Abhanga 2448
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
English: ★★★ 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.
[T]
For someone today
For today: ★★★ Name-sankīrtana is the easy sādhana — burns pāpas of many lives ★★★; no forest needed; ★★ japa Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-Hari-Viṭhṭhala-Kēśava always ★★; ★ wise take fill here ★.
Where this applies
- ★★★ Name-sankīrtana-easy-sādhana-burns-pāpas ★★★. ★★★ Nāma-sankīrtana-sādhana-paim-sōpē-jaḷatīla-pāpē-janmāntarē ★★★.
- No-forest-Nārāyaṇa-comes-home.* Na-lagē-sāyāsa-vanāntarā-sukhē-yētō-gharā-Nārāyaṇa.
- Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-Hari-Viṭhṭhala-Kēśava-mantra. Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-Hari-Viṭhṭhala-Kēśavā-mantra-japāvā-sarva-kāḷa.