Unbroken (verse)
From Marathi "a-" (not) + "bhanga" (broken) — a free-flowing Marathi devotional verse form pioneered by the Varkari bhakti saints.
Composed by saint-poets like Tukaram, Namdev, and Eknath in praise of Vitthal of Pandharpur, an Abhanga's simple, unbroken rhythm let ordinary farmers and laborers sing bhakti in their own tongue, not just scholars in Sanskrit.
Sant Bahinabai's abhanga on the Varkari temple: Dnyaneshwar laid its foundation, Namdev extended it, Eknath raised a pillar, Tukaram became its golden crest.
6 versesSant Chokhamela's abhanga: the sugarcane is crooked yet its juice is straight, as with the bow and the arrow. Birth never bends the heart's devotion.
4 versesThe daily liturgy of the Warkari tradition: 28 abhangas by Sant Dnyaneshwar harmonizing Upanishadic non-dualism with devotion to Lord Vitthal.
28 versesSant Dnyaneshwar's Mogara Phulala: a jasmine planted at the heart's door climbs to the sky, and its blossoms are woven into a shawl offered to Vitthal.
3 versesSant Dnyaneshwar's Roop Pahata Lochani: the joy of beholding Vitthal's form, the fruit of many past good deeds and the home of every happiness.
4 versesSant Eknath's Kaya Hi Pandhari: the body itself is Pandharpur, the indwelling Self is Vitthal, and devotion flows as the river Bhima.
6 verses