Abhanga 2642
Holding fast the path, with passion — I will come to the village running. If you send the messenger, then quickly, Viṭhṭhalē. I will dance with the joy of prema, sing the fame with my mouth. Tukā: in the sant-gathering, I will bow at the foot-dust.
The verse
धरूनियां चाली हांवा । येइन गांवां धांवत ॥१॥
पाठविसी मूळ तरी । लवकरी विठ्ठले ॥ध्रु.॥
नाचेन त्या प्रेमसुखें । कीर्ती मुखें गाईंन ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे संतमेळीं । पायधुळी वंदीन ॥३॥
Literal translation
Holding fast the path with hāmvā (passion, ardour) — I will come to the village (gāmvā), running. If you send the mūḷa (the messenger, the summons), then quickly, Viṭhṭhalē. I will dance with the joy of prema, I will sing the fame with my mouth. Tukā says: in the sant-gathering, I will bow at the foot-dust.
What it means
A small pre-committed-response verse. Dharūniyām chālī hāmvā — yēīna gāmvā dhāmvata — holding fast the path with passion, I will come to the village running. Chālī hāmvā — holding-the-path with hāmvā (the eager-ardour, passion) — the bhakta declares that the readiness-to-come is already prepared.
The dhrūpada is conditional: pāṭhavisī mūḷa tarī — lavakarī Viṭhṭhalē — if you send the messenger (mūḷa = the family-messenger sent to call someone home), then quickly, Viṭhṭhalē. The bhakta is not the one who decides to come — the Lord's mūḷa (call-summons-from-home) is what triggers the running. The verb-form is conditional-on-being-summoned.
The middle verse: nāchēna tyā prema-sukhē — kīrtī mukhē gāīna — I will dance with that joy of prema, sing the fame with my mouth. The arrival has its own ritual: dance-in-prema-joy, sing-with-the-mouth. These are not optional decorations; they are what the arrival-state expresses.
The close: santa-mēḷīm pāya-dhuḷī vandīna — in the sant-gathering, I will bow at the foot-dust. Pāya-dhuḷī (the dust of the feet) — vandīna (I will bow to it). The arrival-place is the santa-mēḷā (sant-gathering); the gesture is foot-dust-bowing.
For someone today
The verse offers a pre-committed-response model. I am holding the path; I am ready; send the messenger and I will come running. The agency is split appropriately: the bhakta's task is being-ready; the Lord's task is sending-the-summons. When the call comes, the response is not deliberative — it is running with dance and song already committed. This is a useful model for any deep-loyalty: do not wait to be persuaded; decide your response in advance and hold the path with hāmvā (passion).
Where this applies
- The Vārī-arrival mode and any pre-committed bhakti-response
- Splitting agency correctly — readiness on your side, summoning on theirs
- The dance-and-song-already-committed model of response
- Pāya-dhuḷī-vandīna — the foot-dust gesture in sant-gathering