Abhanga 4360
The immense blessing of pilgrimage, from bathing in the river to seeing Hari, comes freely to anyone willing to walk the simple steps.
The verse
धन्य जालों हो संसारीं । आम्ही देखिली पंढरी ॥१॥
चंद्रभागे करूं स्नान । पुंडलीकाचें दर्शन ॥ध्रु.॥
करूं क्षेत्रप्रदक्षिणा। भेटूं सत या सज्जनां ॥२॥
उभे राहूं गरुडपारीं । डोळेंभरुनी पाहों हरी ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे वाळवंटीं । महालाभ फुकासाटीं ॥४॥
Literal translation
Dhanya-in-samsāra — saw-Paṇḍharī. Bathe-Chandrabhāgā — Puṇḍalīka-darśana. Kṣetra-pradakṣiṇā — meet-sat-sajjana. Stand-garuḍa-pāra — eye-fill-Hari. Tukā: vāḷavaṇṭa — mahā-lābha-for-free.
What it means
THE canonical 4-verse Paṇḍharī-pilgrim 5-step itinerary. Blessed have we become in this samsāra — we have seen Paṇḍharī. We'll bathe in the Chandrabhāgā; do Puṇḍalīka's darśana. We'll do the kṣetra-pradakṣiṇā; meet the good-and-noble. We'll stand at the Garuḍa-platform; eye-fill, let's see Hari. Tukā says: in the sand-bed (of the Chandrabhāgā), great-gain is to be had for free. The 5-step Vārkarī pilgrim-itinerary: (1) Chandrabhāgā-bath; (2) Puṇḍalīka-darśana; (3) kṣetra-pradakṣiṇā; (4) meet-sajjanas; (5) Garuḍa-pāra-Hari-darśana. Closing: vāḷavaṇṭa-mahā-lābha-for-free — the sand-bed of the river is the fakat'sāṭīm (for-free) site of great-gain. Pair with 4185 (Pāṇḍharī=Kāśī 10-pair-mirror), 4294 (my-Vārāṇasī-is-Pāṇḍuranga), 4283 (Puṇḍalīka-praise foundational).
For someone today
Tukaram bursts with joy simply because he has gotten to see Pandharpur, calling himself truly blessed in this life for that alone. He lists out the simple steps of the pilgrimage with real delight: bathing in the Chandrabhaga river, having darshan of Pundalik, walking around the sacred grounds, and meeting good and honest people along the way. He describes standing at the Garud Pahar platform and drinking in the sight of Hari with his eyes wide open. What moves him most is that all this immense blessing, right there in the sand by the river, is available to anyone, completely free.
मराठी: तुकाराम पंढरपूर पाहिल्याच्या आनंदाने भरून जातात, केवळ हे मिळाल्यामुळे स्वतःला या जन्मात खरोखर भाग्यवान म्हणतात. ते यात्रेच्या साध्या टप्प्यांची यादी अगदी उत्साहाने देतात, चंद्रभागेत स्नान, पुंडलिकाचं दर्शन, क्षेत्राची प्रदक्षिणा, आणि वाटेत भेटणारे चांगले, प्रामाणिक लोक. ते गरुडपार यावर उभं राहून डोळे भरून हरीचं दर्शन घेतल्याचं वर्णन करतात. सगळ्यात जास्त त्यांना जे स्पर्श करतं ते म्हणजे, नदीकाठच्या वाळवंटातलं हे प्रचंड भाग्य कोणालाही, अगदी मोफत मिळतं.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's THE Paṇḍharī-pilgrim-itinerary 5-step canonical