After the Haripath, the Guru Parampara abhangas are traditionally recited. These trace the lineage of teachers. Practice varies by region. Some communities recite these only on Thursdays (Guruvar), while others include them daily.
The specific abhangas vary by location, but the most commonly recited set consists of 8 abhangas: 4 by Tukaram, 1 by Nivruttinath, 2 by Dnyaneshwar, and 1 by Eknath.
Abhanga 1·Sant Tukaram
The Mantra Received at Dawn
संत तुकाराम
Tukaram tells the story of his initiation. The true Guru (satya gururaye) met him on the road as he went to bathe in the Ganga and placed a hand on his head. The Guru asked for a quarter-measure of ghee at his meal, and Tukaram forgot it when the dream lifted. The date is named: bright Magha, the tenth day, a Thursday. Grace arrived. Service did not. The angikara came anyway.
Verse १
सत्य गुरुराये कृपा मज केली | परी नाहीं घडली सेवा कांहीं || १ ||
satya gururaye krupa maja keli | pari nahin ghadali seva kanhin || 1 ||
सच्चे गुरुराज ने मुझ पर कृपा की | परन्तु मुझसे कोई सेवा नहीं बन पाई || १ ||
The true Guru showed me his grace. Yet I could offer him no service in return.
Refrain
सांपडविलें वाटे जातां गंगास्नाना | मस्तकीं तो जाणा ठेविला कर || धृ ||
sampadavilen vate jatan gangasnana | mastakin to jana thevila kara || dhri ||
गंगास्नान के मार्ग पर उन्होंने मुझे पाया | जानो, उन्होंने मेरे मस्तक पर हाथ रखा || धृ ||
He met me on the road as I went to bathe in the Ganga. Know this: he placed his hand upon my head.
Verse २
भोजना मागती तूप पावशेर | पडिला विसर स्वप्नामाजी || २ ||
bhojana magati tupa pavashera | padila visara svapnamaji || 2 ||
भोजन के लिए उन्होंने एक पावशेर घी माँगा | मैं वह स्वप्न में ही भूल गया || २ ||
For his meal he asked a quarter-measure of ghee. I forgot it when the dream lifted.
Verse ३
कांहीं कलहे उपजला अंतराय | म्हणोनियां काय त्वरा जाली || ३ ||
kanhin kalahe upajala antaraya | mhanoniyan kaya tvara jali || 3 ||
कुछ विघ्न उठ खड़ा हुआ | इसीलिए जल्दी क्या थी || ३ ||
Some obstacle rose between us. Was that why he hastened so?
Verse ४
राघव चैतन्य कैशव चैतन्य | सांगितली खूण माळिकेची || ४ ||
raghava caitanya keshava caitanya | sangitali khuna malikeci || 4 ||
राघव चैतन्य, केशव चैतन्य | उन्होंने गुरुपरंपरा की पहचान बताई || ४ ||
Raghav Chaitanya, Keshav Chaitanya. He told me the sign of the lineage.
Verse ५
बाबाजी आपुलें सांगितलें नाम | मंत्र दिला राम कृष्ण हरि || ५ ||
babaji apulen sangitalen nama | mantra dila rama krishna hari || 5 ||
बाबाजी ने अपना नाम बताया | और राम कृष्ण हरि का मंत्र दिया || ५ ||
Babaji told me his own name. He gave me the mantra: Ram Krishna Hari.
Verse ६
माघ शुद्ध दशमी पाहुनि गुरुवार | केला अंगीकार तुका म्हणे || ६ ||
magha shuddha dashami pahuni guruvara | kela angikara tuka mhane || 6 ||
माघ शुक्ल दशमी, गुरुवार का दिन चुनकर | तुका कहते हैं: उन्होंने मुझे अपना लिया || ६ ||
On the tenth day of bright Magha, choosing a Thursday, he took me as his own. So says Tuka.
Refrain
सांपडविलें वाटे जातां गंगास्नाना | मस्तकीं तो जाणा ठेविला कर || धृ ||
sampadavilen vate jatan gangasnana | mastakin to jana thevila kara || dhri ||
He met me on the road as I went to bathe in the Ganga. Know this: he placed his hand upon my head.
For the Seeker
Read this when you are sure you have already disqualified yourself. Tukaram was asked for one thing, a quarter-measure of ghee at the Guru's meal, and he failed to bring it. That failure is in the poem. He did not erase it. He sang it. And still, on a named day, at a named hour, the Guru took him as his own. The word is angikara, being taken in, made one's own. You are claimed even when you forgot the one thing that was asked. Say the three names he was given: Ram Krishna Hari. That is where your inheritance begins.
Key Concepts
- सत्य गुरुरायेsatya gururaye
- The true Guru; the verse names him as real, not a stranger and not imagined.
- अंगीकारangikara
- Being taken in, accepted as one's own; the Guru's formal claiming of the disciple.
- मस्तकीं करmastakin kara
- The hand placed on the head; the gesture by which the Guru passes grace.
- राम कृष्ण हरिRam Krishna Hari
- The mantra the Guru Babaji gave to Tukaram; the three names of the Warkari maha-mantra.
- माघ शुद्ध दशमीmagha shuddha dashami
- The tenth day of the bright half of the lunar month of Magha; the named date on which the Guru accepted Tukaram.
guru-paramparanama-mantradikshagracelineage-memoryunworthy-receiving
Abhanga 2·Sant Tukaram
The Easy Mantra
संत तुकाराम
The Guru sees the disciple's heart and makes a way. He gives a mantra of love, easy on the tongue, with no knot in it anywhere. The saints who went ahead have already crossed the bhavasagara, the ocean of becoming. Each seeker, learned or unlearned, finds the raft fitted to their own burning. Tukaram names the carrier plainly: Panduranga, the ocean of grace, the taru that ferries him across.
Verse १
माझिये मनींचा जाणोनियां भाव | तो करी उपाव गुरुराजा || १ ||
majhiye maninca janoniyan bhava | to kari upava gururaja || 1 ||
मेरे मन का भाव जानकर | गुरुराज ने उपाय किया || १ ||
Knowing the longing in my heart, the Guru himself made the way.
Refrain
आवडीचा मंत्र सांगितला सोपा | जेणें नोहे गुंफ़ा कांहीं कोठें || धृ ||
avadica mantra sangitala sopa | jenen nohe gunpha kanhin kothen || dhri ||
उसने प्रेम का मंत्र बताया, वह सरल है | जिसमें कहीं कोई उलझन नहीं है || धृ ||
He gave me the mantra of love, and it was simple. Nowhere in it does one get tangled.
Verse २
जाती पुढें एक उतरले पार | हा भवसागर साधुसंत || २ ||
jati pudhen eka utarale para | ha bhavasagara sadhusanta || 2 ||
आगे जो गए, वे इस भवसागर के पार उतर गए | वे संत-साधु हैं || २ ||
Those who walked ahead have already crossed over. The saints have crossed this ocean of becoming.
Verse ३
जाणत्या नेणत्या ज्या जैसी आवडी | उतार सांगडी तापे पेटे || ३ ||
janatya nenatya jya jaisi avadi | utara sangadi tape pete || 3 ||
ज्ञानी या अज्ञानी, जिसकी जैसी रुचि हो | वैसा पार उतरने का सहारा उसे मिलता है, तपती अग्नि में भी || ३ ||
Wise or unlearned, whatever their bent. Each finds the raft fitted to the burning of their own heat.
Verse ४
तुका म्हणे मज दावियेला तारू | कृपेचा सागरु पांडुरंग || ४ ||
tuka mhane maja daviyela taru | krupeca sagaru panduranga || 4 ||
तुका कहते हैं: मुझे वह तारक दिखाया | कृपा का सागर पांडुरंग || ४ ||
Tuka says: he showed me the one who carries me across. Panduranga, the ocean of grace.
Refrain
आवडीचा मंत्र सांगितला सोपा | जेणें नोहे गुंफ़ा कांहीं कोठें || धृ ||
avadica mantra sangitala sopa | jenen nohe gunpha kanhin kothen || dhri ||
He gave me the mantra of love, and it was simple. Nowhere in it does one get tangled.
For the Seeker
If the practice you tried was too complicated, notice what Tukaram is doing here. He does not sell you a technique. He points to a mantra his Guru gave him and says it has no tangle in it. He points to the saints who walked ahead and says the river has already been crossed, many times, by people of every kind. Wise or unlearned, your raft is fitted to your own heat. The word for ocean is bhavasagara, the ocean of becoming, of birth after birth. The word for the one who carries you across is taru. Say the name. Let Panduranga do the ferrying.
Key Concepts
- भवसागरbhavasagara
- The ocean of becoming; the round of worldly existence through which the soul drifts.
- तारूtaru
- The one who carries across; the boat or ferryman that brings the seeker to the far shore.
- पांडुरंगPanduranga
- A name of Vitthal, the presiding form at Pandharpur; literally, the white-limbed one.
- सोपा मंत्रsopa mantra
- The easy mantra; a name-practice with no knot to untie, given by the Guru in response to the heart's longing.
- कृपाkripa
- Grace; the Guru's unearned gift that makes the crossing possible.
nama-mantranath-lineagecrossing-overend-of-strivinggraceguru-parampara
Abhanga 3·Sant Tukaram
The Hand That Blessed My Head
संत तुकाराम
Tukaram lays the whole burden down. The saints themselves have handed him over to Vithoba of Pandharpur. The Lord lays his hand on the head and strokes it. He speaks one sentence: do not worry anymore. The form stands on the bank of the Bhima, hands on the waist, feet placed evenly. Every other striving has stopped. Tukaram has taken hold of Keshava's feet, and now, he says to the saints, his honor is in their hands.
Verse १
घालुनियां भार राहिलों निश्चितीं | निरविलें संतीं विठोबासी || १ ||
ghaluniyan bhara rahilon nishcitin | niravilen santin vithobasi || 1 ||
अपना बोझ उन पर रखकर मैं निश्चिंत हो गया | संतों ने मुझे विठोबा को सौंप दिया || १ ||
I laid my whole burden down and rested at ease. The saints themselves entrusted me to Vithoba.
Refrain
लावूनियां हात कुरवाळिला माथा | सांगितली चिंता न करावी || धृ ||
lavuniyan hata kuravalila matha | sangitali cinta na karavi || dhri ||
हाथ रखकर उन्होंने मेरा सिर सहलाया | और कहा: चिंता मत करना || धृ ||
He laid his hand on my head and stroked it gently. He told me: do not worry anymore.
Verse २
कटीं कर समचरण साजिरे | राहिला भीवरें तीरीं उभा || २ ||
katin kara samacarana sajire | rahila bhivaren tirin ubha || 2 ||
कमर पर हाथ, दोनों चरण बराबर, सुंदर रूप | वह भीमा नदी के तीर पर खड़े हैं || २ ||
Hands on his waist, feet placed evenly, a lovely form. He stands on the bank of the Bhima.
Verse ३
खुंटले सायास आणिक या जीवा | धरिले केशवा पाय तुझे || ३ ||
khuntale sayasa anika ya jiva | dharile keshava paya tujhe || 3 ||
इस जीव के और सब प्रयास थम गए | हे केशव, मैंने तुम्हारे चरण पकड़ लिए || ३ ||
This soul has given up every other striving. Keshava, I have taken hold of your feet.
Verse ४
तुज वाटे आतां तें करीं अनंता | तुका म्हणे संता लाज माझी || ४ ||
tuja vate atan ten karin ananta | tuka mhane santa laja majhi || 4 ||
अब जो तुम्हें भले लगे, वही करो अनंत | तुका कहते हैं: हे संतो, अब मेरी लाज आपके हाथ || ४ ||
Infinite One, do now whatever seems right to you. Tuka says: saints, my honor is in your hands.
Refrain
लावूनियां हात कुरवाळिला माथा | सांगितली चिंता न करावी || धृ ||
lavuniyan hata kuravalila matha | sangitali cinta na karavi || dhri ||
He laid his hand on my head and stroked it gently. He told me: do not worry anymore.
For the Seeker
There comes a point where you have tried everything. You have read, you have chanted, you have sat, you have argued with yourself in the dark. This verse is for that point. Tukaram does not dress it up. He says his striving has stopped and he has taken hold of the feet. The Marathi word pressed into this gesture is sharanagati, the giving of oneself for shelter. It is not in the verse as a word, but it is what dharile paya tujhe and laja majhi together mean: the feet are held, and the honor, the shame, the whole result, is handed to the one being held. Read this and let the hand rest on your head.
Key Concepts
- शरणागतिsharanagati
- Self-surrender; the act of giving oneself into another's keeping. Implied here by dharile paya tujhe (I have taken hold of your feet) and laja majhi (my honor is yours to keep).
- विठोबाVithoba
- The presiding form at Pandharpur; also called Vitthal and Panduranga. Stands on a brick, hands on the waist, feet placed evenly.
- केशवKeshava
- A name of Krishna; the long-haired one. Addressed here as the feet the devotee has taken hold of.
- भीवराBhivara
- The Bhima river, on whose bank Pandharpur stands; the river at which the form is seen.
- चिंता न करावीcinta na karavi
- Do not worry; the single sentence the Lord speaks after laying a hand on the head.
surrenderguru-graceend-of-strivingpandharpurorphan-refugelaying-on-of-hands
Abhanga 4·Sant Tukaram
God Himself Becomes the Guru
संत तुकाराम
Tukaram names a startling claim and then anchors it. God himself becomes the Guru (apanaci deva hoya guru). While the body-sense is still there, he satisfies the longings. At the last, he draws the devotee to himself. He stands behind and in front, turning aside the blows that come. He knows how heavy the yogakshema is, the getting and keeping of what is needed. He takes the hand and shows the way. If anyone cannot trust this, Tukaram says, let them look into the Puranas and weigh it.
Verse १
माझ्या विठोबाचा कैसा प्रेमभाव | आपणचि देव होय गुरू || १ ||
majhya vithobaca kaisa premabhava | apanaci deva hoya guru || 1 ||
मेरे विठोबा का कैसा प्रेमभाव है | स्वयं भगवान ही गुरु बन जाते हैं || १ ||
What is the love of my Vithoba like? God himself becomes the Guru.
Refrain
पढियें देहंभाव पुरवी वासना | अंतीं तें आपणापाशीं न्यावें || धृ ||
padhiyen dehanbhava puravi vasana | antin ten apanapashin nyaven || dhri ||
जब तक देह-भाव रहता है, वह इच्छाएँ पूरी करते हैं | और अंत में उसे अपने पास ले जाते हैं || धृ ||
While the sense of body remains, he satisfies our longings. And in the end, he draws us to himself.
Verse २
मागें पुढें उभा राहे सांभाळीत | आलिया आघात निवाराया || २ ||
magen pudhen ubha rahe sambhalita | aliya aghata nivaraya || 2 ||
आगे-पीछे खड़े होकर वह रक्षा करते हैं | आने वाले आघातों को रोकने के लिए || २ ||
He stands behind and in front, watching over us. He turns aside the blows that come our way.
Verse ३
योगक्षेम त्यांचा जाणे जडभारी | वाट दावी करीं धरूनियां || ३ ||
yogakshema tyanca jane jadabhari | vata davi karin dharuniyan || 3 ||
उनके योगक्षेम का पूरा भार वह जानते हैं | हाथ पकड़कर मार्ग दिखाते हैं || ३ ||
He knows how heavy the task is of getting and keeping for his own. He takes the hand and shows the way.
Verse ४
तुका म्हणे नाहीं विश्वास ज्या मनीं | पाहावें पुराणीं विचारूनी || ४ ||
tuka mhane nahin vishvasa jya manin | pahaven puranin vicaruni || 4 ||
तुका कहते हैं: जिसके मन में विश्वास न हो | वह पुराणों को विचारकर देख ले || ४ ||
Tuka says: if someone cannot trust this in their heart, let them look into the Puranas and weigh it for themselves.
Refrain
पढियें देहंभाव पुरवी वासना | अंतीं तें आपणापाशीं न्यावें || धृ ||
padhiyen dehanbhava puravi vasana | antin ten apanapashin nyaven || dhri ||
While the sense of body remains, he satisfies our longings. And in the end, he draws us to himself.
For the Seeker
The claim in this verse is larger than most seekers will accept on first reading. God himself, apanaci deva, becomes the Guru. Not a messenger. Not a deputy. The Lord himself takes the teaching role. Sit with that one sentence before going further. Then notice how Tukaram grounds it. A hand is taken, karin dharuniyan. A blow coming at you is turned aside. The heavy work of getting and keeping what you need, yogakshema, is already being carried. The verse does not ask for your belief first. It ends by saying: if you cannot trust this, look into the Puranas and weigh it for yourself. Your doubt is allowed. The hand is still there.
Key Concepts
- आपणचि देव होय गुरूapanaci deva hoya guru
- God himself becomes the Guru; the Lord takes on the teaching role rather than delegating it.
- योगक्षेमyogakshema
- The getting and keeping. Yoga, the bringing to one of what one does not yet have. Kshema, the preserving of what one already has. The whole economy of a life taken up by the Lord.
- वासनाvasana
- Longings; the residual desires that move through a body still held in time. The Lord satisfies these while the body lasts.
- विठोबाVithoba
- The presiding form at Pandharpur; also Vitthal, also Panduranga. Here named as the one whose love makes him the Guru.
guru-paramparadivine-guruyogakshemaprotectiontrustpuranic-anchor
Abhanga 5·Nivruttinath
The Nath Lineage
निवृत्तीनाथ
Nivruttinath names the Nath lineage he inherits. From Adinath the bija, the initiatory seed of the teaching, came forth. Matsyendra received the sahaja sthiti, the effortless way of being. That same premamudra, the seal of love, Matsyendra gave to Goraksha. Goraksha poured his whole grace on Gahini. Gahini poured his whole grace on Nivritti. The treasure is named: the joy of peace. What is granted is samyaka ananyata, right singleness of heart. By Krishna's name the whole lineage is made pure.
Verse १
आदिनाथ उमा बीज प्रगटले | मच्छिंद्रा लाधले सहज स्थिती || १ ||
adinatha uma bija pragatale | macchindra ladhale sahaja sthiti || 1 ||
आदिनाथ और उमा से बीज प्रकट हुआ | मच्छिंद्र को सहज स्थिति प्राप्त हुई || १ ||
From Adinath and Uma the seed came forth manifest. To Matsyendra came the sahaja state, the effortless way of being.
Refrain
तेची प्रेममुद्रा गोरक्षा दिधली | पूर्ण कृपा केली गहिनीनाथा || धृ ||
teci premamudra gorakhsa didhali | purna krupa keli gahininatha || dhri ||
वही प्रेम की मुद्रा गोरक्ष को दी गई | गहिनीनाथ पर पूर्ण कृपा हुई || धृ ||
That same seal of love he gave to Goraksha. And upon Gahininath he poured his grace entire.
Verse ३
वैराग्ये तापला सप्रेमे निवाला | ठेवा जो लाधला शांतीसुख || ३ ||
vairagye tapala sapreme nivala | theva jo ladhala shantisukha || 3 ||
वैराग्य में तप्त हुआ, प्रेम से शीतल हुआ | जो निधि मिली, वह शांति का सुख है || ३ ||
Burned by renunciation, then cooled in love. The treasure he found was the joy of peace.
Verse ४
निर्व्दंव्द नि:शंक विचरता मही | सुखानंद हृदयी स्थिरावला || ४ ||
nirdvandva nihshanka vicarata mahi | sukhananda hridayi sthiravala || 4 ||
द्वंद्वरहित और निःशंक होकर पृथ्वी पर विचरते हुए | हृदय में सुखानंद स्थिर हो गया || ४ ||
Beyond pairs of opposites, free of doubt, he wandered the earth. The bliss of quiet joy settled in his heart.
Verse ५
विरक्तीचे पात्र अन्वयाचे मुख | देऊनी सम्यक अनन्यता || ५ ||
viraktice patra anvayace mukha | deuni samyaka ananyata || 5 ||
वैराग्य का पात्र, अन्वय का मुख | पूर्ण अनन्यता प्रदान करके || ५ ||
A vessel of detachment, the face of an unbroken lineage. Granting, rightly, singleness of heart.
Verse ६
निवृत्ती गहिनी कृपा केली पूर्ण | कुळ हे पावन कृष्ण नामे || ६ ||
nivritti gahini krupa keli purna | kula he pavana krishna name || 6 ||
निवृत्ति पर गहिनी ने पूर्ण कृपा की | कृष्ण के नाम से यह कुल पावन हो गया || ६ ||
On Nivritti, Gahini poured his grace in full. And by Krishna's name, this whole lineage became pure.
Refrain
तेची प्रेममुद्रा गोरक्षा दिधली | पूर्ण कृपा केली गहिनीनाथा || धृ ||
teci premamudra gorakhsa didhali | purna krupa keli gahininatha || dhri ||
That same seal of love he gave to Goraksha. And upon Gahininath he poured his grace entire.
For the Seeker
Do not read this as cosmology. Read it as a chain of hands. Adinath is the tradition's name for the first teacher, the source of the Nath line. Matsyendra is his disciple. Goraksha is next, then Gahini, then Nivritti. The word bija here is the seed of the teaching, the initiatory spark passed from one to the next. The word premamudra is the seal of love pressed onto the receiving disciple. The word sahaja sthiti is the effortless standing that comes when the seed takes root. What is finally given is ananyata, the heart made single, no longer looking in two directions. You inherit this not by learning the names but by receiving a name.
Key Concepts
- बीजbija
- Seed; the initiatory seed of the Nath teaching, passed from Adinath outward. Not a cosmogonic principle here but the starter of a transmission.
- सहज स्थितीsahaja sthiti
- The effortless state; the natural standing in which practice and being are not two. Received by Matsyendra from Adinath.
- प्रेममुद्राpremamudra
- The seal of love; the gesture or imprint by which the teaching is passed from Guru to disciple.
- अनन्यताananyata
- Singleness of heart; a self no longer divided, no longer oriented to anything other than the one.
- नाथNath
- Lord, protector; here, the ascetic lineage running Adinath, Matsyendra, Goraksha, Gahini, Nivritti, into which Dnyaneshwar's family was initiated.
nath-lineageguru-paramparaseed-and-sealsahajasingleness-of-hearttransmission
Abhanga 6·Sant Dnyaneshwar
From Adinath to Dnyandev
संत ज्ञानेश्वर
Dnyaneshwar names the chain in short declaratives. Adinath is the Guru of all the siddhas. Matsyendra is his chief disciple. Matsyendra gave the teaching to Goraksha. Goraksha turned toward Gahini. By Gahini's grace, Nivritti became the giver. To Dnyandev, Nivritti entrusted the sara, the essence of it all. The link extends one more step, and the grandson in the line signs his name to receiving it.
Verse १
आदिनाथ गुरु सकळ सिद्धांचा | मच्छिंद्र तयाचा मुख्य शिष्य || १ ||
adinatha guru sakala siddhanca | macchindra tayaca mukhya shishya || 1 ||
आदिनाथ सब सिद्धों के गुरु हैं | मच्छिंद्र उनके प्रमुख शिष्य हैं || १ ||
Adinath is the Guru of all the perfected ones. Matsyendra is his chief disciple.
Refrain
मच्छिंद्राने बोध गोरक्षासी केला | गोरक्ष वोळला गहिनीप्रती || धृ ||
macchindrane bodha gorakhsasi kela | goraksha volala gahiniprati || dhri ||
मच्छिंद्र ने गोरक्ष को बोध कराया | गोरक्ष गहिनी की ओर झुके || धृ ||
Matsyendra gave the teaching to Goraksha. And Goraksha turned toward Gahini.
Verse ३
गहिनीप्रसादे निवृत्ती दातार | ज्ञानदेवा सार चोजाविले || ३ ||
gahiniprasade nivritti datara | jnanadeva sara cojavile || 3 ||
गहिनी के प्रसाद से निवृत्ति दाता बने | ज्ञानदेव को उन्होंने सार बताया || ३ ||
By Gahini's grace, Nivritti became the giver. To Dnyandev he entrusted the essence of it all.
Refrain
मच्छिंद्राने बोध गोरक्षासी केला | गोरक्ष वोळला गहिनीप्रती || धृ ||
macchindrane bodha gorakhsasi kela | goraksha volala gahiniprati || dhri ||
Matsyendra gave the teaching to Goraksha. And Goraksha turned toward Gahini.
For the Seeker
This is a genealogy and almost nothing else. Read it that way. Adinath. Matsyendra. Goraksha. Gahini. Nivritti. Dnyandev. Six names on a thread. Notice what Dnyaneshwar is willing to say of himself. He is the one to whom the sara, the essence, was entrusted. Not figured out. Not earned. Handed over. The word parampara means exactly this, the handing from one to the next, an unbroken line of giving. Your teacher, if you have one, stands in some such line. If you do not have one yet, this verse asks you to trust that the line is longer than your moment in it.
Key Concepts
- सारsara
- Essence; the innermost teaching, distilled from everything peripheral. What Nivritti entrusted to Dnyandev.
- परंपराparampara
- Lineage; literally, one-after-another. The unbroken handing of the teaching from Guru to disciple.
- सिद्धsiddha
- A perfected one; an accomplished yogin. Adinath is named here as Guru of all the siddhas.
- बोधbodha
- Awakened knowing, the teaching that wakes the disciple up. Given by Matsyendra to Goraksha.
guru-paramparanath-lineagetransmissiongenealogyessencednyandev
Abhanga 7·Sant Eknath
Janardan, the Refuge of the Orphan
संत एकनाथ
Eknath rests his mind at the feet of Jagannath and declares the three worlds filled with joy. The centerpiece is the refrain: Jagannath is my mother, Jagannath is my father, Janardan is the nath of those who have no one. Anathanca natha, the refuge of the orphan. In the signature line, he stands in Eka Janardan as one, and the splendor of pure consciousness shines forth. Traditionally, eka janardani is also read as a second meaning: the oneness of disciple and Guru Janardan.
Verse १
अवघेंचि त्रैलोक्य आनंदाचें आतां | चरणीं जगन्नाथा चित्त ठेलें || १ ||
avaghenci trailokya anandacen atan | caranin jagannatha citta thelen || 1 ||
अब तीनों लोक आनंद से भरे हैं | जगन्नाथ के चरणों में मेरा चित्त थम गया || १ ||
Now the three worlds are filled with joy. My mind has come to rest at the feet of Jagannath.
Refrain
माय जगन्नाथ बाप जगन्नाथ | अनाथांचा नाथ जनार्दन || धृ ||
maya jagannatha bapa jagannatha | anathanca natha janardana || dhri ||
जगन्नाथ ही माँ, जगन्नाथ ही पिता | अनाथों के नाथ जनार्दन || धृ ||
Jagannath is my mother, Jagannath is my father. For those who have no one, Janardan is the one.
Verse ३
एका जनार्दनीं एकपणें उभा | चैतन्याची शोभा शोभतसे || ३ ||
eka janardanin ekapanen ubha | caitanyaci shobha shobhatase || 3 ||
एका जनार्दनी में एकत्व से स्थित | चैतन्य की शोभा शोभायमान है || ३ ||
In Eka Janardan, standing as one, the splendor of pure consciousness shines forth.
Refrain
माय जगन्नाथ बाप जगन्नाथ | अनाथांचा नाथ जनार्दन || धृ ||
maya jagannatha bapa jagannatha | anathanca natha janardana || dhri ||
Jagannath is my mother, Jagannath is my father. For those who have no one, Janardan is the one.
For the Seeker
Before the consolation, sit with the word. Anath. The one who has no one. Not the one who feels lonely for an evening, but the one for whom the basic human structures of belonging have not held. A parent gone early. A family that could not love. A community that turned away. Eknath does not rush past this. He names Jagannath as mother and father before he names him as anything else. Only then does he say: Janardan is the nath of the anath. This is a promise, not a platitude. The line eka janardani, is in Eknath's signature, and is traditionally also read as the disciple standing as one with his Guru Janardan Swami. Both readings point to the same shelter.
Key Concepts
- अनाथanath
- One who has no nath, no protector; the orphan in the deepest sense, without the structures of belonging that hold most lives together.
- नाथnatha
- Lord, protector, the one who holds. Here, the one who steps in where no one else has.
- जनार्दनJanardan
- A name of Vishnu; also the name of Eknath's own Guru, Janardan Swami. The verse plays on both.
- एका जनार्दनीeka janardani
- Eknath's signature phrase, literally in Eka Janardan. Traditionally also read as: standing as one with Janardan, disciple and Guru not two.
- जगन्नाथJagannath
- Lord of the world; here named as mother, as father, as the resting place of the mind.
orphan-refugeguru-paramparadivine-parenteknath-signaturenon-dualitybelonging
Abhanga 8·Sant Dnyaneshwar
Going Home to Pandharpur
संत ज्ञानेश्वर
Dnyaneshwar writes in the voice of a woman going to her maher, her natal home. I will turn the whole samsara into joy, she says. I will fill the three worlds with gladness. I will go, O mother, to that Pandharpur, and meet my maher, the mother's house that is my own. I will receive the fruit of every good deed I have done. I will give Panduranga the kshema embrace. Dear Vitthal, lord of Rakhumadevi, has arranged the whole meeting, for the sake of his own.
Verse १
अवघाची संसार सुखाचा करीन | आनंदे भरीन तिन्ही लोक || १ ||
avaghaci sansara sukhaca karina | anande bharina tinhi loka || 1 ||
मैं सारे संसार को सुखमय बना दूँगी | तीनों लोकों को आनंद से भर दूँगी || १ ||
I will turn this whole world of becoming into joy. I will fill the three worlds with gladness.
Refrain
जाईन गे माये तया पंढरपुरा | भेटेन माहेरा आपुलिया || धृ ||
jain ge maye taya pandharapura | bhetena mahera apuliya || dhri ||
मैं जाऊँगी, हे माँ, उस पंढरपुर को | अपने माहेर से मिलूँगी || धृ ||
I will go, O mother, to that Pandharpur. I will meet my maher, the true mother's house that is my own.
Verse ३
सर्व सुकृताचे फळ मी लाहीन | क्षेम मी देईन पांडुरंगी || ३ ||
sarva sukrutace phala mi lahina | kshema mi deina pandurangi || 3 ||
मैं सब पुण्यों का फल पाऊँगी | पांडुरंग को मैं क्षेम का आलिंगन दूँगी || ३ ||
I will receive the fruit of every good deed I have done. I will give Panduranga the embrace of greeting.
Verse ४
बापरखुमादेवीवरू विठ्ठालाची भेटी | आपुल्या सवंसाठी करुनी ठेला || ४ ||
baparakhumadevivaru viththalaci bheti | apulya savansathi karuni thela || 4 ||
रखुमादेवी के स्वामी विठ्ठल से मिलन | अपने साथ के लिए उन्होंने यह सब किया है || ४ ||
Dear Vitthal, lord of Rakhumadevi, has arranged this meeting. For the sake of his own, he has made the whole thing ready.
Refrain
जाईन गे माये तया पंढरपुरा | भेटेन माहेरा आपुलिया || धृ ||
jain ge maye taya pandharapura | bhetena mahera apuliya || dhri ||
I will go, O mother, to that Pandharpur. I will meet my maher, the true mother's house that is my own.
For the Seeker
The Warkari convention is simple and specific. A woman, married out into another household, returns to her maher, her mother's house, where she can stop performing and just be a daughter again. Dnyaneshwar, a male saint, writes in her voice. The soul is going home. Not as a bride, as a daughter. The place of unconditioned belonging. You do not have to earn your way back into your mother's house. You were hers before you left. If you have been straining to be good enough for the spiritual life, hear what she is singing: the meeting has already been arranged, apulya savansathi, for the sake of his own, by the one who waits on the brick. You are of his own. Go.
Key Concepts
- माहेरmaher
- A woman's natal home; the place of unconditioned belonging. Pandharpur as maher is the soul's return to the mother's house, not the bride's to the husband's.
- पंढरपूरPandharpur
- The town on the Bhima river where Vitthal stands on the brick; in this verse, named as the devotee's maher.
- क्षेमkshema
- The embrace of greeting; the safe-arrival hug given to one who has come home. Offered here to Panduranga.
- पांडुरंगPanduranga
- A name of Vitthal, the presiding form at Pandharpur; literally, the white-limbed one.
- रखुमादेवीवरRakhumadevivar
- The one who is Rakhumai's, Vitthal as husband of Rakhumadevi. Dnyaneshwar's signature name for the Lord.
maherpandharpurgoing-homeguru-paramparabelongingwarkari-voice