāna is on what — that becomes his mind; push aside everything — firmly hold Pāṇḍuranga; whose feet are equal-sign — standing in the vīṭ-place; Tuka says — beyond sky, yet atom's womb.

When you realize your mood mirrors whatever you've been dwelling on all week.

When you pick a single image, name, or thought to return to in meditation.

When you want a mental anchor that stays steady whether things feel small or vast.

The verse

ज्याचें जया ध्यान । तें चि होय त्याचें मन ॥१॥ म्हणऊनि अवघें सारा । पांडुरंग दृढ धरा ॥ध्रु.॥ सम खूण ज्याचे पाय । उभा व्यापक विटे ठाय ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नभा । परता अनूचा ही गाभा ॥३॥

Literal translation

Whose dhyāna is on what — that itself becomes his mind. Therefore push aside everything — firmly hold Pāṇḍuranga. Whose feet are the equal-sign — standing, pervasive, in the vīṭ-place. Tuka says: beyond the sky — the womb of even the atom.

What it means

Dhyāna-becomes-mind + hold-Pāṇḍuranga + the-vīṭ-standing-Lord-beyond-sky-yet-atom-womb abhang.

THE CELEBRATED OPENING: jyāchē jayā dhyāna — tē chi hōya tyāchē mana — whose dhyāna is on what — that itself becomes his mind. Whose dhyāna is-on-what — that-itself becomes his-mind. The fundamental-psychological-truth: the object-of-meditation shapes-the-mind.

The hold-Pāṇḍuranga: mhaṇa'ūni avaghē sārā — Pāṇḍuranga dṛḍha dharā — therefore push aside everything — firmly hold Pāṇḍuranga. Therefore push-aside-everything; firmly-hold Pāṇḍuranga.

The vīṭ-standing image: sama khūṇa jyāchē pāya — ubhā vyāpaka viṭē ṭhāya — whose feet are the equal-sign — standing, pervasive, in the vīṭ-place. Sama khūṇa = equal-sign, balanced-mark. Viṭē = on the brick (= Pandharī's-Viṭhṭhal-on-the-brick). Whose-feet are-the-equal-sign (= sama-charaṇa, the equally-placed-feet); standing-pervasive in-the-vīṭ-place (Pandharī). Iconographic-reference to the Pandharī-mūrti.

The paradox: Tukā mhaṇē nabhā — paratā anūchā hī gābhā — Tuka says: beyond the sky — the womb of even the atom. Beyond-the-sky, and-yet the-womb of-even-the-atom. (= transcendent-and-immanent simultaneously.)

[T]

For someone today

Where this applies

When you notice your thoughts keep drifting to whatever worries or excites you most that week
When you're choosing what to focus on during meditation or prayer and wonder if it really matters
When you feel scattered and want one steady point to keep returning your attention to
When you're trying to understand how someone becomes calm and balanced over years of practice

Bhakti Pāṇḍuranga / Viṭhṭhal