Abhanga 2402
The verse
सुखें घेऊं जन्मांतरें । एक बरें इहलोकीं ॥१॥ पंढरीचे वारकरी । होतां थोरी जोडी हे ॥ध्रु.॥ हरिदासांचा समागम । अंगीं प्रेम विसांवे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे हें चि मन । इच्छादान मागतसे ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: ★★★ Happily take rebirths — one good [thing] in this world ★★★. ★★★ Pandharī-Vārkarīs — being great association ★★★. Hari-dāsas' company — prema-rest in the body. Tuka says: this mind itself — begs as desire-gift.
What it means
★★★ THE FOUNDATIONAL VĀRKARĪ-IDENTITY ABHANG ★★★. One of the most-cited Tukārām-lines on the value of the Vārkarī-tradition.
★★★ THE FAMOUS PAIR-OF-LINES ★★★: - sukhē ghē'ūm janmāntarē — ēka barē ihalōkīm — ★★★ happily take rebirths — one good [thing] in this world ★★★ - Paṇḍharīchē Vārakarī — hōtām thōrī jōḍī hē — ★★★ Pandharī-Vārkarīs — being [their] great association ★★★
★★★ I'll-happily-take-rebirths IF in-each-life I-can-be among-the-Paṇḍharī-Vārkarīs. ★★★ The Vārkarī-association is-the-one-good-thing-of-this-world worth-perpetual-incarnation. Inversion of the usual liberation-from-rebirth goal: Tukārām says if rebirth means more-Vārkarī-pilgrimage-and-association, bring-it-on.
★ HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE ★: This line is foundational for Vārkarī self-identity — quoted at the annual-Pandharpur-Vārī, in Vārkarī kīrtans, on Vārkarī-tradition posters and publications. It defines the tradition's distinctive position: not mokṣa-as-escape-from-rebirth, but rebirth-itself-as-bhakti-opportunity alongside the saint-community.
The Hari-dāsas-company: Hari-dāsāñchā samāgama — angīm prēma visāmvē — Hari-dāsas' company — prema-rest in the body. Hari-dāsas' company is-where the-body-rests in-prema.
The mind's-desire-gift: Tukā mhaṇē hē chi mana — ichchhā-dāna māgatasē — this mind itself — begs as desire-gift. The mind-itself begs-this as-its-ichchhā-dāna (desire-gift, the-only-thing-it-wants-to-receive).
[T]
For someone today
For today: ★★★ happily take rebirths — IF among the Paṇḍharī-Vārkarīs ★★★; Hari-dāsas' company is prema-rest; this mind asks for nothing else as its desire-gift*.
Where this applies
- ★★★ Happily-take-rebirths-for-Vārkarī-association ★★★. ★★★ Sukhē-ghē'ūm-janmāntarē-Paṇḍharīchē-Vārakarī-thōrī-jōḍī ★★★.
- Hari-dāsas-company-prema-rest.* Hari-dāsāñchā-samāgama-prēma-visāmvē.
- Mind's-only-desire-gift.* Hē-chi-mana-ichchhā-dāna-māgatasē.