Abhanga 2953
Sing and stay awake at once, ask only for love, and the Lord who destroys all wrongdoing will come stand steadily before you.
The verse
अवघें जेणें पाप नासे । तें हें असे पंढरीसी ॥१॥
गात जागा गात जागा । प्रेम मागा विठ्ठला ॥ध्रु.॥
अवघी सुखाची च राशी । पुंडलिकाशीं वोळली हे ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे जवळी आलें । उभे ठालें समचरणीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Avaghe jeṇe pāpa nāse — (that) by which allpāpaisnāse(destroyed); te he ase Paṇḍharīsī — that is at Paṇḍharī. Gāta jāgā gāta jāgā — sing (and) awake, sing (and) awake; prema māgā Viṭhṭhalā — askpremaof Viṭhṭhal. Avaghī sukhāñcī cha rāśī — the wholerāśi(heap) ofsukha; Puṇḍalīkāśī vōḷalī he — hasvōḷalī(bent-toward, leaned-on) Puṇḍalīka. Tukā says: javaḷī āle — (the Lord) has come near; ubhe ṭhāle sama-charaṇī — stands onsama-charaṇī(even-feet, level-feet).
What it means
A canonical 3-verse gāta-jāgā Paṇḍharī sing-awake verse. Avaghe jeṇe pāpa nāse — te he ase Paṇḍharīsī — that by which all pāpa is destroyed — that is at Paṇḍharī. The Paṇḍharī-as-pāpa-destroyer claim.
The famous-line: Gāta jāgā gāta jāgā — prema māgā Viṭhṭhalā — sing-and-awake, sing-and-awake — ask prema of Viṭhṭhal. The repeated gāta jāgā is rhythmic-imperative: while-awake, sing! While-singing, awake! Both-modes-of-attention-simultaneously. And the operative-petition: ask prema (not material things) of Viṭṭhal.
Avaghī sukhāñcī cha rāśī — Puṇḍalīkāśī vōḷalī he — the whole heap of sukha — has bent-toward Puṇḍalīka. The Puṇḍalīka-reference: the whole-heap-of-sukha gathered-and-bent-toward Puṇḍalīka. (Pairs with 2896 Puṇḍalīka-stopped-para-Brahma.)
The close: Tukā mhaṇe javaḷī āle — ubhe ṭhāle sama-charaṇī — (the Lord) has come near — stands on sama-charaṇī. Sama-charaṇī — level-feet, even-feet — the canonical Viṭṭhal-stance on-the-brick. (Pairs with 2892 viṭē charaṇa sama nīṭa.)
For someone today
Whatever destroys all wrongdoing, Tukaram says, is present right there at Pandhari. His central call is simple and rhythmic: sing and stay awake, sing and stay awake — and when you ask Vitthal for anything, ask only for love, not worldly gain. All the happiness in creation, he says, has gathered and leaned toward devoted Pundalik. And because of that steady, humble devotion, the Lord draws near and stands there, feet planted evenly, right in front of you.
मराठी: जे सर्व पाप नष्ट करते, तुकाराम म्हणतात, ते पंढरीतच आहे. त्यांची मुख्य हाक साधी व तालबद्ध आहे: गा आणि जागा राहा, गा आणि जागा राहा — आणि विठ्ठलाकडे काही मागायचेच असेल तर फक्त प्रेम माग, सांसारिक लाभ नको. सृष्टीतील सर्व सुख, ते म्हणतात, पुंडलिकाकडे झुकून आले आहे. आणि त्या स्थिर, नम्र भक्तीमुळेच देव जवळ येतो आणि समचरणांनी उभा राहतो, अगदी तुझ्यासमोर.
Where this applies
- When you keep chasing wealth or comfort in your prayers instead of simply asking for love
- When you feel spiritually drowsy and need a practice that keeps you both singing and alert at once
- When you assume you must travel far or search hard for what removes your guilt and wrongdoing
- When you want reassurance that showing up humbly and steadily is enough to bring the divine near