Sundar Te Dhyan Ubhe Vitewari — Sant Tukaram Abhanga
Sant Tukaram's invocation of Lord Vitthal standing on the brick at Pandharpur, hands on hips, in a Tulsi garland and yellow silk.
Verses
How exquisitely beautiful is that divine form standing upright upon the brick, with both hands resting gently upon His waist!
Verse 1
Adorned with a sacred Tulsi garland around His neck and dressed in yellow silk, this very form is forever beloved to my heart.
Verse 2
Fish-shaped earrings (Makara Kundalas) shimmer brightly upon His ears, and the celestial Kaustubha jewel radiates upon His neck.
Verse 3
Tuka says: this alone is the sum of all my happiness; I shall gaze upon this holy countenance with infinite love and longing!
Verse 4
Worship Guidelines & Chanting Benefits (Phalashruti)
Daily or auspicious lunar days (Ekadashi, Purnima, Pradosham)
Brahma Muhurta (4:00 AM – 6:00 AM) or Evening Dusk (Sandhya)
Ghee lamp (Deepa), Incense (Dhoopa), Fresh flowers & Water offering
- Peace of mind, spiritual upliftment, and harmonious energy in the home
Background
Sant Tukaram (1608–1650) wrote this abhanga as a vision of Lord Vitthal of Pandharpur, standing on a brick with hands on his hips. It is among the best-loved devotional meditations of the Warkari tradition, sung at kirtans and bhajans and in the early morning worship of the Kakad Aarti. In printed editions of the Tukaram Gatha it stands among the first abhangas, numbered 1 in some editions and 2 in others. Legend holds that Lord Krishna came to visit his devotee Pundalik, who tossed a brick for the Lord to stand on while he finished serving his elderly parents, and that Vitthal has stood on that brick ever since, waiting in boundless patience for his devotees.
About this Text
Composed by: Sant Tukaram · Medieval Warkari Poet-Saint · 17th century, Maharashtra
A householder-saint of the Warkari tradition from Dehu, Maharashtra, who composed thousands of Abhangas (devotional verses) to Vitthal in plain, direct Marathi, often reflecting on his own hardships, doubts, and everyday struggles as a grain merchant.
More by Sant Tukaram
Did You Know?
Among the first abhangas of the Gatha
In printed Tukaram Gatha editions this hymn is among the first abhangas, numbered 1 in some and 2 in others. A scan of the Gatha on archive.org carries the same stanzas as this page.
The brick of Pundalik (vit)
Unlike deities seated on thrones, Lord Vitthal stands humbly on a simple fired brick, which symbolizes divine love willingly lowering itself for a child's devotion to parents.
The adornments
Verse 2 gives the Tulsi garland and the yellow silk (pitambar), and Verse 3 adds the makara-shaped earrings (makara kundala) and the Kaustubha jewel on his chest, each a sign that this is Vishnu's form.
A morning meditation
In Pandharpur and in Warkari homes this hymn is sung as a meditation on the Lord's form during early morning worship, alongside the Kakad Aarti 'Utha Panduranga'.
Vitthal
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