Abhanga 178

English: Gathering all the gopāls, they make some plan.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A gopa-conspiracy abhang — Krishna leading the gopa-band on a butter-raid. The structural movements:

1. मेळउनि — gathering. The first move is band-formation. No solo-raid.
2. विचार — plan. Group-deliberation.
3. वेळ लावियेला अझुणी, एकाकरितां गडे हो — the delay is for one comrade still. The band waits for the missing one. No one is left behind.
4. वाट काढिली गोविंदीं — Govind cuts the path. The one who finds the way is Krishna himself; the gopas follow.
5. अवघा चि वावरे — कळों नेदी कोणा फिरे — wanders everywhere; doesn't let anyone know who turns. Krishna's covert mobility — to outsiders, no specific gopa is identifiable.
6. नवविधा-नवनीता — the nine-fold butter. Navavidhā in bhakti vocabulary is the nine-fold bhakti (śravaṇa, kīrtana, smaraṇa, pādasevana, archana, vandana, dāsya, sakhya, ātma-nivedana). The butter is the cream of these nine practices. The raid is on nine-fold-bhakti-butter.
7. रिघे आपण भीतरी — goes inside himself. The raid is internal; the actual entry is into one's own bhīta (interior).
8. बोलों नेदी म्हणे स्थिर — खुणा दावी — doesn't let speak; says be still; shows signs. The covert-act requires silence; communication is by signs. खा रे क्षीर — drink the milk — the imperative is silent.

The closing image is striking: the covert raid on the nine-fold-butter happens in silence-with-signs. [T]

For someone today

This abhang names the covert-with-Krishna register. There are bhakti-experiences that require not-being-talked-about. Three principles:

1. Band-formation first. Don't try this solo. Gather the comrades.
2. Wait for the missing one. एकाकरितां वेळ. No one left behind.
3. Cut the path with Govind. Krishna leads; you follow. Don't try to lead the raid yourself.
4. The butter is navavidha-navanīta* — nine-fold-bhakti-cream. The target is not* ordinary delight; it is the cream of the nine-fold practice.
5. The actual entry is bhīta-īn-going* — into the interior.* External imitation does not work.
6. Silence with signs. Don't talk about this; signal-with-the-eye, drink-the-milk.

For today: when you are inside a real shared bhakti-moment with comrades, shut up, signal with eyes, drink the cream. Verbal-discussion during the moment leaks the cream.

मराठी: ही ओवी covert-with-Krishna register नाव सांगते. काही bhakti-अनुभव असे आहेत ज्यांना बोलून-न-दाखवणं लागतं. तीन तत्त्वं:

1. Band-formation आधी. Solo प्रयत्न नाही. गडे गोळा करा.
2. Missing comrade ची वाट पाहा. एकाकरितां वेळ. कुणीही मागे राहू नये.
3. Govind सोबत वाट काढा. कृष्ण नेतृत्व करतो; तुम्ही मागे. raid स्वतः लीड करायला जाऊ नका.
4. लोणी नवविधा-नवनीत* — नऊ-पट bhakti चं cream. Target ordinary delight नाही — नऊ-पट practice चं cream*.
5. Actual entry भीता-मध्ये जाणं* — interior मध्ये.* External imitation काम करत नाही.
6. Signs सह silence. बद्दल बोलू नका; डोळ्याने signal — क्षीर प्या.

आज: real shared bhakti-moment मध्ये गड्यांसह असाल — बोलू नका, डोळ्याने signal द्या, cream प्या. क्षणादरम्यान verbal-discussion cream leak करतं.

Where this applies

• Covert-with-Krishna moment. Silence with signs.
• Band wandering, no one identifiable. Krishna leads; gopas follow.
• Nine-fold-butter is the target. Navavidha-navanīta.

Related verses

• Abhanga 166 — This abhang names the equity-property of real grace. If you have been worried that the bha
• Abhanga 2481
• Abhanga 4481
• Abhanga 4482