Abhangs are a popular form of devotional poetry in the Indian language Marathi, and are often set to music. While they are often sung by bhajan singers, they are quite often sung by classical singers both from the North and the South and it is not uncommon to hear an abhang in a classical concert.
Abhang: literally,
1. Absolute; eternal, immutable, ceaseless, unbroken; impeccable, etc
2. Immortal, primordial; another name for Brahman; inviolable, etc
3. a Marathi metre; also, any metrical compostion in this metre
The abhang is the favourite metre of all Varkari poets since the thirteenth century and unlike classical Sanskrit-based metres it is native to Marathi speech and its colloquial forms. It is extremely flexible. It consists of four lines and each line contains three to eight syllables. It has a fluid symmetry maintained by internal or end rhymes and often designed to be sung. It originates most probably in oral folk poetry. Poets such as Jnanadev, Namdeo and Tukaram have given it a classic status in Marathi poetry.
Read more: Abhang or Abhanga-1
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