Abhanga 4352
The formless divine takes visible form out of love for devotion, and that same power is the very god standing as the Lord of Pandharpur.
The verse
जो का निर्गुण निराकार । तेथें धरियेले अवतार ॥१॥
निर्गुण होता तो सगुणासि आला । भक्तिसाटीं प्रगटला ॥ध्रु.॥
जो का त्रिभुवनचाळक । तो हा नंदाचा बाळक ॥२॥
सोडविलें वसुदेवदेवकीसि । अवतार धरिला तिचे कुशी ॥३॥
मारियेला कंसराणा । राज्यीं स्थापिलें उग्रसेना ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे देवादिदेव । तो हा उभा पंढरिराव ॥५॥
Literal translation
Nirguṇa-nirākāra — took-avatāra. Nirguṇa-saguṇa-came — bhakti-prakaṭalā. Tribhuvana-chāḷaka — Nanda's-bāḷaka. Vasudeva-Devakī-saved — womb-avatāra. Kamsa-killed — Ugrasena-rājya. Tukā: deva-of-devas — Paṇḍharī-rāva-stands.
What it means
A 5-verse canonical avatāra-doctrine précis. That which is unqualified-and-formless — there it took the avatāra. That unqualified came to qualified-form — manifested for bhakti's sake. That which moves the three-worlds — (here is) Nanda's child. He freed Vasudeva-Devakī — took the avatāra in her womb. Killed Kamsa-Rāya — installed Ugrasena in the kingdom. Tukā says: the Deva-of-devas — this standing one — is Paṇḍharī-rāva. The doctrine collapses: (1) nirguṇa-prior; (2) saguṇa-for-bhakti; (3) Nanda's-bāḷaka = tribhuvana-chāḷaka; (4) specific-acts (Devakī-Kamsa-Ugrasena); (5) Paṇḍharī-rāva is the same standing-one. Pair with 3044 (12-verse avatāra-stotra), 4220 (Krṣṇa-self-disclosure-nirguṇa-saguṇa).
For someone today
Tukaram lays out how the formless, unqualified divine took shape purely out of love for devotion. That same power which moves the three worlds became Nanda's own child, freed Vasudev and Devaki, and was born in Devaki's womb. It killed the tyrant Kamsa and restored the rightful king Ugrasena to his throne. Tukaram says plainly that this very same god of gods is the one standing right there as the Lord of Pandharpur, so the formless and the near, personal god you can see are not two different things.
मराठी: तुकाराम सांगतात, निर्गुण आणि निराकार असलेला परमेश्वर केवळ भक्तीसाठी सगुण रूप धारण करतो. जी शक्ती तिन्ही लोक चालवते, तीच नंदाचं बाळ बनली, वसुदेव-देवकीला मुक्त केलं आणि देवकीच्या उदरी जन्म घेतला. तिने अत्याचारी कंसाला मारलं आणि उग्रसेनाला त्याचं राज्य परत दिलं. तुकाराम स्पष्ट सांगतात की हाच देवांचा देव आज पंढरपुरात उभा आहे, म्हणजे निराकार परमेश्वर आणि डोळ्यांसमोर दिसणारा जवळचा देव हे वेगळे नाहीत.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's avatāra-doctrine-précis Paṇḍharī-rāva-stands canonical