By -  K. Vrinda Acharya

“VEdAnAM SAmavEdOsmi” – declared Lord Krishna in the Bhagawadgita. TheVishnusahasranama extols the Lord with the attribute “SAmagAyanaH”. The Indian philosophical thought has always considered the path of devotion, often referred to as Bhakti Yoga, as a means to Moksha. Innumerable saints, composers, mystics, and poets have sung the glory of the Lord and have thus enriched the musical corpus of India with their devotion filled outpourings. Particularly, the Bhakti movement was a historical-spiritual phenomenon that crystallized across the whole of India about 700 years ago. It was spearheaded by enlightened saint composers who exalted devotion and love to God as the chief means of spiritual perfection and gave rise to the Nama Sankeertana Sampradaya. The Nayanars, Azhwars, Veerashaivas, Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhwa among others nurtured the incipient bhakti movement, which later reached its pinnacle during the 14-16th centuries. If it was Purandara, Kanaka and other Haridasas in Karnataka, it was Tukaram, Namdev, Gnyaneshwar in Maharashtra. If it was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Bengal, it was Kabir, Meera, Tulsidas, Surdas in northern India. Abhangs are a sublime form of Indian Music whose origin can be traced to the spiritual ideologies of the bhakti saints of Maharashtra. Essentially these compositions are bhajans in Marathi sung in praise of Lord Vitthala (also known asVitthoba) of Pandhrapur. They are characterized by simple appealing tunes and meaningful words. The meaning of the word Abhang can be derived from its root “A-bhang”(that which has no bhanga or hindrance). Abhang literally translates into “that which does not stop”. There is no stoppage between the verses or the main line and the verse; an abhang does not pause until it actually ends. Abhang also means “compositions that would never be wiped off the face of the earth.” It is eternal, ever new and always full of life.