संत साहित्य · Guru Charitra · Chapters
Chapter 30 — The Death of a Young Brahmin Husband
Literal. Gopinath, a rich Brahmin at Mahur, has a son who marries at sixteen, falls ill at nineteen with consumption, and dies en route to Ganagapur to seek Shri Guru's help. The wife, sixteen, is determined to commit sati (self-immolation) on his pyre. A bright sannyasi (later revealed as part of the chapter) consoles them — the body is like a bubble, life is short, do not mourn the perishable.
Symbolic. The chapter sets up the sati-and-revival arc that completes in Chapter 32. The young wife's commitment to sati is established as a real and morally-reasoned choice (not impulsive) that will then be honored — and simultaneously redirected.
Verse by verse
श्रीगणेशाय नमः । श्रीसरस्वत्यै नमः । श्रीगुरुभ्यो नमः ।
śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ | śrīsarasvatyai namaḥ | śrīgurubhyo namaḥ |
Salutations to Śrī Gaṇeśa. Salutations to Śrī Sarasvatī. Salutations to Śrī Guru.
The chapter opens with the customary threefold invocation — to Gaṇeśa (remover of obstacles), Sarasvatī (wisdom/speech), and the Guru — inviting divine aid before the telling begins.
Begin any important undertaking by first asking for guidance and clearing the way, not by rushing straight in.
नामधारक शिष्यराणा । लागे सिद्धाचिया चरणा । विनवीतसे कर जोडून । भक्तिभावेकरूनिया ॥१॥
nāmadhāraka śiṣyarāṇā | lāge siddhāciyā caraṇā | vinavītase kara joḍūna | bhaktibhāvekarūniyā ||1||
Namdharak, the foremost of disciples, clasps the feet of the Siddha; with joined palms he entreats him, full of devotion.
The disciple resumes his seat at the teacher's feet — bhaktibhāva (devoted feeling) is the posture from which he will ask for more of the story.
Approach anyone you seek wisdom from with visible humility and warmth, not mere curiosity.
जय जया सिद्धमुनि । तूचि तारक भवार्णी । अज्ञानतिमिर नासोनि । ज्योतिःस्वरूप तूचि होसी ॥२॥
jaya jayā siddhamuni | tūci tāraka bhavārṇī | ajñānatimira nāsoni | jyotiḥsvarūpa tūci hosī ||2||
Victory, victory to you, Siddha muni! You alone are the ferryman across the ocean of worldly existence; destroying the darkness of ignorance, you alone are the very form of light.
Namdharak hails his teacher as tāraka (one who ferries across) and jyoti (light) — the guru's role is to dispel ajñāna (ignorance) the way light dispels dark.
Recognize and thank the people who have helped you see clearly what you once misunderstood.
अविद्यामायासागरी । बुडालो होतो महापुरी । तुझी कृपा जाहली तरी । तारिले माते स्वामिया ॥३॥
avidyāmāyāsāgarī | buḍālo hoto mahāpurī | tujhī kṛpā jāhalī tarī | tārile māte svāmiyā ||3||
I was drowning in the great flood of the ocean of ignorance and illusion; only because your grace came about, O Lord, was I saved.
Namdharak names his former state plainly — lost in avidyā-māyā (ignorance and illusion) — and credits the guru's grace alone for rescue.
When you are helped out of confusion or trouble, name the help honestly instead of taking sole credit.
तुवा दाविला निज-पंथ । जेणे जोडे परमार्थ । विश्वपालक गुरुनाथ । तूचि होसी स्वामिया ॥४॥
tuvā dāvilā nija-pamtha | jeṇe joḍe paramārtha | viśvapālaka gurunātha | tūci hosī svāmiyā ||4||
You showed me my own true path, by which the ultimate goal is attained; you alone, O Lord, are the guru who sustains the whole world.
The guru is praised as viśvapālaka (sustainer of the universe) for pointing the disciple toward paramārtha (the highest good), not merely toward worldly gain.
Value guidance that points you toward lasting purpose over guidance that only chases short-term wins.
गुरुचरित्र सुधारस । तुवा पाजिला आम्हांस । तृप्त न होय गा मानस । तृषा आणिक होतसे ॥५॥
gurucaritra sudhārasa | tuvā pājilā āmhāmsa | tṛpta na hoya gā mānasa | tṛṣā āṇika hotase ||5||
You have given us to drink the nectar of the Guru's life-story; yet my mind is not satisfied — I thirst for more.
Namdharak compares the guru's story to sudhārasa (nectar) — sacred narrative, like true nectar, only deepens the thirst for more instead of ending it.
Let a good teaching leave you wanting to learn more, not feeling like you are finished learning.
तुवा केलिया उपकारासी । उत्तीर्ण नव्हे मी वंशोवंशी । निजस्वरूप आम्हांसी । दाविले तुम्ही सिद्धमुनि ॥६॥
tuvā keliyā upakārāsī | uttīrṇa navhe mī vamśovamśī | nijasvarūpa āmhāmsī | dāvile tumhī siddhamuni ||6||
I could never repay your kindness even across generations of my lineage; you, O Siddha muni, have shown us our own true nature.
The disciple says the debt for being shown nijasvarūpa (one's true self) can never be repaid — some gifts exceed any possible return.
Accept that some debts of gratitude cannot be repaid in kind — repay them instead by passing the good on to others.
मागे कथा निरोपिलीसी । अभिनव जाहले सृष्टीसी । पतिताकरवी ख्यातीसी । वेद चारी म्हणविले ॥७॥
māge kathā niropilīsī | abhinava jāhale sṛṣṭīsī | patitākaravī khyātīsī | veda cārī mhaṇavile ||7||
Earlier you related the story of a wondrous thing that happened in the world — through a fallen man, the four Vedas were made to speak.
Namdharak recalls the previous tale in which even a patita (outcast/fallen person) was empowered to recite the four Vedas by the guru's grace — proof that grace can transform anyone.
Never write someone off as beyond change — grace and effort together can transform even the most unlikely person.
त्रिविक्रम महामुनेश्वरासी । बोधिले ज्ञान प्रकाशी । पुढे कथा वर्तली कैशी । विस्तारावे दातारा ॥८॥
trivikrama mahāmuneśvarāsī | bodhile jñāna prakāśī | puḍhe kathā vartalī kaiśī | vistārāve dātārā ||8||
You enlightened the great sage Trivikram with the light of knowledge; O generous one, please continue and tell what story followed after.
Having recalled the enlightening of Trivikram, Namdharak now asks for the next episode — the narrative is built request by request, teacher answering disciple.
Keep asking good follow-up questions when someone is willing to teach you — do not let the conversation end too soon.
ऐकोनि शिष्याचे वचन । संतोषला सिद्ध आपण । प्रेमभावे आलिंगोन । आश्वासीतसे तये वेळी ॥९॥
aikoni śiṣyāce vacana | samtoṣalā siddha āpaṇa | premabhāve ālimgona | āśvāsītase taye veḷī ||9||
Hearing the disciple's words, the Siddha himself was pleased; embracing him with love, he reassured him at that moment.
The teacher's pleasure at a sincere question, expressed through an embrace, shows that real teaching happens inside a relationship of affection, not just information transfer.
When someone asks you a sincere question, respond with warmth before you respond with facts.
धन्य धन्य शिष्यमौळी । तुज लाधले अभीष्ट सकळी । गुरूची कृपा तात्काळी । जाहली आता परियेसा ॥१०॥
dhanya dhanya śiṣyamauḷī | tuja lādhale abhīṣṭa sakaḷī | gurūcī kṛpā tātkāḷī | jāhalī ātā pariyesā ||10||
Blessed, blessed are you, best of disciples! All your wishes are fulfilled; the guru's grace has come upon you instantly — hear this now.
The Siddha blesses Namdharak, declaring that sincere devotion has already secured him everything he could wish for.
Trust that sincere, sustained effort toward what matters most quietly earns you what you truly need.
धन्य धन्य तुझी वाणी । वेध लागला श्रीगुरुचरणी । तूचि तरलासी भवार्णी । सकळाभीष्टे साधतील ॥११॥
dhanya dhanya tujhī vāṇī | vedha lāgalā śrīgurucaraṇī | tūci taralāsī bhavārṇī | sakaḷābhīṣṭe sādhatīla ||11||
Blessed, blessed is your speech! Your heart is fixed at the feet of Śrī Guru; you yourself have crossed the ocean of existence, and all your desires will be fulfilled.
Devotion expressed in speech that is truly vedh (pierced, fixed) on the guru's feet is itself already the crossing — the disciple's sincerity is his salvation.
Let your words about what you care about match where your heart is actually fixed.
तुवा पुसिला वृत्तांत । संतोष झाला आजि बहुत । श्रीगुरुमहिमा असे ख्यात । अगम्य असे सांगता ॥१२॥
tuvā pusilā vṛttāmta | samtoṣa jhālā āji bahuta | śrīgurumahimā ase khyāta | agamya ase sāmgatā ||12||
You have asked of the story; today I am greatly pleased. Śrī Guru's greatness is renowned — it is inexhaustible to describe.
The teacher admits the guru's glory (mahimā) is agamya (unfathomable) — even a willing narrator cannot capture it fully, only gesture toward it.
Accept that some things you admire deeply can never be fully explained in words — describe what you can and let the rest be experienced.
एकेक महिमा सांगता । विस्तार होईल बहु कथा । संकेतमार्गे तुज आता । निरोपीतसे परियेसी ॥१३॥
ekeka mahimā sāmgatā | vistāra hoīla bahu kathā | samketamārge tuja ātā | niropītase pariyesī ||13||
If I were to tell each glory one by one, the story would grow immense; so I shall relate it to you now by way of a summary — listen.
The narrator chooses economy over exhaustiveness, a reminder that even sacred storytelling must be shaped to the listener's capacity.
When teaching or explaining something vast, give the essential outline rather than every detail at once.
पुढे असता वर्तमानी । तया गाणगग्रामभुवनी । महिमा होतसे नित्यनूतनी । प्रख्यातरूप होऊनिया ॥१४॥
puḍhe asatā vartamānī | tayā gāṇagagrāmabhuvanī | mahimā hotase nityanūtanī | prakhyātarūpa hoūniyā ||14||
As time went on, in that town of Gāṇagāpura, ever-fresh wonders kept occurring, becoming famous far and wide.
The narrative moves the story's center to Gāṇagāpura, where the guru's miracles become a living, ongoing tradition rather than a one-time event.
Look for the ongoing, everyday evidence of goodness around you, not just the dramatic one-off stories.
त्रयमूर्तीचा अवतार । झाला नृसिंहसरस्वती नर । महिमा त्याची अपरंपारु । सांगता अगम्य परियेसा ॥१५॥
trayamūrtīcā avatāra | jhālā nṛsimhasarasvatī nara | mahimā tyācī aparampāru | sāmgatā agamya pariyesā ||15||
The incarnation of the three deities appeared as the man Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī; his glory is boundless — hear that it is beyond telling.
The text names Śrī Guru Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī as the human incarnation of the trayamūrti (Brahmā-Viṣṇu-Śiva combined), setting the stakes of everything that follows.
Hold the highest respect for those who quietly embody wisdom and compassion in ordinary human form.
महिमा तया त्रयमूर्तीची । सांगता शक्ति आम्हा कैची काया धरूनि मानवाची । चरित्र केले भूमीवरी ॥१६॥
mahimā tayā trayamūrtīcī | sāmgatā śakti āmhā kaicī kāyā dharūni mānavācī | caritra kele bhūmīvarī ||16||
Where is the power in us to describe the glory of that triune form? Taking on a human body, he enacted his story upon this earth.
The narrator again confesses inadequacy before the subject, while affirming the central mystery: the divine chose to live a human life on earth so people could witness it.
Learn best from lives lived visibly among others, not only from abstract ideals.
तया स्थानी असता गुरु । ख्याति झाली अपरांपरु । प्रकाशत्व चारी राष्ट्र । समस्त येती दर्शना ॥१७॥
tayā sthānī asatā guru | khyāti jhālī aparāmparu | prakāśatva cārī rāṣṭra | samasta yetī darśanā ||17||
While the Guru dwelt in that place, his fame spread without limit; his radiance reached the four directions, and all came for his darśana.
Fame here is not sought but simply radiates outward from a genuinely realized life, drawing seekers from every direction.
Let your good work speak for itself rather than advertising it — genuine quality draws people naturally.
येती भक्त यात्रेसी । एकोभावे भक्तीसी । श्रीगुरुदर्शनमात्रेसी । सकळाभीष्ट पावती ॥१८॥
yetī bhakta yātresī | ekobhāve bhaktīsī | śrīgurudarśanamātresī | sakaḷābhīṣṭa pāvatī ||18||
Devotees come on pilgrimage, united in devotion; merely by the darśana of Śrī Guru, they obtain all they desire.
The mere sight (darśana) of a realized being, approached with single-minded devotion (ekobhāva), is described as sufficient — presence itself is the teaching.
Make time to simply be present with people or places that inspire your best self, without needing to ask for anything.
दैन्य पुरुष होती श्रियायुक्त । वांझेसी पुत्र होय त्वरित । कुष्ठे असेल जो पीडित । सुवर्ण होय देह त्याचा ॥१९॥
dainya puruṣa hotī śriyāyukta | vāmjhesī putra hoya tvarita | kuṣṭhe asela jo pīḍita | suvarṇa hoya deha tyācā ||19||
Poor men become prosperous; barren women quickly bear sons; one afflicted with leprosy finds his body made whole as gold.
A catalogue of miracle-cures begins — poverty, childlessness, disease — each standing for the deeper promise that suffering is not the final word for a devoted seeker.
Believe that even long-standing hardship can turn, and keep showing up with faith rather than giving up.
अक्षहीना अक्ष येती । बधिर कर्णी ऐकती । अपस्मारादि रोग जाती । श्रीगुरुचरणदर्शनमात्रे ॥२०॥
akṣahīnā akṣa yetī | badhira karṇī aikatī | apasmārādi roga jātī | śrīgurucaraṇadarśanamātre ||20||
The blind regain sight, the deaf come to hear, epilepsy and such diseases depart — merely from the sight of Śrī Guru's feet.
The list of healings continues with senses restored and chronic illness lifted, underscoring total transformation through contact with the guru.
Seek out whatever restores your clarity and steadiness, and return to it faithfully when you are struggling.
परीस लागता लोहासी । सुवर्ण होय नवल कायसी । श्रीगुरुकृपा होय ज्यासी । सकळाभीष्ट पाविजे ॥२१॥
parīsa lāgatā lohāsī | suvarṇa hoya navala kāyasī | śrīgurukṛpā hoya jyāsī | sakaḷābhīṣṭa pāvije ||21||
When the touchstone touches iron, that it becomes gold is no wonder; whoever receives Śrī Guru's grace obtains all they desire.
The famous parisa (philosopher's stone) simile: grace transforms a person the way the touchstone transforms base metal into gold — utterly and simply.
Let contact with genuine wisdom change you completely rather than only touching you lightly.
ऐसे असता वर्तमानी । उत्तर दिशे माहुरस्थानी । होता विप्र महाघनी । नाम तया ’गोपीनाथ’ ॥२२॥
aise asatā vartamānī | uttara diśe māhurasthānī | hotā vipra mahāghanī | nāma tayā ’gopīnātha’ ||22||
Now, meanwhile, in the north, in the town of Māhur, there lived a very wealthy Brahmin named Gopīnātha.
The story now narrows to a single family in Māhur — the pattern of the chapter is to move from cosmic praise to one household's very human grief.
Remember that big spiritual truths are best understood through one real, particular human story.
तया पुत्र होऊनि मरती । करी दुःख अनेक रीती । दत्तात्रेया आराधिती । स्त्रीपुरुष दोघेजण ॥२३॥
tayā putra hoūni maratī | karī duḥkha aneka rītī | dattātreyā ārādhitī | strīpuruṣa doghejaṇa ||23||
Sons were born to him but kept dying; he suffered in many ways; husband and wife both worshipped Dattātreya.
Repeated child-loss drives the couple to ārādhana (devoted worship) of Dattātreya — grief becomes the doorway into deeper faith.
When repeated loss strikes, let it deepen your practice of faith rather than abandon it.
पुढे जाहला आणिक सुत । तया नाम ठेविती ’दत्त’ । असती आपण धनवंत । अति प्रीती वाढविले ॥२४॥
puḍhe jāhalā āṇika suta | tayā nāma ṭhevitī ’datta’ | asatī āpaṇa dhanavamta | ati prītī vāḍhavile ||24||
Afterward another son was born to them; they named him Datta. Being wealthy, they raised him with the greatest love.
The prayed-for son is named Datta after the god who granted him — the naming itself is an act of remembered gratitude.
Name and remember the source of a blessing so you don't forget to be grateful for it.
एकचि पुत्र तया घरी । अति प्रीति तयावरी । झाला पाच संवत्सरी । व्रतबंध केला तयासी ॥२५॥
ekaci putra tayā gharī | ati prīti tayāvarī | jhālā pāca samvatsarī | vratabamdha kelā tayāsī ||25||
He was their only son at home, greatly loved; when he turned five, they performed his sacred-thread ceremony.
The narrative marks the boy's coming-of-age rites, an ordinary detail that signals how carefully his parents invested in his future.
Mark important milestones for the young people you care for, rather than letting them pass unnoticed.
वर्षे बारा होता तयासी । विवाह करिती प्रीतीसी । अतिसुंदर नोवरीसी । विचारूनि प्रीतिकरे ॥२६॥
varṣe bārā hotā tayāsī | vivāha karitī prītīsī | atisumdara novarīsī | vicārūni prītikare ||26||
When he was twelve years old, they arranged his marriage with love, choosing a most beautiful bride after careful thought.
A marriage arranged with deliberation and love sets up the domestic happiness that the coming illness will threaten.
Make major life decisions for those in your care with careful thought, not haste.
मदनाचे रतीसरसी । रूप दिसे नोवरीसी । अति प्रीति सासूश्वशुरासी । महाप्रेमे प्रतिपाळिती ॥२७॥
madanāce ratīsarasī | rūpa dise novarīsī | ati prīti sāsūśvaśurāsī | mahāpreme pratipāḷitī ||27||
The bride appeared as lovely as Rati beside Madana, the god of love; the parents-in-law loved her greatly and cared for her with utmost affection.
The bride is welcomed with real affection into her new family — an important detail, since her devotion later will be returned in kind by that same family's grief.
Welcome new family members with genuine warmth; the bond you build now will matter later.
दंपती एकचि वयेसी । अति प्रिय महा हर्षी । वर्धता झाली षोडशी । वर्षे तया पुत्रासी ॥२८॥
dampatī ekaci vayesī | ati priya mahā harṣī | vardhatā jhālī ṣoḍaśī | varṣe tayā putrāsī ||28||
The couple were of the same age, deeply dear to each other and full of joy; the son grew until he reached sixteen years.
A brief picture of a happy young marriage before the turn of the story — youthful joy, soon to be tested.
Appreciate seasons of ease and happiness fully; do not take them for granted.
दोघे सुंदर सुलक्षण । एकापरीस एक प्राण । न विसंबिती क्षण क्षण । अतिप्रिय परियेसा ॥२९॥
doghe sumdara sulakṣaṇa | ekāparīsa eka prāṇa | na visambitī kṣaṇa kṣaṇa | atipriya pariyesā ||29||
Both were beautiful and of fine character, each the other's very life; they could not bear to be apart even for a moment — hear how dear they were.
Their bond is described as inseparable, life-and-breath devotion — the depth of the coming loss is set by the depth of this love.
Cherish a close companion's presence daily rather than assuming it will always be there.
ऐसी प्रेमे असता देखा । व्याधि आली त्या पुरुषा । अनेक औषधे देता ऐका । आरोग्य नोहे तयासी ॥३०॥
aisī preme asatā dekhā | vyādhi ālī tyā puruṣā | aneka auṣadhe detā aikā | ārogya nohe tayāsī ||30||
While they lived thus in love, illness came upon the young man; though many medicines were given, he did not recover.
The turning point of the story arrives: illness enters even a life full of love, a reminder that no household is exempt from suffering.
When illness strikes someone you love, seek every reasonable remedy without losing hope too quickly.
नवचे अन्न तयासी । सदा राहे उपवासी । त्याची भार्या प्रीतीसी । आपण न घे सदा अन्न ॥३१॥
navace anna tayāsī | sadā rāhe upavāsī | tyācī bhāryā prītīsī | āpaṇa na ghe sadā anna ||31||
He could not keep down food and remained constantly fasting; his loving wife, too, stopped eating regularly.
The wife's fasting alongside her ailing husband is the first sign of the total self-forgetting devotion (pativratā) that will define her through the chapter.
When someone you love is suffering, share their hardship in small, practical ways rather than being comfortable while they struggle.
पुरुषावरी आपुला प्राण । करी नित्य उपोषण । पतीस देता औषधे जाण । प्राशन करी परियेसा ॥३२॥
puruṣāvarī āpulā prāṇa | karī nitya upoṣaṇa | patīsa detā auṣadhe jāṇa | prāśana karī pariyesā ||32||
Her whole life was fixed on her husband; she fasted constantly, and whatever medicine was given to him, she too would take a little of it herself.
Her identity is entirely bound up with his life (prāṇa) — she mirrors even his medicine, refusing any separation between his suffering and hers.
Show solidarity with a suffering loved one through shared, tangible sacrifice, not just words of sympathy.
येणेपरी तीन वर्षी । झाली व्याधि-क्षयासी । पतिव्रता स्त्री कैसी । पुरुषासवे कष्टतसे ॥३३॥
yeṇeparī tīna varṣī | jhālī vyādhi-kṣayāsī | pativratā strī kaisī | puruṣāsave kaṣṭatase ||33||
In this way, for three years, the illness turned into consumption; see how the devoted wife toiled alongside her husband.
Three years of steady devotion through a wasting illness (kṣaya, consumption/tuberculosis) establish the wife as the model of pativratā (wifely devotion) the text is building toward.
Understand that real devotion is proven over years of unglamorous, patient care, not in a single dramatic act.
पुरुषदेह क्षीण झाला । आपण तयासरसी अबला । तीर्थ घेऊनि चरणकमळा । काळ क्रमी तयाजवळी ॥३४॥
puruṣadeha kṣīṇa jhālā | āpaṇa tayāsarasī abalā | tīrtha gheūni caraṇakamaḷā | kāḷa kramī tayājavaḷī ||34||
The husband's body wasted away; the frail woman stayed beside him, giving him the sanctified water from his own feet, and passed the time close by him.
She offers him even the sanctified water from his own feet — a gesture treating her husband himself as worthy of worship in his suffering.
Offer even small comforting rituals to a suffering loved one — they can mean more than they seem.
दुर्गंधि झाले देह त्याचे । जवळी न येती वैद्य साचे । पतिव्रता सुमन तिचे । न विसंबेचि क्षणभरी ॥३५॥
durgamdhi jhāle deha tyāce | javaḷī na yetī vaidya sāce | pativratā sumana tice | na visambeci kṣaṇabharī ||35||
His body became foul-smelling; even true physicians would not come near. But the devoted wife's mind never left him for a moment.
Where even professionals recoil, her devotion does not waver — love here is measured by staying, not by the ease of staying.
Stay present for someone in their hardest, least presentable moments — that is when your presence matters most.
जितुके अन्न पतीसी । तितुकेचि ग्रास आपणासी । जैसे औषध देती त्यासी । आपण घेतसे परियेसा ॥३६॥
jituke anna patīsī | titukeci grāsa āpaṇāsī | jaise auṣadha detī tyāsī | āpaṇa ghetase pariyesā ||36||
Whatever food was given to her husband, that much only did she take for herself; whatever medicine was given to him, she took the same.
Her self-denial is rendered exactly, portion for portion — devotion expressed through literal, disciplined sharing of his suffering.
Match your sacrifice to the actual need of the person you are caring for, not to a vague gesture.
मातापिता दायाद गोती । समस्त तिसी वारिती । पतिव्रता ज्ञानवंती । न ऐके बोल कवणाचे ॥३७॥
mātāpitā dāyāda gotī | samasta tisī vāritī | pativratā jñānavamtī | na aike bola kavaṇāce ||37||
Her parents, relatives, and kin all tried to restrain her; but the wise, devoted woman listened to no one's words.
Even well-meaning family cannot dissuade her — her conviction, called jñānavantī (possessed of understanding), is treated as wisdom, not stubbornness.
Trust your own settled conviction about how to care for someone, even against outside pressure, when it comes from real understanding rather than mere emotion.
दिव्यवस्त्रादि आभरणे । त्यजिली समस्त भूषणे । पुरुषावरी आपुला प्राण । काय सुख म्हणतसे ॥३८॥
divyavastrādi ābharaṇe | tyajilī samasta bhūṣaṇe | puruṣāvarī āpulā prāṇa | kāya sukha mhaṇatase ||38||
She gave up fine clothes and all her ornaments; her whole life was set on her husband — what happiness could she find elsewhere, she said.
She strips away outward adornment because her inner life is wholly given to her husband — outer comfort has no meaning apart from his wellbeing.
Let go of comforts that feel hollow when someone you love is in real need.
उभयतांची मातापिता । महाधनिक श्रीमंता । पुत्रकन्येसी पाहता । दुःख करिती परियेसा ॥३९॥
ubhayatāmcī mātāpitā | mahādhanika śrīmamtā | putrakanyesī pāhatā | duḥkha karitī pariyesā ||39||
The parents on both sides were very wealthy; seeing their son and daughter-in-law thus, they grieved deeply.
Wealth offers no protection from this suffering — both families, however rich, are equally powerless before illness.
Remember that money cannot buy immunity from grief; invest instead in relationships that can bear it together.
अनेक जपानुष्ठान । मंत्रविद्या महाहवन । अपरिमित ब्राह्मणभोजन । करविताति अवधारा ॥४०॥
aneka japānuṣṭhāna | mamtravidyā mahāhavana | aparimita brāhmaṇabhojana | karavitāti avadhārā ||40||
They performed many recitations and rites, great mantra-rituals and fire offerings, and fed countless Brahmins — hear this well.
The families exhaust every ritual and charitable means available — japa, havana, feeding Brahmins — showing the depth of their desperate faith.
When facing a crisis beyond your control, exhaust every honest means available to you while also turning to prayer.
अनेक परीचे वैद्य येती । दिव्य रस-औषधे देती । शमन नव्हे कवणे रीती । महाव्याधीने व्यापिले ॥४१॥
aneka parīce vaidya yetī | divya rasa-auṣadhe detī | śamana navhe kavaṇe rītī | mahāvyādhīne vyāpile ||41||
Physicians of every kind came and gave rare, potent medicines, but by no means was there relief — the great disease had taken hold completely.
Even the best medicine of the age fails; the illness is described as total (mahāvyādhi), beyond the reach of ordinary human remedy.
Accept that some situations are beyond your control no matter how much effort you spend, and be at peace trying anyway.
पुसती जाणत्या ज्योतिष्यासि । पूजा करिती कुळदेवतांसी । काही केलिया पुत्रासी । आरोग्य नोहे सर्वथा ॥४२॥
pusatī jāṇatyā jyotiṣyāsi | pūjā karitī kuḷadevatāmsī | kāhī keliyā putrāsī | ārogya nohe sarvathā ||42||
They consulted learned astrologers, worshipped their family deities — but by no means at all did their son recover his health.
Every avenue of human and ritual effort — medicine, learned counsel, family worship — is tried and fails, preparing the reader for the lesson of surrender that follows.
Do everything reasonable to help, but be ready to release the outcome when it is truly beyond your hands.
वैद्य म्हणती तये वेळी । नव्हे बरवे त्यासी अढळी । राखील जरी चंद्रमौळी । मनुष्ययत्न नव्हे आता ॥४३॥
vaidya mhaṇatī taye veḷī | navhe barave tyāsī aḍhaḷī | rākhīla jarī camdramauḷī | manuṣyayatna navhe ātā ||43||
At that time the physicians said: 'He will not surely recover; only Chandramauli (Śiva) can save him now — human effort avails nothing further.'
The doctors themselves admit the limit of manuṣya-yatna (human effort) and point beyond medicine to divine grace — a pivotal admission in the story.
Know the point at which to hand a matter over to prayer once you have truly done all you humanly can.
ऐसे ऐकोनि मातापिता । दुःखे दाटली करिती चिंता । जय जया जगन्नाथा । दत्तात्रेया गुरुमूर्ति ॥४४॥
aise aikoni mātāpitā | duḥkhe dāṭalī karitī cimtā | jaya jayā jagannāthā | dattātreyā gurumūrti ||44||
Hearing this, the parents were overwhelmed with grief and worried greatly; they cried out, 'Victory, victory, Lord of the universe, Dattātreya, form of the Guru!'
Faced with the doctors' verdict, the parents turn instinctively to prayer — grief becomes the occasion for calling on Dattātreya by name.
When human resources run out, let your first response be prayer rather than despair.
आराधोनिया तुम्हांसी । पुत्र लाधलो संतोषी । पापरूप आपणासी । निधान केवी राहो पाहे ॥४५॥
ārādhoniyā tumhāmsī | putra lādhalo samtoṣī | pāparūpa āpaṇāsī | nidhāna kevī rāho pāhe ||45||
We worshipped you and joyfully obtained this son; how, sinful as we are, could such a treasure remain with us, they wondered.
In their grief the parents accuse themselves as unworthy of the gift they were given, a common turn in devotional lament where sorrow blames the self.
When grieving, be gentle with yourself rather than turning pain immediately into self-blame.
एकचि पुत्र आमचे वंशी । त्याते जरी न राखिसी । प्राण देऊ तयासरसी । दत्तात्रेया स्वामिया ॥४६॥
ekaci putra āmace vamśī | tyāte jarī na rākhisī | prāṇa deū tayāsarasī | dattātreyā svāmiyā ||46||
He is the only son of our lineage; if you do not save him, O Dattātreya, we too will give up our lives along with him.
The parents' desperate bargaining — offering their own lives — shows grief pushed to its extreme, a plea that borders on despair rather than acceptance.
Notice when grief tempts you toward extreme bargains, and instead channel that intensity into steady prayer and care.
ऐसे नानापरी देखा । दुःख करिती जननीजनका । वारीतसे पुत्र ऐका । मातापिता आलिंगोनि ॥४७॥
aise nānāparī dekhā | duḥkha karitī jananījanakā | vārītase putra aikā | mātāpitā ālimgoni ||47||
Thus in many ways the parents grieved; but the son restrained them, embracing his mother and father.
It is the dying son, not the parents, who offers comfort — a striking reversal that marks his own acceptance of what is coming.
Even in your own hardship, look for a moment to comfort those who are grieving on your behalf.
म्हणे आपुले भोग सरले । जितुके ऋण तुम्हा दिधले । अधिक कैचे घेऊ भले । ऋणानुबंध न चुकेचि ॥४८॥
mhaṇe āpule bhoga sarale | jituke ṛṇa tumhā didhale | adhika kaice gheū bhale | ṛṇānubamdha na cukeci ||48||
He said: 'My allotted enjoyments are over; I have received as much as was owed to you; I could take no more — the bond of karmic debt cannot be avoided.'
The son names the doctrine of ṛṇānubandha — that relationships are bound by karmic debts which run their course and then release — as the framework for accepting his death.
When a relationship or chapter naturally comes to its end, accept its completion rather than forcing it to continue.
ऐसे ऐकोनि मातापिता । दोघे जाहली मूर्च्छागता । पुत्रावरी लोळता । महादुःखे दाटोनिया ॥४९॥
aise aikoni mātāpitā | doghe jāhalī mūrcchāgatā | putrāvarī loḷatā | mahāduḥkhe dāṭoniyā ||49||
Hearing this, both parents fainted and collapsed, weeping over their son, overwhelmed with immense grief.
The son's calm acceptance only deepens the parents' anguish — wisdom does not remove grief's weight from those who love the dying.
Do not expect someone else's calm acceptance to erase your own grief; let yourself feel it fully.
म्हणती ताता पुत्रराया । आमुचीआशा झाली वाया । पोषिसी आम्हा म्हणोनिया । निश्चय केला होता आपण ॥५०॥
mhaṇatī tātā putrarāyā | āmucīāśā jhālī vāyā | poṣisī āmhā mhaṇoniyā | niścaya kelā hotā āpaṇa ||50||
They said: 'O son, our prince, our hope has come to nothing; we had decided you would care for us in our old age.'
The parents voice the ordinary, human hope every parent has — that a child will care for them in old age — now apparently overturned.
Voice your disappointed hopes honestly to those you trust, rather than burying them in silence.
उबगोनिया आम्हांसी । सोडूनि केवी जाऊ पाहसी । वृद्धाप्यपणी आपणांसी । धर्म घडे केवी तुज ॥५१॥
ubagoniyā āmhāmsī | soḍūni kevī jāū pāhasī | vṛddhāpyapaṇī āpaṇāmsī | dharma ghaḍe kevī tuja ||51||
Are you tired of us, that you seek to leave us this way? In your old age, how then will duty be done by you toward us?
Their words carry an edge of protest, even reproach, showing how raw grief can slip toward blame even when none is truly meant.
Forgive harsh words spoken by grieving loved ones — pain often speaks before love can steady itself.
ऐकोनि मातापितावचन । विनवीतसे आक्रंदोन । करणी ईश्वराधीन । मनुष्ययत्न काय चाले ॥५२॥
aikoni mātāpitāvacana | vinavītase ākramdona | karaṇī īśvarādhīna | manuṣyayatna kāya cāle ||52||
Hearing his parents' words, he pleaded with them weeping: 'This working is in God's hands — what can human effort do?'
The son answers reproach with humility, restating that the outcome belongs to īśvara (God) and lies beyond any person's control.
Meet someone's grief-driven blame with gentleness and truth rather than defensiveness.
मातापित्यांचे ऋण । पुत्रे करावे उत्तीर्ण । तरीच पुत्रत्व पावणे । नाही तरी दगडापरी ॥५३॥
mātāpityāmce ṛṇa | putre karāve uttīrṇa | tarīca putratva pāvaṇe | nāhī tarī dagaḍāparī ||53||
A son must repay the debt owed to his parents; only then does he truly earn the name of 'son' — otherwise he is no better than a stone.
He states the classical duty of a child to repay parental care, framing sonship itself as something earned through gratitude, not merely biological.
Actively repay the care your parents gave you rather than taking it for granted.
मातेने केले मज पोषण । एके घडीचे स्तनपान । उत्तीर्ण नव्हे भवार्ण । जन्मांतरी येऊनिया ॥५४॥
mātene kele maja poṣaṇa | eke ghaḍīce stanapāna | uttīrṇa navhe bhavārṇa | janmāmtarī yeūniyā ||54||
My mother nourished me; even a single moment of her nursing I could not repay across another entire lifetime.
He singles out even one moment of a mother's care as an unrepayable debt, magnifying how much more he owes for his whole upbringing.
Recognize small acts of parental care as immense gifts, not small things owed to you by default.
आपण जन्मलो तुमचे उदरी । कष्ट दाविले अतिभारी । सौख्य न देखा कवणेपरी । ऐसा आपण पापी देखा ॥५५॥
āpaṇa janmalo tumace udarī | kaṣṭa dāvile atibhārī | saukhya na dekhā kavaṇeparī | aisā āpaṇa pāpī dekhā ||55||
I was born from your womb, yet I have shown you only great hardship; you have seen no happiness through me — see, I am truly sinful.
In his dying humility, the son takes on guilt for the grief he is causing his parents, even though the illness is beyond his control.
When you cannot spare loved ones from pain caused by circumstance, acknowledge their suffering with humility rather than excuses.
आता तुम्ही दुःख न करणे । परमार्थी दृष्टी देणे । जैसे काही असेल होणे । ब्रह्मादिका न सुटेचि ॥५६॥
ātā tumhī duḥkha na karaṇe | paramārthī dṛṣṭī deṇe | jaise kāhī asela hoṇe | brahmādikā na suṭeci ||56||
Now do not grieve; turn your gaze toward the ultimate truth. Whatever is destined to happen, not even Brahmā can escape it.
He counsels his parents toward paramārtha (the higher spiritual view), noting that even the gods cannot escape destiny — a teaching he offers from his deathbed.
In moments of loss, gently redirect grieving loved ones toward larger meaning rather than only shared sorrow.
येणेपरी जननीजनका । संभाषीतसे पुत्र निका । तेणेपरी स्त्रियेसी देखा । सांगतसे परियेसा ॥५७॥
yeṇeparī jananījanakā | sambhāṣītase putra nikā | teṇeparī striyesī dekhā | sāmgatase pariyesā ||57||
Having spoken thus to his parents, the good son then spoke in the same way to his wife — hear what he said.
The narrative transitions from the parents' scene to the wife's, marking the coming exchange as the emotional center of the chapter.
When comforting different loved ones through the same loss, speak to each according to their particular bond with you.
म्हणे ऐक प्राणेश्वरी । झाले आमुचे दिवस सरी । मजनिमित्ते कष्टलीस भारी । वृथा गेले कष्ट तुझे ॥५८॥
mhaṇe aika prāṇeśvarī | jhāle āmuce divasa sarī | majanimitte kaṣṭalīsa bhārī | vṛthā gele kaṣṭa tujhe ||58||
He said: 'Listen, my beloved. My days are finished. You have suffered greatly for my sake — your labor has gone in vain.'
He addresses his wife as prāṇeśvarī (mistress of his life-breath) and, with tenderness, calls her years of devoted care 'wasted' — grief speaking through gratitude.
Tell those who cared for you through hardship exactly how much their labor meant, even if the outcome was not what either wished.
पूर्वजन्मीचे वैरपण । तुजसी होता माझा शीण । म्हणोनि तूते दिधले जाण । जन्मांतरीचे कष्ट देखा ॥५९॥
pūrvajanmīce vairapaṇa | tujasī hotā mājhā śīṇa | mhaṇoni tūte didhale jāṇa | janmāmtarīce kaṣṭa dekhā ||59||
There was enmity between us from a past birth, and I caused you suffering; that is why, I know, you have been given this hardship of another lifetime.
He explains their joined suffering through pūrvajanma (past-life) karma — even devoted love, in this worldview, can carry old debts still working themselves out.
When a relationship brings unexplained hardship, look for what you can learn and heal rather than only assigning blame.
तू जरी रहासी आमुचे घरी । तुज पोशितील परिकरी । तुज वाटेल कष्ट भारी । जाई आपुले माहेरा ॥६०॥
tū jarī rahāsī āmuce gharī | tuja pośitīla parikarī | tuja vāṭela kaṣṭa bhārī | jāī āpule māherā ||60||
If you remain in our house, they will care for you, but you will feel it a great hardship — go instead to your own mother's home.
In his final concern, the dying husband tries to release his wife toward an easier future, even suggesting she return to her parents rather than stay burdened.
When leaving loved ones behind, think practically about what will actually ease their coming path, not just what feels sentimental.
ऐसे तुझे सुंदरीपण । न लाधे आपण दैवहीन । न राहे तुझे अहेवपण । माझे अंग स्पर्शता ॥६१॥
aise tujhe sumdarīpaṇa | na lādhe āpaṇa daivahīna | na rāhe tujhe ahevapaṇa | mājhe amga sparśatā ||61||
Such is your beauty, yet I, unfortunate as I am, could not keep it; your married-woman's blessing will not remain once my body is touched by death.
He grieves that his death will strip her of ahevapaṇa (the honored status of a married woman whose husband is alive) — a heavy social reality of the era.
Recognize how deeply social status and identity can be bound up with a relationship, and treat that loss with real compassion.
ऐकोनि पतीचे वचन । मूर्च्छा आली तत्क्षण । माथा लावूनिया चरणा । दुःख करी तये वेळी ॥६२॥
aikoni patīce vacana | mūrcchā ālī tatkṣaṇa | māthā lāvūniyā caraṇā | duḥkha karī taye veḷī ||62||
Hearing her husband's words, she fainted at once; laying her head upon his feet, she wept at that moment.
Her collapse and prostration at his feet show that his attempt to release her only deepens her grief and devotion, not lessen it.
Understand that trying to spare someone pain by pushing them away can sometimes cause them greater pain instead.
म्हणे स्वामी प्राणेश्वरा । तुम्ही मज न अव्हेरा । तुहांसरी दातारा । आणिक नाही गति आपणा ॥६३॥
mhaṇe svāmī prāṇeśvarā | tumhī maja na avherā | tuhāmsarī dātārā | āṇika nāhī gati āpaṇā ||63||
She said: 'My lord, my beloved, do not forsake me; besides you, generous one, I have no other refuge.'
She refuses the release he offered — her devotion recognizes no life apart from him, echoing the total identification with the husband central to the pativratā ideal.
When someone tries to release you from an obligation of love, decide for yourself whether staying is truly your own devoted choice.
जेथे असे तुमचा देह । सवेचि असे आपण पाहे । मनी न करा संदेह । समागमी तुमची आपण ॥६४॥
jethe ase tumacā deha | saveci ase āpaṇa pāhe | manī na karā samdeha | samāgamī tumacī āpaṇa ||64||
Wherever your body is, there I too shall be; have no doubt in your mind — I will be with you always.
She vows unbroken companionship even beyond his death, foreshadowing the depth of grief and even the impulse toward self-harm that will follow his passing.
Make vows of companionship you can actually keep — and be honest about what devotion asks of you before you promise it.
ऐसे दोघांचिया वचनी । ऐकोनिया जनकजननी । देह टाकोनिया धरणी । दुःख करिती तयेवेळी ॥६५॥
aise doghāmciyā vacanī | aikoniyā janakajananī | deha ṭākoniyā dharaṇī | duḥkha karitī tayeveḷī ||65||
Hearing the words exchanged between the two of them, the parents fell to the ground and wept at that moment.
The parents, overhearing this exchange between husband and wife, are undone by it — grief multiplies as it moves through a family.
Be mindful that painful conversations meant for one person may be overheard and wound others too.
उठवूनिया श्वशुरासी । संबोखीतसे सासूसी । न करा चिंता, हो भरवसी । पति आपुला वाचेल ॥६६॥
uṭhavūniyā śvaśurāsī | sambokhītase sāsūsī | na karā cimtā, ho bharavasī | pati āpulā vācela ||66||
Raising up her father-in-law, she comforted her mother-in-law: 'Do not worry, have faith — my husband will live.'
Even in her own grief, the wife turns to comfort her in-laws, showing devotion extending outward to the whole family, not only her husband.
Even while grieving yourself, look for ways to steady and comfort others who are suffering alongside you.
विनवीतसे तये वेळी । आम्हा राखेल चंद्रमौळी । पाठवा एखाद्या स्थळी । पति आपुला वाचेल ॥६७॥
vinavītase taye veḷī | āmhā rākhela camdramauḷī | pāṭhavā ekhādyā sthaḷī | pati āpulā vācela ||67||
She pleaded at that moment: 'Chandramauli (Śiva) will protect us; send us somewhere — my husband will live.'
Her hope shifts to seeking active help — a place to go, a remedy — rather than only prayer at home.
Pair your faith with practical action; ask for help that moves you toward a real solution.
सांगती लोक महिमा ख्याति । नरसिंहसरस्वती श्रीगुरुमूर्ति । गाणगापुरी वास करिती । तया स्वामी पहावे ॥६८॥
sāmgatī loka mahimā khyāti | narasimhasarasvatī śrīgurumūrti | gāṇagāpurī vāsa karitī | tayā svāmī pahāve ||68||
People spoke of the great renown of Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī, the form of Śrī Guru, who resides at Gāṇagāpura — 'Let us go see that Lord,' they said.
The family learns of Śrī Guru's fame at Gāṇagāpura, connecting this domestic tragedy back to the miracle-worker introduced earlier in the chapter.
When you hear of someone genuinely able to help, act on that word rather than dismissing it as rumor.
त्याचे दर्शनमात्रेसी । आरोग्य होईल पतीसी । आम्हा पाठवा त्वरितेसी । म्हणोनि चरणा लागली ॥६९॥
tyāce darśanamātresī | ārogya hoīla patīsī | āmhā pāṭhavā tvaritesī | mhaṇoni caraṇā lāgalī ||69||
'By his mere darśana my husband will recover health; send us quickly,' she said, falling at their feet.
She stakes everything on the possibility of the guru's darśana, showing complete, urgent faith in what she has only heard about.
Act with urgency once you believe real help is within reach — do not delay out of hesitation.
मानवली गोष्ट समस्तांसी । मातापिताश्वशुरांसी । निरोप घेऊनि सकळिकांसी । निघती झाली तये वेळी ॥७०॥
mānavalī goṣṭa samastāmsī | mātāpitāśvaśurāmsī | niropa gheūni sakaḷikāmsī | nighatī jhālī taye veḷī ||70||
The plan was agreeable to everyone — her parents and her parents-in-law; taking leave of them all, they set out at that time.
Family consensus supports the journey — a sign of shared hope even amid dread, and of the unity that will sustain the wife through the coming ordeal.
Seek the blessing and support of your family before undertaking a difficult journey on someone's behalf.
तया रोगिया करोनि डोली । घेवोनि निघाली ते बाळी । विनवीतसे तये वेळी । आपले सासूश्वशुरांसी ॥७१॥
tayā rogiyā karoni ḍolī | ghevoni nighālī te bāḷī | vinavītase taye veḷī | āpale sāsūśvaśurāmsī ||71||
Making a litter for the sick man, the young woman set out carrying him; at that time she spoke to her parents-in-law.
She herself arranges the litter and leads the journey — active devotion, not passive waiting, defines her through the whole chapter.
When someone you love needs care, be willing to physically carry the burden yourself, not just arrange for others to.
स्थिर करूनि अंतःकरण । सुखे रहावे दोघेजण । पति असे माझा प्राण । राखील माझे कुळदैवत ॥७२॥
sthira karūni amtaḥkaraṇa | sukhe rahāve doghejaṇa | pati ase mājhā prāṇa | rākhīla mājhe kuḷadaivata ||72||
'Steady your hearts and stay at peace, both of you; my husband is my very life — our family deity will protect him,' she said.
She reassures her in-laws with the same devotion she shows her husband, trusting the family's kuladaivata (household deity) to protect him.
Offer calm reassurance to worried family even while you yourself are uncertain — steadiness is itself a gift.
म्हणोनि सासूश्वशुरांसी । नमन करी प्रीतीसी । आशीर्वाद देती हर्षी । अहेवपण स्थिर होय ॥७३॥
mhaṇoni sāsūśvaśurāmsī | namana karī prītīsī | āśīrvāda detī harṣī | ahevapaṇa sthira hoya ||73||
So she bowed with love to her parents-in-law; joyfully they blessed her, that her married-woman's status remain unbroken.
Their blessing for her continued ahevapaṇa (living married status) is both love and foreboding, given what is about to unfold.
Offer sincere blessings to those setting off on a difficult journey, even when the outcome is uncertain.
तुझे दैवे तरी आता । आमुचा पुत्र वाचो वो माता । म्हणोनि निघाले बोळवीत । आशीर्वाद देताति ॥७४॥
tujhe daive tarī ātā | āmucā putra vāco vo mātā | mhaṇoni nighāle boḷavīta | āśīrvāda detāti ||74||
'By your good fortune may our son live now, O mother,' they said, seeing them off and giving their blessings.
The parents' hope is now placed in the daughter-in-law's fortune and faith — a tender transfer of hope from elders to the younger devoted wife.
Let the faith of those who love you carry you forward when your own strength is running low.
येणेपरी पतीसहित । निघती झाली पतिव्रता । क्वचित्काळ मार्ग क्रमिता । आली गाणगापुरासी ॥७५॥
yeṇeparī patīsahita | nighatī jhālī pativratā | kvacitkāḷa mārga kramitā | ālī gāṇagāpurāsī ||75||
So the devoted wife set out with her husband; after traveling for some time, they arrived at Gāṇagāpura.
The journey itself becomes an act of pativratā devotion, its hardship absorbed silently as she moves toward hoped-for healing.
Undertake difficult journeys for the sake of someone you love without complaint about the hardship of the road.
मार्ग क्रमिता रोगियासी । अधिक जाहला त्रिदोषी । उतरता ग्रामप्रदेशी । अतिसंकट जाहले पै ॥७६॥
mārga kramitā rogiyāsī | adhika jāhalā tridoṣī | utaratā grāmapradeśī | atisamkaṭa jāhale pai ||76||
As they traveled, the sick man's condition worsened, his bodily humors thrown into imbalance; as they reached the edge of the town, great distress arose.
The journey's urgency intensifies as his condition deteriorates on the road — the narrative builds toward its most painful moment.
Expect that a difficult situation may worsen even as you race to find help — keep moving forward anyway.
विचारिता श्रीगुरूसी गेले होते संगमासी । जावे म्हणोनि दर्शनासी । निघती झाली तये वेळी ॥७७॥
vicāritā śrīgurūsī gele hote samgamāsī | jāve mhaṇoni darśanāsī | nighatī jhālī taye veḷī ||77||
Asking after Śrī Guru, they learned he had gone to the confluence; so they set out at once to seek his darśana there.
The guru is not where expected — a small delay in a story where every moment matters, heightening the tension before the loss.
Accept that help you seek may not be exactly where or when you expect it, and keep pursuing it anyway.
पतिव्रता तये वेळ । आली आपुले पतीजवळ । पहाता जाहला अंतकाळ । प्राण गेला तत्क्षणी ॥७८॥
pativratā taye veḷa | ālī āpule patījavaḷa | pahātā jāhalā amtakāḷa | prāṇa gelā tatkṣaṇī ||78||
At that moment the devoted wife came to her husband's side; as she looked at him, his final hour came, and his life left him that instant.
The devastating turn: her husband dies the very moment she returns to him, before the guru's darśana can be reached — the tragedy the chapter is named for.
Accept that even our most devoted efforts cannot always outrun loss; presence and love still matter regardless of the outcome.
आकांत करी ते नारी । लोळतसे धरणीवरी । भोसकूनि घ्यावया घेता सुरी । वारिती तियेसी ग्राम लोक ॥७९॥
ākāmta karī te nārī | loḷatase dharaṇīvarī | bhosakūni ghyāvayā ghetā surī | vāritī tiyesī grāma loka ||79||
The woman cried out in anguish, writhing on the ground; when she took up a knife to stab herself, the villagers stopped her.
Her grief reaches the point of attempted self-harm — the villagers' intervention shows the surrounding community will not let her devotion turn to self-destruction.
If grief ever pushes you toward self-harm, let others around you intervene and hold you back — do not push help away.
आफळी शिरे भूमीसी । हाणी उरी पाषाणेसी । केश मोकळे आक्रोशी । प्रलापीतसे परियेसा ॥८०॥
āphaḷī śire bhūmīsī | hāṇī urī pāṣāṇesī | keśa mokaḷe ākrośī | pralāpītase pariyesā ||80||
She beat her head upon the ground, struck her chest with a stone, let her hair fall loose, and wailed in lamentation — hear how she cried.
Traditional gestures of extreme mourning — loosened hair, beaten breast — mark the full weight of grief being expressed physically, not suppressed.
Allow grief to be expressed openly rather than bottled up, while ensuring it does not turn into self-harm.
हा हा देवा काय केले । का मज गाईसी गांजिले । आशा करूनि आल्ये । राखिसी प्राण म्हणोनि ॥८१॥
hā hā devā kāya kele | kā maja gāīsī gāmjile | āśā karūni ālye | rākhisī prāṇa mhaṇoni ||81||
'Oh God, what have you done! Why have you tormented me like a cow being driven off? I came here in hope, believing you would save his life.'
Her cry to God mixes accusation and hope — grief that still addresses the divine rather than abandoning faith altogether.
Bring your rawest anger and disappointment to God honestly rather than pretending faith requires only calm words.
पूजेसी जाता देउळात । पडे देऊळ करी घात । ऐशी कानी न ऐको मात । दृष्टांत झाला आपणासी ॥८२॥
pūjesī jātā deuḷāta | paḍe deūḷa karī ghāta | aiśī kānī na aiko māta | dṛṣṭāmta jhālā āpaṇāsī ||82||
'That going to worship at the temple, the temple should collapse and kill me' — such a fate I never even heard of, yet it has happened to me.
She names an image of unimaginable disaster and says her own fate has exceeded even that — grief searching for a scale equal to her loss.
Let yourself name, even in extreme language, how large a loss feels — such words in grief are not a lie, they are honesty about pain.
उष्णकाळी तापोनि नरु । ठाकोनि जाय एखादा तरु । वृक्षचि पडे आघात थोरु । तयापरी झाले मज ॥८३॥
uṣṇakāḷī tāponi naru | ṭhākoni jāya ekhādā taru | vṛkṣaci paḍe āghāta thoru | tayāparī jhāle maja ||83||
As a man, scorched in the heat, stops to rest beneath a tree, and the very tree falls upon him — thus has a great calamity befallen me.
The image of a shade-tree collapsing on the one seeking its shelter captures the cruelty of losing the very source of one's comfort and protection.
When the very thing you relied on for shelter fails you, allow yourself to grieve that specific irony fully.
तृषेकरूनि पीडित । जाय मनुष्य गंगेत । संधी सुसरी करी घात । तयापरी मज झाले ॥८४॥
tṛṣekarūni pīḍita | jāya manuṣya gamgeta | samdhī susarī karī ghāta | tayāparī maja jhāle ||84||
As a thirsty man goes to the Ganges for water, and a crocodile seizes him at the water's edge — so has it happened to me.
Another image of disaster striking at the moment of relief — she frames her husband's death as happening right at the point rescue seemed near.
Recognize that danger and disappointment can strike closest to the moment you expect relief — stay resilient through such reversals.
व्याघ्रभये पळे धेनु । जाय आधार म्हणोनु । तेथेचि वधिती यवनु । तयापरी झाले मज ॥८५॥
vyāghrabhaye paḷe dhenu | jāya ādhāra mhaṇonu | tetheci vadhitī yavanu | tayāparī jhāle maja ||85||
As a cow flees a tiger seeking refuge, only to be killed there by a hunter — so has it happened to me.
A third such image reinforces the theme: she sought refuge in Gāṇagāpura and found death instead — grief piling metaphor on metaphor to process the unbearable.
When one hoped-for refuge fails, keep seeking real support rather than concluding that no help exists anywhere.
ऐसी पापी दैवहीन । आपुले पतीचा घेतला प्राण । मातापितरांसी त्यजून । घेवोनि आल्ये विदेशी ॥८६॥
aisī pāpī daivahīna | āpule patīcā ghetalā prāṇa | mātāpitarāmsī tyajūna | ghevoni ālye videśī ||86||
Sinful and unfortunate that I am, I have taken my own husband's life; abandoning my own parents, I brought him to this foreign land.
She blames herself irrationally for his death, a common feature of grief where survivors take on guilt that is not truly theirs.
Watch for irrational self-blame in your own or others' grief, and gently counter it with the truth.
येणेपरी दुःख करीत । पाहू आले जन समस्त । संभाषिताति दुःखशमता । अनेकपरीकरूनिया ॥८७॥
yeṇeparī duḥkha karīta | pāhū āle jana samasta | sambhāṣitāti duḥkhaśamatā | anekaparīkarūniyā ||87||
As she grieved this way, all the people came to see; they tried in many ways to console and calm her sorrow.
The wider community gathers, attempting consolation — grief in this narrative is never private, always held by the village around her.
Show up in person for someone grieving, even if you do not know exactly what to say.
वारिताति नारी सुवासिनी । का वो दुःख करिसी कामिनी । विचार करी अंतःकरणी । होणार न चुके सकळिकांसी ॥८८॥
vāritāti nārī suvāsinī | kā vo duḥkha karisī kāminī | vicāra karī amtaḥkaraṇī | hoṇāra na cuke sakaḷikāmsī ||88||
The married women restrained her: 'Why do you grieve so, dear one? Reflect within your heart — what is destined cannot be avoided by anyone.'
The other women offer the classic consolation of fate/destiny, a common register of comfort in this tradition even if it cannot yet reach her.
Offer comfort rooted in larger perspective to a grieving friend, even knowing it may not immediately ease their pain.
ऐसे म्हणता नगरनारी । तिसी दुःख झाले भारी । आठवीतसे परोपरी । आपुले जन्मकर्म सकळ ॥८९॥
aise mhaṇatā nagaranārī | tisī duḥkha jhāle bhārī | āṭhavītase paroparī | āpule janmakarma sakaḷa ||89||
As the women of the town spoke thus, her grief grew even heavier; she recalled, in every way, the whole course of her life and deeds.
Rather than easing her, the consolations trigger a fuller review of her whole life — grief demands to be walked through, not argued away.
Let a grieving person's memories surface fully rather than rushing them past their own review of the past.
ऐका तुम्ही मायबहिणी । आता कैची वाचू प्राणी । पतीसी आल्ये घेऊनि । याची आशा करोनिया ॥९०॥
aikā tumhī māyabahiṇī | ātā kaicī vācū prāṇī | patīsī ālye gheūni | yācī āśā karoniyā ||90||
'Listen, my mothers and sisters, how can I live now? I brought my husband here, hoping only for this.'
She addresses the women as kin, voicing the collapse of the single hope that had carried her on the whole journey.
Name the specific hope that has been lost when you speak of grief — clarity about what is gone helps others truly understand.
आता कवणा शरण जावे । राखेल कोण मज जीवे । प्राणेश्वरा त्यजूनि जीवे । केवी वाचू म्हणतसे ॥९१॥
ātā kavaṇā śaraṇa jāve | rākhela koṇa maja jīve | prāṇeśvarā tyajūni jīve | kevī vācū mhaṇatase ||91||
'To whom shall I now turn for refuge? Who will protect my life? Having lost my beloved, how shall I go on living?' she said.
Her lament turns to the practical and existential question every widow of this era faced — loss of protector, loss of place in the world.
Take seriously the practical fears that accompany grief, not only the emotional ones.
बाळपणी गौरीसी । पूजा केली शंकरासी । विवाह होता परियेसी । पूजा केली मंगळागौरी ॥९२॥
bāḷapaṇī gaurīsī | pūjā kelī śamkarāsī | vivāha hotā pariyesī | pūjā kelī mamgaḷāgaurī ||92||
In childhood I worshipped Gaurī and Śaṅkara; at my wedding, I worshipped Maṅgalāgaurī, the goddess of marital blessing.
She recounts a lifetime of ritual devotion aimed at securing her marriage, now seemingly undone — grief interrogating the meaning of past faith.
Do not let a painful outcome make you regret the sincere devotion you practiced along the way.
अहेवपणाचे आशेनी । पूजा केली म्या भवानी । सांगती माते सुवासिनी । अनेकपरी व्रतादिके ॥९३॥
ahevapaṇāce āśenī | pūjā kelī myā bhavānī | sāmgatī māte suvāsinī | anekaparī vratādike ||93||
In hope of lifelong married blessing I worshipped Bhavānī; the married women taught me many kinds of vows and observances, which I performed.
Her worship followed the counsel of elder women — communal, inherited religious practice aimed at protecting exactly this outcome.
Honor the traditional guidance of elders even while acknowledging that outcomes remain beyond anyone's full control.
जे जे सांगती माते व्रत । केली पूजा अखंडित । समस्त जाहले आता व्यर्थ । रुसली गौरी आपणावरी ॥९४॥
je je sāmgatī māte vrata | kelī pūjā akhamḍita | samasta jāhale ātā vyartha | rusalī gaurī āpaṇāvarī ||94||
Whatever vows the elder women taught me, I observed without fail; now all of it seems in vain — Gaurī must be displeased with me.
She interprets her loss as divine displeasure, a natural but painful conclusion for someone raised to see ritual as guaranteeing outcome.
Resist concluding that suffering means divine punishment — faithful practice and hardship can coexist without either being false.
आता माझिये हळदीसी । चोर पडले गळेसरीसी । सर्वस्व दिधले वन्हीसी । कंकण-कंचुकी परियेसा ॥९५॥
ātā mājhiye haḷadīsī | cora paḍale gaḷesarīsī | sarvasva didhale vanhīsī | kamkaṇa-kamcukī pariyesā ||95||
Now, at the time that should have been my wedding-turmeric, thieves have fallen upon my necklace; I have given everything — my bangles, my bodice — to the fire.
She uses images of theft and fire to describe how completely her married happiness has been consumed, layering metaphor upon literal loss.
Give yourself permission to mourn not just a person but everything symbolic that was lost alongside them.
कोठे गेले माझे पुण्य । वृथा पूजिला गौरीरमण । कैसे केले मज निर्वाण । ऐका मायबहिणी हो ॥९६॥
koṭhe gele mājhe puṇya | vṛthā pūjilā gaurīramaṇa | kaise kele maja nirvāṇa | aikā māyabahiṇī ho ||96||
'Where has my merit gone? In vain did I worship the consort of Gaurī; how has this ruin come upon me — listen, my mothers and sisters.'
She questions the moral order itself — where has her accumulated puṇya (merit) gone — the deepest kind of grief-driven theological doubt.
Allow honest doubt about fairness to surface in grief without treating it as a failure of faith.
केवी राहू आता आपण । पति होता माझा प्राण । लोकांसरिसा नोहे जाण । प्राणेश्वर परियेसा ॥९७॥
kevī rāhū ātā āpaṇa | pati hotā mājhā prāṇa | lokāmsarisā nohe jāṇa | prāṇeśvara pariyesā ||97||
'How shall I live now? My husband was my very life-breath; know that my beloved was not like other people to me.'
She insists her husband was not ordinary to her — grief resists being generalized or minimized by comparison to others' losses.
Honor the particular, irreplaceable nature of your bond with someone you have lost rather than letting others generalize your loss.
ऐसे नानापरी देखा । करी पतिव्रता दुःखा । पतीच्या पाहूनिया मुखा । आणिक दुःख अधिक करी ॥९८॥
aise nānāparī dekhā | karī pativratā duḥkhā | patīcyā pāhūniyā mukhā | āṇika duḥkha adhika karī ||98||
Thus in many ways the devoted wife grieved; looking upon her husband's face, her sorrow grew even greater.
Seeing his face intensifies rather than settles her grief, showing how presence with the body of the deceased deepens mourning.
Allow moments of direct confrontation with loss — like seeing a loved one's face — to be as painful as they need to be.
आलिंगोनि प्रेतासि । रोदन करी बहुवसी । आठवी आपुले पूर्व दिवसी । पूर्वस्नेह तये वेळी ॥९९॥
ālimgoni pretāsi | rodana karī bahuvasī | āṭhavī āpule pūrva divasī | pūrvasneha taye veḷī ||99||
Embracing his lifeless body, she wept greatly, recalling the days gone by and their former love, at that moment.
Memory and physical closeness merge in her final embrace — grief here is also an act of remembering shared love.
Let memory of good times accompany your grief rather than trying to separate joy and sorrow.
म्हणे पुरुषा प्राणेश्वरा । कैसे माझे त्यजिले करा । उबग आला तुम्हा थोरा । म्हणोनि माते उपेक्षिले ॥१००॥
mhaṇe puruṣā prāṇeśvarā | kaise mājhe tyajile karā | ubaga ālā tumhā thorā | mhaṇoni māte upekṣile ||100||
She said: 'O husband, my beloved, why have you let go of my hand? Have you, great one, grown weary of me, that you have forsaken me?'
She voices the raw, irrational feeling common in grief — that the departed has abandoned her by choice, even knowing it is not true.
Allow yourself to voice irrational feelings of abandonment in grief without judging yourself for feeling them.
कैसी आपण दैवहीन । तटाकी खापर लागता भिन्न । होतासि तू निधान । आयुष्य तुझे उणे जहाले ॥१॥
kaisī āpaṇa daivahīna | taṭākī khāpara lāgatā bhinna | hotāsi tū nidhāna | āyuṣya tujhe uṇe jahāle ||1||
How unfortunate am I — like a pot cracked by striking a shard at the water's edge; you were my treasure, but your life has been cut short.
A domestic image — an earthen pot shattering at the water's edge — captures how suddenly and completely a treasured life can break.
Handle what is fragile and precious in your life — relationships especially — with the care their vulnerability deserves.
तुमचे मातापितयांसी । सांडूनि आणिले परदेशी । जेणेपरी श्रावणासी । वधिले राये दशरथे ॥२॥
tumace mātāpitayāmsī | sāmḍūni āṇile paradeśī | jeṇeparī śrāvaṇāsī | vadhile rāye daśarathe ||2||
I brought you away from your parents to a foreign place — as King Daśaratha unwittingly killed Śravaṇa.
She compares herself to Daśaratha, who accidentally killed the devoted son Śravaṇa — an epic allusion casting her as the unwitting cause of tragedy despite good intent.
When you have unintentionally contributed to a tragedy, own your part honestly while recognizing that intent was never harmful.
तैसी तुमची जनकजननी । तुम्हा आणिले त्यजूनि । तुमची वार्ता ऐकोनि । प्राण त्यजितील दोघेजण ॥३॥
taisī tumacī janakajananī | tumhā āṇile tyajūni | tumacī vārtā aikoni | prāṇa tyajitīla doghejaṇa ||3||
In the same way, I took you away from your parents; hearing this news, both of them will surely give up their lives too.
She anticipates further devastation rippling outward to his parents — grief compounding as she imagines the pain still to come.
When breaking hard news to others, prepare compassionately for how deeply it will affect them too.
तीन हत्या भरवसी । घडल्या मज पापिणीसी । वैरिणी होय मी तुम्हांसी । पतिघातकी आपण सत्य ॥४॥
tīna hatyā bharavasī | ghaḍalyā maja pāpiṇīsī | vairiṇī hoya mī tumhāmsī | patighātakī āpaṇa satya ||4||
'Three deaths, surely, have been caused by me, sinner that I am; I have become your enemy — truly I am my husband's murderer.'
Her guilt escalates to naming herself a killer three times over, an extreme self-condemnation that the coming sage will gently correct.
Recognize when grief has pushed self-blame past what is fair or true, and be willing to receive correction from a wise counselor.
ऐशी पापिणी चांडाळी । निंदा करिती लोक सकळी । प्राणे घेतला मीचि बळी । प्राणेश्वरा दातारा ॥५॥
aiśī pāpiṇī cāmḍāḷī | nimdā karitī loka sakaḷī | prāṇe ghetalā mīci baḷī | prāṇeśvarā dātārā ||5||
'Such a sinner, an outcaste am I; all the people will condemn me — I myself have taken your life as my sacrifice, my generous lord.'
She imagines social condemnation joining her self-condemnation, the double weight a widow of this era might fear — inner guilt and outer judgment.
Do not let fear of others' judgment deepen a grief that is already heavy enough to bear alone.
स्त्री नव्हे मी तुमची वैरी । जैसी तिखट शस्त्र सुरी । वेधिली तुमचे शरीरी । घेतला प्राण आपणचि ॥६॥
strī navhe mī tumacī vairī | jaisī tikhaṭa śastra surī | vedhilī tumace śarīrī | ghetalā prāṇa āpaṇaci ||6||
I am not truly your wife but your enemy — like a sharp knife-blade, I have pierced your body and taken your life myself.
The knife metaphor recurs, now turned fully against herself — grief has convinced her that love and harm are the same act.
Question grief's harshest verdicts about yourself — love that cared faithfully is not the same as harm, however painful the outcome.
मातापिता बंधु सकळी । जरी असती तुम्हाजवळी । मुख पाहती अंतकाळी । त्यांसि विघ्न आपण केले ॥७॥
mātāpitā bamdhu sakaḷī | jarī asatī tumhājavaḷī | mukha pāhatī amtakāḷī | tyāmsi vighna āpaṇa kele ||7||
If your parents and brothers had been near you, they could have seen your face at your final hour; I have deprived them of even that.
She grieves not only her own loss but the loss she believes she caused others — the chance for his parents to see him at the end.
When arranging final farewells for a loved one, try to include those who would want to be present, when circumstances allow.
माझ्या वृद्ध सासूसासर्यात । होती तुमची आस । पुरला नाही त्यांचा सोस । त्याते सांडोनि केवी जाता ॥८॥
mājhyā vṛddha sāsūsāsaryāta | hotī tumacī āsa | puralā nāhī tyāmcā sosa | tyāte sāmḍoni kevī jātā ||8||
My aged parents-in-law had placed all their hope in you; their longing was never fulfilled — how could you leave them thus?
She speaks now for the parents-in-law's unfulfilled hopes, extending her grief into empathy for their particular loss.
When mourning, remember and honor the specific hopes others had for the person who is gone.
एकचि उदरी तुम्ही त्यासी । उबगलेति पोसावयासी । आम्हा कोठे ठेवूनि जासी । प्राणेश्वरा दातारा ॥९॥
ekaci udarī tumhī tyāsī | ubagaleti posāvayāsī | āmhā koṭhe ṭhevūni jāsī | prāṇeśvarā dātārā ||9||
You were their only son, born of one womb; were you weary of caring for them? Where have you left us, my generous beloved?
Her question — was he 'weary' of caring for them — again voices grief's irrational sense of abandonment rather than a literal accusation.
Recognize that grief's accusing questions are expressions of pain, not literal charges to be answered.
आता आपण कोठे जावे । कवण माते पोसील जीवे । न सांगता आम्हांसी बरवे । निघोनि गेलासी प्राणेश्वरा ॥११०॥
ātā āpaṇa koṭhe jāve | kavaṇa māte posīla jīve | na sāmgatā āmhāmsī barave | nighoni gelāsī prāṇeśvarā ||110||
Where shall I go now? Who will care for me and keep me alive? Without even telling us properly, you have gone away, my beloved.
She names the practical abandonment of the unprepared departure alongside the emotional one — grief is also disorientation about what comes next.
When facing sudden loss, allow yourself time to figure out practical next steps rather than expecting clarity immediately.
तू माझा प्राणेश्वरु । तुझे ममत्व केवी विसरू । लोकासमान नव्हसी नरु । प्रतिपाळिले प्रीतिभावे ॥११॥
tū mājhā prāṇeśvaru | tujhe mamatva kevī visarū | lokāsamāna navhasī naru | pratipāḷile prītibhāve ||11||
You are my life's lord; how could I ever forget your tenderness? You were no ordinary man to me — you cherished me with true love.
She returns to affirming the uniqueness of their bond, resisting any comparison that would make her loss seem ordinary or replaceable.
Hold onto the specific, irreplaceable qualities of someone you have loved rather than letting memory blur into generality.
कधी नेणे पृथक्शयन । वामहस्त-उसेवीण । फुटतसे अंतःकरण । केवी वाचो प्राणेश्वरा ॥१२॥
kadhī neṇe pṛthakśayana | vāmahasta-usevīṇa | phuṭatase amtaḥkaraṇa | kevī vāco prāṇeśvarā ||12||
Never once did we sleep apart, without your left arm as my pillow; my heart is breaking — how shall I live, my beloved?
A tender, intimate detail — sleeping with his arm as her pillow — grounds her grief in the ordinary closeness now permanently lost.
Let the small, everyday intimacies you shared with someone be honored in your grief, not only the large milestones.
किती आठवू तुझे गुण । पति नव्हसी माझा प्राण । सोडोनि जातोसि निर्वाण । कवणेपरी वाचू मी ॥१३॥
kitī āṭhavū tujhe guṇa | pati navhasī mājhā prāṇa | soḍoni jātosi nirvāṇa | kavaṇeparī vācū mī ||13||
How many of your virtues shall I recall? You were not merely my husband but my very breath; departing forever, how shall I live?
Her grief circles back again to identity — his life and hers were experienced as one, and his death leaves her uncertain how to continue as herself.
Give yourself time to rediscover your own identity after losing someone whose life felt inseparable from yours.
आता कवण थार्य जाणे । कवण घेतील मज पोसणे । ’बालविधवा’ म्हणोनि जन । निंदापवाद ठेविती ॥१४॥
ātā kavaṇa thārya jāṇe | kavaṇa ghetīla maja posaṇe | ’bālavidhavā’ mhaṇoni jana | nimdāpavāda ṭhevitī ||14||
Where shall I now find shelter? Who will take on my care? People will call me a 'child-widow' and hold me up to scorn.
She names the specific social stigma — bālavidhavā, child-widow — that awaited young widows in this tradition, a real historical fear.
Recognize and resist unjust social stigma directed at people simply for the grief or misfortune life has handed them.
एकही बुद्धि मज न सांगता । त्यजिला आत्मा प्राणनाथा । कोठे जावे आपण आता । केशवपन करूनि ॥१५॥
ekahī buddhi maja na sāmgatā | tyajilā ātmā prāṇanāthā | koṭhe jāve āpaṇa ātā | keśavapana karūni ||15||
Without telling me even one word of counsel, my life's lord has departed his body; where shall I go now, my hair to be shorn?
She anticipates the ritual head-shaving imposed on widows in this era — grief anticipating the visible, public marking of her new status.
Be aware of how loss can carry forced visible changes to a person's identity, and offer particular compassion for that burden.
तुझे प्रेम होते भरल्ये । मातापितयाते विसरल्ये । त्यांचे घरा नाही गेल्ये । बोलावनी नित्य येती ॥१६॥
tujhe prema hote bharalye | mātāpitayāte visaralye | tyāmce gharā nāhī gelye | bolāvanī nitya yetī ||16||
So filled was I with your love that I forgot my own parents; I never went to their home, though invitations came constantly.
She recalls how completely marriage absorbed her attention away from her birth family — a devotion now leaving her without an easy place to return to.
Maintain some connection with your birth family even amid deep devotion to a spouse, so you are not left without support if tragedy strikes.
केवी जाऊ त्यांच्या घरा । उपेक्षितील प्राणेश्वरा । दैन्यवृत्ती दातारा । चित्तवृत्ति केवी धरू ॥१७॥
kevī jāū tyāmcyā gharā | upekṣitīla prāṇeśvarā | dainyavṛttī dātārā | cittavṛtti kevī dharū ||17||
How can I go now to their home? They will surely reject me, generous lord; how shall I bear such a state of destitution in my heart?
She fears rejection even from her own birth family now that she is widowed, a further layer of the social precarity she anticipates.
Extend welcome, not rejection, to family members who return to you in hardship, regardless of circumstance.
जववरी होतासी तू छत्र । सर्वा ठायी मी पवित्र । मानिती सकळ इष्टमित्र । आता निंदा करतील ॥१८॥
javavarī hotāsī tū chatra | sarvā ṭhāyī mī pavitra | mānitī sakaḷa iṣṭamitra | ātā nimdā karatīla ||18||
As long as you were my shelter, I was honored as pure everywhere; all my friends and kin respected me — now they will only scorn me.
She grieves the loss of social standing itself, not only the emotional bond — being a wife conferred protection and honor that widowhood, in this world, strips away.
Value people for who they are, not merely for the social status attached to their circumstances — and offer that same respect to those who have lost status through no fault of their own.
सासूश्वशुरापाशी जाणे । मज देखता त्याही मरणे । गृह जहाले अरण्य । तुम्हाविणे प्राणेश्वरा ॥१९॥
sāsūśvaśurāpāśī jāṇe | maja dekhatā tyāhī maraṇe | gṛha jahāle araṇya | tumhāviṇe prāṇeśvarā ||19||
If I go to my parents-in-law, seeing me will only kill them too; without you, my beloved, our home has become a wilderness.
She sees her very presence as potentially devastating to her grieving in-laws, and describes home itself as transformed into a desolate wilderness by his absence.
Understand that a beloved place can feel utterly changed by the absence of one person — give yourself permission to grieve that change too.
घेवोनि आल्ये आरोग्यासी । येथे ठेवूनि तुम्हांसी । केवी जाऊ घरासी । राक्षसी मी पापीण ॥१२०॥
ghevoni ālye ārogyāsī | yethe ṭhevūni tumhāmsī | kevī jāū gharāsī | rākṣasī mī pāpīṇa ||120||
I brought you here hoping for your health, and now I must leave you here — how can I go home? I am a demoness, a sinner.
She names the bitter irony of the very journey meant to save him becoming the place of his death, and once more turns that irony into self-blame.
Separate the outcome of an effort made in good faith from your own worth — a good intention does not deserve blame when the result goes wrong.
ऐसे नानापरी ते नारी । दुःख करी अपरांपरी । इतुके होता अवसरी । आला तेथे सिद्ध एक ॥२१॥
aise nānāparī te nārī | duḥkha karī aparāmparī | ituke hotā avasarī | ālā tethe siddha eka ||21||
Thus in countless ways the woman grieved; and at that very moment, a Siddha, a realized ascetic, arrived there.
At the peak of her lamentation, a wandering sage appears — the narrative's turn from unrelieved grief toward teaching and consolation begins here.
Stay open to unexpected wisdom or help arriving precisely at your lowest moment.
भस्मांकित जटाधारी । रुद्राक्षमाळाभूषण-अळंकारी । त्रिशूळ धरिला असे करी । येऊनि जवळी उभा ठेला ॥२२॥
bhasmāmkita jaṭādhārī | rudrākṣamāḷābhūṣaṇa-aḷamkārī | triśūḷa dharilā ase karī | yeūni javaḷī ubhā ṭhelā ||22||
Smeared with ash, his hair matted, adorned with a rosary of rudrākṣa beads, holding a trident in his hand, he came and stood close by.
The ascetic's appearance — ash, matted hair, rudrākṣa, trident — marks him as a Śaiva yogi, a wandering figure of renunciation who arrives to counsel her.
Be willing to receive wisdom from unexpected or unconventional-looking sources, not only from familiar faces.
संभाषीतसे तया वेळी । का वो प्रलापिसी स्थूळी । जैसे लिहिले कपाळी । तयापरी होतसे ॥२३॥
sambhāṣītase tayā veḷī | kā vo pralāpisī sthūḷī | jaise lihile kapāḷī | tayāparī hotase ||23||
He spoke to her at that moment: 'Why do you lament so, foolish woman? Whatever is written on the forehead comes to pass exactly so.'
He gently but bluntly names her mourning as pralāpa (raving) and offers the doctrine of destiny — what is written — as the first word of counsel.
Accept blunt but caring counsel from someone wiser, even when it interrupts your grief mid-flow.
पूर्वजन्मीचे तपफळ । भोगणे आपण हे अढळ । वाया रडसी निर्फळ । शोक आता करू नको ॥२४॥
pūrvajanmīce tapaphaḷa | bhogaṇe āpaṇa he aḍhaḷa | vāyā raḍasī nirphaḷa | śoka ātā karū nako ||24||
This is the unavoidable fruit of your past-life austerities that you must undergo; you weep in vain and fruitlessly — do not grieve now.
He reiterates the karma teaching plainly: this suffering is the ripened fruit of past deeds, and grief itself changes nothing about it.
Once a loss is truly beyond changing, redirect your energy from grief toward what can still be shaped — your own response and future.
दिवस आठ जरी तू रडसी । न ये प्राण प्रेतासी । जैसे लिहिले ललाटेसी । तयापरी घडेल जाण ॥२५॥
divasa āṭha jarī tū raḍasī | na ye prāṇa pretāsī | jaise lihile lalāṭesī | tayāparī ghaḍela jāṇa ||25||
Even if you weep for eight days, life will not return to the corpse; know that whatever is written on the forehead will come to pass.
A stark, practical observation: weeping cannot reverse death, however long it continues — grief must eventually turn toward acceptance.
Recognize the point where continued mourning no longer serves you or the one you have lost, and gently begin to turn toward life again.
मूढपणे दुःख करिसी । समस्ता मरण तू जाणसी । कवण वाचला असे धरित्रीसी । सांग आम्हा म्हणतसे ॥२६॥
mūḍhapaṇe duḥkha karisī | samastā maraṇa tū jāṇasī | kavaṇa vācalā ase dharitrīsī | sāmga āmhā mhaṇatase ||26||
Foolishly you grieve; yet you know that all must die. Tell me — who on this earth has ever escaped death?
He asks a rhetorical question that reframes her grief within the universal fact of mortality — no one is exempt, including her.
Let the universal fact of mortality soften a grief that feels uniquely unfair, without minimizing your particular loss.
आपुला म्हणसी प्राणेश्वरु । कोठे उपजला तो नरु । तुझा जन्म झाला येरु । कवण तुझी मातापिता ॥२७॥
āpulā mhaṇasī prāṇeśvaru | koṭhe upajalā to naru | tujhā janma jhālā yeru | kavaṇa tujhī mātāpitā ||27||
You call him 'your own,' this man — but where was he born from, and who was he? Who were your own parents, truly?
He probes the very notion of 'ownership' in relationships, questioning the assumption of possession that underlies her grief.
Examine the difference between loving someone and believing you 'own' them — love can remain even when possession was always an illusion.
पूर येता गंगेत । नानापरीची काष्ठे वाहत । येऊनि एके ठायी मिळत । फाकती आणिक चहूकडे ॥२८॥
pūra yetā gamgeta | nānāparīcī kāṣṭhe vāhata | yeūni eke ṭhāyī miḷata | phākatī āṇika cahūkaḍe ||28||
When the Ganges floods, logs of many kinds are swept along; they come together in one place for a while, and then scatter again in every direction.
The image of floating logs meeting and parting on a flooded river illustrates how relationships form temporarily within the flow of life, then separate.
Treasure relationships fully during the time you share, understanding that all such meetings are, by nature, temporary.
पाहे पा एका वृक्षावरी । येती पक्षी अपरांपरी । क्रमोनि प्रहर चारी । जाती मागुती चहूकडे ॥२९॥
pāhe pā ekā vṛkṣāvarī | yetī pakṣī aparāmparī | kramoni prahara cārī | jātī māgutī cahūkaḍe ||29||
See how, upon a single tree, countless birds gather; after the day's watches pass, they fly off again in every direction.
A second image, birds gathering on a tree only to disperse, reinforces the teaching that all gatherings — even families — are temporary by nature.
Enjoy the gathering of loved ones fully in its season, knowing that every gathering eventually disperses.
तैसा हा संसार जाण नारी । कवण वाचला असे स्थिरी । मायामोहे कलत्रपुत्री । पति म्हणसी आपुला ॥१३०॥
taisā hā samsāra jāṇa nārī | kavaṇa vācalā ase sthirī | māyāmohe kalatraputrī | pati mhaṇasī āpulā ||130||
So too is this worldly life, O woman — who has ever remained fixed and unchanging in it? Through illusion and attachment you call this man 'your husband,' this child 'your own.'
He names māyāmoha (illusion born of attachment) as the root of her suffering — not that love is wrong, but that mistaking it for permanent possession causes anguish.
Love fully while accepting that no relationship in this life was ever guaranteed to be permanent.
गंगेमध्ये जैसा फेन । तेणेपरी देह जाण । स्थिर नोहे याचि कारण । शोक वृथा करू नको ॥३१॥
gamgemadhye jaisā phena | teṇeparī deha jāṇa | sthira nohe yāci kāraṇa | śoka vṛthā karū nako ||31||
Just as foam forms in the Ganges and vanishes, so too is the body — know it is never lasting; for this reason, do not grieve in vain.
The image of river-foam captures the body's inherent impermanence — grief over its dissolution is, in this teaching, grief over something never meant to be permanent.
Remember that bodies, including your own, are naturally impermanent, and let that truth soften rather than paralyze your grief.
पंचभूतात्मक देह । तत्संबंधी गुण पाहे । आपुले कर्म कैसे आहे । तैसा गुण उद्भवे ॥३२॥
pamcabhūtātmaka deha | tatsambamdhī guṇa pāhe | āpule karma kaise āhe | taisā guṇa udbhave ||32||
The body is made of the five elements; observe the qualities bound to it. Whatever one's karma is, such qualities arise accordingly.
He introduces the philosophical basis: the body is composite, made of five elements, and its fate follows the pattern of one's karma.
Take responsibility for your actions, understanding that patterns of cause and effect shape the course of a life.
गुणानुबंधे कर्मे घडती । कर्मासारिखी दुःख-प्राप्ति । मायामोहाचिया रीती । मायामयसंबंधे ॥३३॥
guṇānubamdhe karme ghaḍatī | karmāsārikhī duḥkha-prāpti | māyāmohāciyā rītī | māyāmayasambamdhe ||33||
Actions arise bound to one's qualities; suffering comes in proportion to one's actions — such is the way of illusion, bound within illusion's own web.
He builds the chain of causation: qualities (guṇa) produce actions (karma), and actions determine suffering — all operating within the web of māyā.
Notice how your habitual tendencies shape the actions that in turn shape your circumstances, and work to improve them at the root.
मायासंबंधे मायागुण । उपजे सत्त्व-रज-तमोगुण । येणेचि तीन्हि देह जाण । त्रिगुणात्मक देह हा ॥३४॥
māyāsambamdhe māyāguṇa | upaje sattva-raja-tamoguṇa | yeṇeci tīnhi deha jāṇa | triguṇātmaka deha hā ||34||
From connection with illusion arise illusion's qualities — sattva, rajas, and tamas (purity, passion, and inertia) — and from these the three bodies; know this body is made of the three guṇas.
He explains the classical framework of the three guṇas underlying all embodied existence — a teaching meant to lift her grief into a wider philosophical view.
Notice which of your own tendencies — clarity, restless drive, or inertia — is dominating your response to hardship, and work to cultivate clarity.
हा संसार वर्तमान । समस्त कर्माचे अधीन । सुखदुःख आपुले गुण । भोगिजे आपुले आर्जव ॥३५॥
hā samsāra vartamāna | samasta karmāce adhīna | sukhaduḥkha āpule guṇa | bhogije āpule ārjava ||35||
This present world is entirely subject to karma; each person experiences joy and sorrow according to their own accumulated deeds.
He states plainly that joy and sorrow both are the fruit of one's own prior deeds, not random or externally imposed.
When facing hardship, look honestly at your own patterns and choices, without excessive blame or excuse, and work to improve them going forward.
कल्पकोटी दिवसवरी । देवास आयुष्य आहे जरी । त्यासी काळ न चुके सरी । मनुष्याचा कवण पाड ॥३६॥
kalpakoṭī divasavarī | devāsa āyuṣya āhe jarī | tyāsī kāḷa na cuke sarī | manuṣyācā kavaṇa pāḍa ||36||
Even if a god's lifespan lasts for millions upon millions of days, time does not spare even him — what then is the measure of a mere human?
Even the gods, with unimaginably long lives, cannot escape time — a comparison meant to put human mortality into humbling perspective.
Do not measure your worries about mortality against impossible standards — accept limits as part of every form of life, however exalted.
काळ समस्तांसी कारण । कर्माधीन देह-गुण । स्थिर कल्पिता साधारण । पंचभूत देहासी ॥३७॥
kāḷa samastāmsī kāraṇa | karmādhīna deha-guṇa | sthira kalpitā sādhāraṇa | pamcabhūta dehāsī ||37||
Time is the cause behind all things; the body's qualities are subject to karma. Even what seems ordinarily stable is really just the five-element body.
He reiterates that apparent stability is illusory — even a healthy body is only a temporary configuration of the five elements, governed by time and karma.
Do not mistake the stability of health or circumstance for permanence — use stable seasons wisely, since they too will change.
काळ-कर्म-गुणाधीन । पंचभूतात्मक देह जाण । उपजता संतोष नको मना । मेलिया दुःख न करावे ॥३८॥
kāḷa-karma-guṇādhīna | pamcabhūtātmaka deha jāṇa | upajatā samtoṣa nako manā | meliyā duḥkha na karāve ||38||
The five-elemental body is subject to time, karma, and the guṇas; do not rejoice greatly at birth, nor grieve at death.
He offers the balanced teaching that both extremes — joy at birth and grief at death — are, from the highest view, disproportionate to the body's true, temporary nature.
Practice steadiness at both life's happy and sad milestones, rather than being swept entirely by either.
जधी गर्भ होता नरु । जाणिजे नश्य म्हणोनि प्रख्यात थोरु । त्याचे जैसे गुणकर्म-विवरु । तैसे मरण जन्म परियेसा ॥३९॥
jadhī garbha hotā naru | jāṇije naśya mhaṇoni prakhyāta thoru | tyāce jaise guṇakarma-vivaru | taise maraṇa janma pariyesā ||39||
From the very moment a man is conceived in the womb, know him to be perishable — famously so; as are one's qualities and deeds, so too are one's birth and death.
He states that mortality begins at conception itself, and that the specific character of a life's birth and death mirrors that person's guṇa and karma.
Live each day mindful that mortality begins the moment life begins, and let that awareness deepen how you use your time.
कोणा मृत्यु पूर्ववयसी । कवणा मृत्यु वृद्धाप्येसी । जैसे आर्जव असे ज्यासी । तयापरी घडे जाणा ॥१४०॥
koṇā mṛtyu pūrvavayasī | kavaṇā mṛtyu vṛddhāpyesī | jaise ārjava ase jyāsī | tayāparī ghaḍe jāṇā ||140||
One dies in early youth, another in old age; know that death comes to each according to their own accumulated deeds.
He directly addresses the seeming unfairness of an early death — it is not random but is patterned by prior accumulated deeds.
When someone dies young, resist concluding their life had less value — its timing follows a pattern deeper than we can see.
पूर्वजन्मार्जवासरसी । भोगणे होय सुखदुःखअंशी । कलत्र-पुत्र-पति हर्षी । पापपुण्यांशे जाणा ॥४१॥
pūrvajanmārjavāsarasī | bhogaṇe hoya sukhaduḥkhaamśī | kalatra-putra-pati harṣī | pāpapuṇyāmśe jāṇā ||41||
According to the deeds accumulated in past births, one experiences one's share of joy and sorrow; joy in spouse, children, and husband comes by shares of sin and merit.
Even the specific joys of family life — a good spouse, children — are understood here as apportioned by one's accumulated karma.
Receive the joys of family life as gifts you have been given, cultivating gratitude rather than assuming they are simply owed to you.
आयुष्य सुखदुःख जाणा । समस्त पापवश्य-पुण्य । ललाटी लिहिले असे ब्रह्माने । अढळ जाण विद्वज्जना ॥४२॥
āyuṣya sukhaduḥkha jāṇā | samasta pāpavaśya-puṇya | lalāṭī lihile ase brahmāne | aḍhaḷa jāṇa vidvajjanā ||42||
Know that lifespan, joy, and sorrow are all subject to sin and merit; Brahmā has written it upon the forehead — know this to be unalterable, O wise ones.
The doctrine of destiny 'written on the forehead' by Brahmā is restated as fixed and unchangeable — the philosophical bedrock of his consolation.
Accept the parts of your fate that are truly fixed with grace, while still acting responsibly in the parts still open to your effort.
एखादे समयी कर्मासी । लंघिजेल पुण्यवशी । देवदानवमनुष्यांसी । काळ न चुके भरवसे ॥४३॥
ekhāde samayī karmāsī | lamghijela puṇyavaśī | devadānavamanuṣyāmsī | kāḷa na cuke bharavase ||43||
At times, through the power of great merit, even fate may be overstepped — yet be assured, time never fails to claim gods, demons, and humans alike.
He allows one exception — great merit can occasionally bend destiny — before restating firmly that death ultimately claims every being without exception.
Work hard and live virtuously, since merit can sometimes shift outcomes — but do not expect it to grant you exemption from mortality itself.
संसार म्हणजे स्वप्नापरी । इंद्रजाल-गारुडीसरी । मिथ्या जाण तयापरी । दुःख आपण करू नये ॥४४॥
samsāra mhaṇaje svapnāparī | imdrajāla-gāruḍīsarī | mithyā jāṇa tayāparī | duḥkha āpaṇa karū naye ||44||
This worldly life is like a dream, like a magician's illusion; know it to be as unreal as that — do not grieve over it.
He names worldly life outright as illusory, like a dream or a conjurer's trick — the philosophical high point of his consolation.
Hold worldly attachments a little more lightly, remembering how quickly circumstances can shift and dissolve like a dream.
शतसहस्त्रकोटि जन्मी । तू कवणाची कोण होतीस गृहिणी । वाया दुःख करिसी झणी । मूर्खपणेकरूनिया ॥४५॥
śatasahastrakoṭi janmī | tū kavaṇācī koṇa hotīsa gṛhiṇī | vāyā duḥkha karisī jhaṇī | mūrkhapaṇekarūniyā ||45||
Across hundreds of thousands of millions of births, whose wife have you been, and to whom? Do not grieve so foolishly, in vain.
He widens her single loss into the vast context of countless past lives and relationships, relativizing this particular grief within an immense cosmic frame.
When a loss feels all-consuming, try briefly widening your view to the larger arc of your whole life, for perspective, without dismissing the pain.
पंचभूतात्मक शरीर । त्वचा मांस शिरा रुधिर । मेद मज्जा अस्थि नर । विष्ठा-मूत्र-श्र्लेष्मसंबंधी ॥४६॥
pamcabhūtātmaka śarīra | tvacā māmsa śirā rudhira | meda majjā asthi nara | viṣṭhā-mūtra-śrleṣmasambamdhī ||46||
The body is made of five elements: skin, flesh, veins, blood, fat, marrow, bone; O man, it is bound up with excrement, urine, and phlegm.
He describes the body's physical composition in unflattering, clinical terms — a classic renunciate meditation meant to loosen attachment to physical form.
Care for your body as a practical vessel for a good life, without over-identifying with its appearance or permanence.
ऐशा शरीरअघोरात । पाहता काय असे स्वार्थ । मल मूत्र भरले रक्त । तयाकारणे शोक का करिसी ॥४७॥
aiśā śarīraaghorāta | pāhatā kāya ase svārtha | mala mūtra bharale rakta | tayākāraṇe śoka kā karisī ||47||
Looking honestly at this dreadful body — filled with waste, urine, and blood — what real worth does it hold? Why then do you grieve so much for its sake?
He pushes the meditation further, questioning why such attachment to a body of mixed elements should cause such extreme grief.
Separate your love for a person's spirit and character from attachment to their physical form alone.
विचार पाहे पुढे आपुला । कोणेपरी मार्ग असे भला । संसारसागर पाहिजे तरला । तैसा मार्ग पाहे बाळे ॥४८॥
vicāra pāhe puḍhe āpulā | koṇeparī mārga ase bhalā | samsārasāgara pāhije taralā | taisā mārga pāhe bāḷe ||48||
Consider your own path ahead; find what good way lies before you; you must cross the ocean of worldly life — seek that path, child.
Having deconstructed her grief, he now turns her toward the constructive question: what path forward will actually free her from suffering?
After processing grief, actively look for the next good, constructive step forward rather than remaining fixed in mourning.
येणेपरी तियेसी । बोधिता झाला तापसी । ज्ञान झाले तियेसी । सांडी शोक तयावेळी ॥४९॥
yeṇeparī tiyesī | bodhitā jhālā tāpasī | jñāna jhāle tiyesī | sāmḍī śoka tayāveḷī ||49||
In this way the ascetic instructed her; understanding dawned in her, and at that moment she set aside her grief.
His teaching achieves its purpose — understanding arises in her, and grief, while surely still felt, is no longer what governs her.
Trust that real understanding, given time and good counsel, can genuinely lighten even the heaviest grief.
कर जोडोनि तये वेळी । माथा ठेविनि चरणकमळी । विनवीतसे करुनाबहाळी । उद्धरी स्वामी म्हणोनिया ॥१५०॥
kara joḍoni taye veḷī | māthā ṭhevini caraṇakamaḷī | vinavītase karunābahāḷī | uddharī svāmī mhaṇoniyā ||150||
At that moment, joining her hands, she placed her head at his feet and pleaded, full of a plea for compassion: 'Save me, my lord.'
She turns from mourning to seeking guidance, echoing the posture of Namdharak at the chapter's very start — surrender at the feet of a teacher.
When ready to move forward from grief, formally seek guidance from someone wise rather than trying to find your own way alone.
कवण मार्ग आपणासी । जैसा स्वामी निरोप देसी । जनक जननी तू आम्हासी । तारी तारी म्हणतसे ॥५१॥
kavaṇa mārga āpaṇāsī | jaisā svāmī niropa desī | janaka jananī tū āmhāsī | tārī tārī mhaṇatase ||51||
'What path is there for me? Whatever counsel you, my lord, give me I shall follow; you are father and mother to me — save me, save me,' she said.
She addresses the ascetic as parent, transferring her trust fully onto this new teacher — a sign of complete surrender to guidance.
Be willing to place real trust in a wise guide when your own former certainties have failed you.
कवणेपरी तरेन आपण । हा संसार भवार्ण । तुझा निरोप करीन । म्हणोनि चरणा लागली ॥५२॥
kavaṇeparī tarena āpaṇa | hā samsāra bhavārṇa | tujhā niropa karīna | mhaṇoni caraṇā lāgalī ||52||
'How shall I cross this ocean of worldly existence? I will follow whatever you instruct me,' she said, falling at his feet.
Her question — how to cross the ocean of worldly existence — echoes Namdharak's opening praise of the guru as tāraka, tying the chapter back to its beginning.
When you commit to following wise guidance, follow through with real practice, not just the initial request for help.
ऐकोनि तियेचे वचन । सांगे योगी प्रसन्नवदन । बोलतसे विस्तारून । आचरण स्त्रियांचे ॥५३॥
aikoni tiyece vacana | sāmge yogī prasannavadana | bolatase vistārūna | ācaraṇa striyāmce ||53||
Hearing her words, the yogi, his face serene, spoke at length, teaching her the proper conduct for women.
The chapter closes with the ascetic beginning to teach her a fuller code of conduct, setting up the content of the following chapter.
When you receive wise counsel, be ready to hear practical guidance for how to actually live it out, not only comforting ideas.
म्हणोनि सरस्वती गंगाधर । सांगे गुरुचरित्रविस्तार । ऐकता समस्त पाप दूर । सकळाभीष्टे साधती ॥१५४॥
mhaṇoni sarasvatī gamgādhara | sāmge gurucaritravistāra | aikatā samasta pāpa dūra | sakaḷābhīṣṭe sādhatī ||154||
So Sarasvatī Gaṅgādhara narrates this expansive Guru-story; hearing it, all sin is removed, and every wish is fulfilled.
The author names himself and states the traditional fruit of hearing this Guru-charitra — purification and fulfillment for the listener.
Let hearing a true and difficult story purify your own heart, not just entertain you.
इति श्रीगुरुचरित्रामृते परमकथाकल्पतरौ श्रीनृसिंहसरस्वत्युपाख्याने सिद्धनामधारकसंवादे प्रेतांगनाशोको नाम त्रिंशत्तमोऽध्यायः ॥३०॥
iti śrīgurucaritrāmṛte paramakathākalpatarau śrīnṛsimhasarasvatyupākhyāne siddhanāmadhārakasamvāde pretāmganāśoko nāma trimśattamo'dhyāyaḥ ||30||
Thus, in the nectar-story of Śrī Gurucharitra, the wish-fulfilling tree of supreme tales, in the dialogue of Siddha and Nāmadhāraka concerning the legend of Śrī Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī, ends the thirtieth chapter, named 'The Grief of the Widow.'
The traditional Sanskrit colophon names this chapter pretāṅganāśoka — the grief of the widowed woman — formally closing the tale of loss and consolation just told.
Give a name to a difficult chapter of your own life once it closes, so its meaning is not lost to memory.
श्रीगुरुदत्तात्रेयार्पणमस्तु ॥ श्रीगुरुदेव दत्त ॥
śrīgurudattātreyārpaṇamastu || śrīgurudeva datta ||
May this be offered to Śrī Guru Dattātreya. Śrī Gurudeva Datta.
The traditional dedication offers the whole telling back to the divine Guru — the closing act of any recitation in this tradition.
Dedicate the effort of any meaningful work you complete to a purpose or source larger than yourself.
(ओवीसंख्या १५४)
(ovīsamkhyā 154)
(Verse count: 154)
A scribal note recording the traditional count of ovīs (verses) in this chapter — a bookkeeping detail from the manuscript tradition.
Keep careful, honest records of completed work, however small the task may seem.