Abhanga 194
This abhang names the technique of the vāḷavaṇṭa-festival:
The verse
त्रिगुणांचे फेरी थोर कष्टी होसी । या चौघांसी तरी धरीं सोई रे ॥१॥ तेणें चि खेळें बसवंत होसी । ऐसें सत्य जाणें माझ्या भाई रे ॥ध्रु.॥ तेणें सतत फड जागविला रे । एक घाई खेळतां तो न चुके चि कोठें । तया संत जन मानवले रे ॥२॥ आपण भोंवतीं नाचती रे । सकळिकां मिळोनि एकी च घाई । त्याच्या ब्रम्हादिक लागती पायीं रे ॥३॥ तेथें नाद बरवा उमटला रे । ब्रम्हादिक सुरवर मिळोनियां त्यांनीं । तो ही खेळ निवडिला रे ॥४॥ तेणें वैष्णवांचा मेळ मेळविला रे । एक चि घाई खेळतां खेळतो । आपणचि बसवंत जाला रे ॥५॥ पुढिलांची धरूनियां सोई रे । एक चि घाई खेळतां जो चुकला । तो पडेल संसारडाई रे ॥६॥
Literal translation
English: In the triguṇa rounds, you suffer greatly. Hold to the four — find the way. With that play, you become basavanta (seated-lord). Know this as truth, my brother. With that, the assembly is constantly kept awake; playing one ghāī, he never misses anywhere; the saint-folk approved of him. He himself dances around (others); all together — one ghāī; even Brahmā etc. fall at his feet. There the good nāda emerged; Brahmā etc. and the suras together — they too sorted out the play. He gathered the vaiṣṇavas' band; playing one ghāī, he plays — became basavanta himself. Holding the previous-arrangement (the way of the predecessors) — playing the one ghāī — whoever missed — falls into samsāra-ḍāī.
मराठी: त्रिगुणांच्या फेरी थोर कष्टी होशी. या चौघांसी — सोय धर रे! त्याच खेळाने बसवंत होशी — हे सत्य जाण माझ्या भाई. त्याने सतत फड जागविला; एक घाई खेळतां तो न चुके चि कोठें — संत जन मानवले. आपण भोवती नाचतो; सकळिकां मिळोनि एकी च घाई; ब्रम्हादिक त्याच्या पायी लागतात. तिथे नाद बरवा उमटला; ब्रम्हादिक-सुरवर मिळून — खेळ निवडिला. त्याने वैष्णवांचा मेळ मेळवला; एक चि घाई खेळतां खेळतो — आपणच बसवंत झाला. पुढिलांची सोय धरूनिया — एक चि घाई खेळतां — जो चुकला — तो संसार-डाईत पडेल.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| त्रिगुणांचे फेरी थोर कष्टी होसी | "in the triguṇa (sattva-rajas-tamas) rounds, you suffer greatly" |
| या चौघांसी तरी धरीं सोई | "hold to the four (chatur — the four-fold) — find the way" |
| तेणें चि खेळें बसवंत होसी | "with that play, you become basavanta (the seated-lord)" |
| तेणें सतत फड जागविला | "with that, the phaḍa (assembly / gathering) is constantly kept awake" |
| एक घाई खेळतां तो न चुके चि कोठें | "playing one ghāī (rhythm-clamor), he never misses anywhere" |
| तया संत जन मानवले | "the saint-folk approved of him" |
| सकळिकां मिळोनि एकी च घाई | "all together — one ghāī" |
| ब्रम्हादिक लागती पायीं | "even Brahmā etc. fall at (his) feet" |
| नाद बरवा उमटला | "the good nāda emerged" |
| वैष्णवांचा मेळ मेळविला | "(he) gathered the vaiṣṇavas' band" |
| एक चि घाई खेळतां खेळतो | "playing one ghāī — he plays" |
| आपणचि बसवंत जाला | "(he) himself became basavanta" |
| पुढिलांची धरूनियां सोई | "holding the pudhilā-soya (the previous-arrangement / way of the predecessors)" |
| एक चि घाई खेळतां जो चुकला | "playing one ghāī — whoever missed" |
| तो पडेल संसारडाई | "(he) will fall into samsāra-ḍāī (the trap of worldly-becoming)" |
What it means
A continuation of 193's vāḷavaṇṭa-festival, with the technique-instruction register. Where 193 described the festival, 194 names the internal-discipline of the dance:
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त्रिगुणांचे फेरी थोर कष्टी होसी — the triguṇa-rounds make you suffer greatly. The triguṇa (sattva-rajas-tamas) cycle is where ordinary-life suffers. The dance of the festival offers an exit.
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या चौघांसी धरीं सोई — hold to the four. The four refers to the cātur-vidha bhakti / cātur-puruṣārtha / or in this context likely sat-chit-ānanda + ekatā (existence-consciousness-bliss-unity), the para-prakṛti states beyond the triguṇa. The exit-from-triguna is holding-the-four.
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बसवंत होसी — you become basavanta. Basavanta is the seated-lord — one who has reached the seat. The dance, properly done, seats you.
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एक घाई खेळतां तो न चुके चि कोठें — playing one ghāī, he never misses anywhere. The ghāī (rhythm-clamor / single-beat) is the unitary rhythm of the festival. The good player maintains one rhythm — does not break, does not falter, does not let attention slip. न चुके चि कोठें — misses nowhere — the fidelity-to-rhythm is total.
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सकळिकां मिळोनि एकी च घाई — all together — one ghāī. The structural-claim about kīrtana: many bodies, one rhythm. The one-ghāī across many is what makes the festival a single-event.
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पुढिलांची धरूनियां सोई — जो चुकला — तो पडेल संसारडाई — holding the previous-arrangement (the way of the predecessors); whoever missed (the one-ghāī) — falls into samsāra-ḍāī. The predecessors' way (the paramparā, the lineage-arrangement) is the one-ghāī. Missing the rhythm is falling into samsāra-ḍāī — the trap of worldly-becoming. The festival is the way out; missing-the-rhythm-of-the-festival is falling back in.
[T] [Standard warkari teaching about paramparā and kīrtana-discipline]
For someone today
This abhang names the technique of the vāḷavaṇṭa-festival:
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The triguṇa-rounds are the suffering-ground. Sattva-rajas-tamas — the operating-states of ordinary mind — cycle; the cycling itself is the suffering. The dance is the exit.
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Hold the four — sat-chit-ānanda + unity. Beyond the triguṇa, the para-prakṛti states. The holding — the attention-fidelity to these — is the practice.
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One-ghāī — the unitary rhythm. Many bodies, one rhythm. If you are at a real kīrtana / collective-meditation / shared-practice, the one-ghāī is the shared-rhythm. Maintain it; don't let your individual-fluctuation break it.
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Predecessors' arrangement is the rhythm-template. पुढिलांची सोई. The paramparā — the way the predecessors did this — is the one-ghāī. Don't innovate the rhythm.
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Missing the one-ghāī falls into samsāra-ḍāī*. The failure-mode is precise. Don't break the rhythm; if you do, you fall back into the trap of worldly-becoming*.
For today: when at a real-collective-practice (any tradition) — recognize the one-ghāī. Don't introduce your own variation. Hold the predecessors' arrangement. The fidelity-to-the-shared-rhythm is the escape from the triguṇa-rounds.
मराठी: ही ओवी वाळवंट-festival चं technique नाव सांगते:
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त्रिगुणांची फेरी suffering-ground. सत्त्व-रजस्-तमस् — ordinary mind च्या operating-states — cycle; cycling हीच दुःख. Dance exit.
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चौघांसी — सत्-चित्-आनंद + एकता. Triguṇa पलीकडचं para-prakṛti. Holding — attention-fidelity — practice.
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एक-घाई — unitary rhythm. अनेक शरीरं, एक रिदम. Real kīrtana / collective-meditation / shared-practice मध्ये असाल — एक-घाई shared-rhythm. Maintain करा; individual-fluctuation ने तोडू नका.
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पुढिलांची सोई rhythm-template. परंपरा — predecessors नी कसं केलं — एक-घाई. Innovate करू नका rhythm.
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एक-घाई चुकलं — संसार-डाई. Failure-mode अचूक. Rhythm तोडू नका; तोडलात — worldly-becoming च्या trap मध्ये परत.
आज: real-collective-practice (कोणतीही परंपरा) मध्ये असाल — एक-घाई ओळखा. Own variation introduce करू नका. Predecessors arrangement hold करा. Shared-rhythm-fidelity triguṇa-रोदनातून escape.
Where this applies
- Triguṇa-rounds suffering. Hold the four.
- One-ghāī fidelity in collective-practice. न चुके चि कोठें.
- Predecessors' arrangement. पुढिलांची सोई.