The Abhang 5-My Tongue, Learn to Chant His Name
Chanting or repeating the names of God is a common religious practice in India. Naam Jaap (repetition of the names of God) and Naam sankirtan (the chanting of the names of God set to music) are very popular. There are short mantras and there are sahasranama stotrams, where the thousand names of various deities are recited.
Naam Simran or meditating on the name of God has a special place in Sikhism. Indeed, some of the poetry of the Varkaris is in the Granth Sahib.
Muslims too, are meant to contemplate the 99 names of Allah.
The Varkaris placed a lot of emphasis on taking God’s name dispensing with the need for ritual. In Dilip Chitre’s entry on the Name, in Says Tuka, he writes:
sometimes, this word has been treated as a proper noun because it refers specifically to one or more of the personal names by which the Bhakta knows, remembers, worships, and evokes his God; in the case of Tukaram this does not only refer to the name/s of Vitthal/Vishnu/Krishna but also to the mantra (or device for meditative, inner recitation) given by Babaji, his guru: “Rama Krishna Hari,” which again are names of Vishnu; “Jai Jai Rama Krishna Hari” has now become a slogan for them to raise at bhajans and keertans; most poet saints have a sequence of poems that describe the power of “the Name”; each “name” is the evocation of a specific image of the deity since each name has its special aspect, allusion,a ssociation, mythical or legendary context; the poetry of proper nouns is inevitably lost in translation like the poetry of any culture-specific nouns-whether proper, common, personal, pronouns, or collective nouns; in folk, bardic and women’s poetry this loss is crucial; Tukaram’s poetry has roots in all three.
Ghei Ghei Maajhe Vaache/O My Tongue Learn to Chant His Name-Tukaram – One of my favourites (singer?):
Naam Vithobache Ghyaave/Take Vithoba’s Name (singer?)-Janabai
Janabai was a woman poet-saint, who referred to herself in her abhangas as “Jani.” She was a servant in the home of Namdev, another famous Varkari saint, to whom she was very devoted.
In the abhang below, Janabai plays with the word Naam (name), saying one must take the name of Vithoba, and ends it by saying “mhane Namyachi Jani”, i.e. “says Namdev’s Jani,” but this could also be understood as “the Name’s” Jani.
I don’t like the treacly nature of some youtube videos, but still…
Even God doesn’t know the power of His own Name, it us who experience the power by uttering it:
Kamodini Kay Jaane Tu Parimal-Tukaram-sung by Lata Mangeshkar:
And finally, the very popular abhang, Bolava Vitthal:
The lines of this abhang literally mean “Say Vitthal, See Vitthal and Do Vitthal.”
Below is the version by Jitendra Abhisheki followed by the version by the Carnatic duo Ranjani and Gayatri:
The videos with the translation available on top are all due to an indefatigable soul on youtube known as SJisback.
Did I imagine it or you did write a post yesterday and link Vara leela gana lola? That was such a sweet rendition. Ashu loved it.
Im thoroughly enjoying the Abhang posts. Thank you very much.
No you’re not imagining it! It was a mix up with the scheduled post thingy. I’m so glad Ashu enjoyed it. Can you share what other classical pieces she likes, if any?
Glad you like the abhang posts too.