Abhanga 2448
The easiest path to God is repeating divine names with love at home, right where you are, with no need for renunciation or hardship.
The verse
नामसंकीर्तन साधन पैं सोपें । जळतील पापें जन्मांतरें ॥१॥ न लगे सायास जावें वनांतरा । सुखें येतो घरा नारायण ॥ध्रु.॥ ठायींच बैसोनि करा एकचित्त । आवडी अनंत आळवावा ॥२॥ रामकृष्णहरिविठ्ठलकेशवा । मंत्र हा जपावा सर्वकाळ ॥३॥ याहूनि आणीक नाहीं पैं साधन । वाहातसें आण विठोबाची ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे सोपें आहे सर्वांहूनि । शाहाणा तो धणी घेतो येथें ॥५॥
Literal translation
Name-sankīrtana is the easy sādhana — pāpas of many lives burn. No need for effort, going to the forest — Nārāyaṇa happily comes home. Sitting in place with one-pointed mind — call Ananta with love. The mantra Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-Hari-Viṭhṭhala-Kēśava — japa always. No other sādhana — by Viṭhoba's oath. Tuka says: easiest of all — the wise take fill here.
What it means
THE MOST-FAMOUS TUKĀRĀM NAME-SAṄKĪRTANA ABHANG. A foundational Vārkarī Name-bhakti text, daily-recited across Maharashtra.
THE OPENING: nāma-sankīrtana sādhana paim sōpē — jaḷatīla pāpē janmāntarē — Name-sankīrtana is the easy sādhana — pāpas of many lives burn. Nāma-sankīrtana = Name-collective-singing. Sōpē = easy. Name-sankīrtana is-the-easy-sādhana (sādhana paim sōpē); pāpas-of-many-lives (janmāntarē) burn.
The against-asceticism argument: na lagē sāyāsa jāvē vanāntarā — sukhē yētō gharā Nārāyaṇa — no need for effort, going to the forest — Nārāyaṇa happily comes home. No-need to-renounce-and-go-to-the-forest; Nārāyaṇa happily comes-to-the-householder's-home. Direct critique of vanaprastha + sannyāsa-as-elite-paths.
THE MANTRA-FORMULA: Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-Hari-Viṭhṭhala-Kēśavā — mantra hā japāvā sarva-kāḷa — japa Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-Hari-Viṭhṭhala-Kēśava always. The five-name-mantra: Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-Hari-Viṭhṭhala-Kēśava — japa always. The compact Vārkarī mantra-formula combining-Rāma-tradition, Kṛṣṇa-tradition, Hari-Kēśava (Viṣṇu), and the Vārkarī-specific Viṭhṭhala.
The exclusive-claim: yāhūni āṇīka nāhīm paim sādhana — vāhātasē āṇa Viṭhōbāchī — no other sādhana — by Viṭhoba's oath. By-Viṭhoba's-oath, there's-no-other sādhana.
The closing: sōpē āhē sarvāhūni — śāhāṇā tō dhaṇī ghētō yēthē — easiest of all — the wise take fill. Easiest of all sādhanas — wise-ones take-fill-here.
HISTORICAL-CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: This is one of THE most-famous Tukārām abhangs: - Daily-recited prayer across Maharashtra Vārkarī households - Foundational text for the Vārkarī Name-sankīrtana practice - Sung in kīrtans as a centerpiece-bhajan - Quoted as proof-text for the supremacy-and-accessibility of Name-bhakti - Used as a Vārkarī apologetic against ascetic-tradition demands
The complete Vārkarī Name-theology compressed into 5 verses: easy, universal, burns past-karma, no-forest-needed, household-friendly, with a specific-mantra-formula.
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For someone today
Tukaram says the easiest path to God is right where you are: no need to leave your home, your family, or your work and go live in a forest. Just sit quietly, gather your mind, and call out the divine names with love and constancy. This simple practice of nama-sankirtana, repeating and singing God's names, can burn away the weight of old mistakes. He insists there is no other method needed, and that the truly wise are the ones who see how easy this is and take full advantage of it.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात, देवाकडे जाण्याचा सर्वात सोपा मार्ग तुम्ही जिथे आहात तिथेच आहे. घरदार, कुटुंब आणि काम सोडून रानावनात जाण्याची गरज नाही. फक्त शांत बसा, मन एकाग्र करा आणि प्रेमाने व सातत्याने देवाची नामे घ्या. नामसंकीर्तनाची ही साधी साधना जुन्या चुकांचे ओझे जाळून टाकू शकते. ते म्हणतात यापेक्षा दुसरे कोणतेही साधन लागत नाही आणि जो शहाणा आहे तोच ही सोपी वाट ओळखून तिचा पुरेपूर लाभ घेतो.
Where this applies
- When you feel you must renounce your family or job to grow spiritually
- When you are carrying guilt over past mistakes and don't know how to let it go
- When your mind feels scattered and you need a simple way to steady it
- When you assume real devotion requires difficult rituals or years of austerity