संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 205 of 4582

Abhanga 205

This abhang names the resolution-mode of the trapped-in-fire situation. Five claims:

When don't-fear-close-your-eyes is the right instruction — and you have to recognize the trust-step
When the viśva-rūpa unexpectedly eats the flames — and you witness the resolution-mode
When we feared earlier in vain names the post-rescue realization — and you accept the lesson

The verse

भिऊं नका बोले झाकुनियां राहा डोळे । चालवील देव धाक नाहीं येणें वेळे ॥१॥ बाप रे हा देवांचा ही देव कळों । नेदी माव काय करी करवी ते ॥ध्रु.॥ पसरूनि मुख विश्वरूप खाय जाळ । सारूनियां संधी अवघे पाहाती गोपाळ ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आम्ही मागें भ्यालों वांयांविण । कळों आलें आतां या सांगातें नाहीं शिण ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Don't fear — he says — stay with eyes closed; the deva will lead — no fear at this time. Father! — the deva-of-devas himself does not let the māva be known — what he does and gets-done. Spreading the mouth — the viśva-rūpa eats the flames; pushing aside the sandhī — all the gopāls watch. Tuka says: we feared earlier in vain; (we) know now — in this company there is no śiṇa.

मराठी: भिऊं नका बोलतो — झाकुनियां राहा डोळेचालवील देव — धाक नाहीं येणें वेळे. बाप रे! — देवांचा ही देव — कळों नेदी मावकाय करी करवी ते. पसरूनि मुख विश्वरूप खाय जाळसारूनियां संधीअवघे पाहाती गोपाळ. तुकाराम म्हणतात — आम्ही मागें भ्यालों वांयांविणकळों आलें आतां — या सांगातें नाहीं शिण.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
भिऊं नका बोले "don't fear — (he) says"
झाकुनियां राहा डोळे "stay with the eyes covered / closed"
चालवील देव "the deva will cālvīla (lead / drive)"
धाक नाहीं येणें वेळे "no dhāka (fear) at this time"
बाप रे हा देवांचा ही देव "father! — the deva-of-devas (himself)"
कळों नेदी माव "does not let the māva (mystery / play) be known"
काय करी करवी ते "what (he) does and (what) gets-done"
पसरूनि मुख विश्वरूप खाय जाळ "spreading the mouth — the viśva-rūpa (cosmic-form) eats the jāḷa (flames)"
सारूनियां संधी "pushing aside the sandhī"
अवघे पाहाती गोपाळ "all the gopāls watch"
आम्ही मागें भ्यालों वांयांविण "we feared earlier in vain"
कळों आलें आतां "(we) come to know now"
या सांगातें नाहीं शिण "in this sāngāta (company), there is no śiṇa (strain / fatigue)"

What it means

The davāgni-resolution abhang. Where 204 was the trapped panic-voice, 205 is the fire-swallowing resolution. Five moves:

  1. भिऊं नका बोले — झाकुनियां राहा डोळे — चालवील देवdon't fear, says (Krishna); stay with eyes closed; the deva will lead. Krishna's first instruction in the resolution: do not fear, close your eyes, let me lead. The trust-stepdo not even watch what is happening; trust the leading.

  2. बाप रे हा देवांचा ही देव कळों नेदी मावFather! — the deva-of-devas does not let the māva be known. The bhakta's startled-recognition. Bāpa refather! (an exclamation of awe / shock). The deva-of-devas — the highest-deva — does not let the māva (mystery / play) be known. The non-disclosure is structural.

  3. पसरूनि मुख विश्वरूप खाय जाळspreading the mouth — the viśva-rūpa eats the flames. The resolution-act. Krishna becomes the viśva-rūpa (cosmic-form, as in the Bhagavad-Gītā 11) and eats the flames. The crisis-resolution is by cosmic-form-swallowing.

  4. सारूनियां संधी — अवघे पाहाती गोपाळpushing aside the sandhī — all the gopāls watch. The sandhī (the trap-narrow-place of 204) is pushed aside. The gopāls watch — the eyes that were told to close are now open; they see the resolution.

  5. आम्ही मागें भ्यालों वांयांविण — कळों आलें आतां — या सांगातें नाहीं शिणwe feared earlier in vain — we know now — in this company there is no śiṇa (fatigue). The post-rescue realization. The earlier-fear was vāyām-vīṇa (in vain). The lesson: with this company (Krishna's sāngāta), there is no śiṇano strain, no fatigue, no exhaustion. The realization is what-we-now-know.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the resolution-mode of the trapped-in-fire situation. Five claims:

  1. Don't fear, close your eyes. The first instruction in the resolution is do not even watch what is happening. Most strategies demand watching (to course-correct, to anticipate, to manage); the resolution-mode says stop watching. Close the eyes; let the leading happen without your monitoring.

  2. The deva-of-devas does not let the māva* be known. Don't expect to understand the resolution-mechanism. The māva is non-disclosed. You will not get a rational explanation of how the rescue worked. You will only see that* it worked.

  3. The cosmic-form eats the obstacle. The viśva-rūpa (the cosmic-aspect of the loved-one) eats the obstacle that was consuming you. This is not metaphorical only; in real-bhakti situations, the obstacle is swallowed by the loved-one's bigger-aspect. Don't figure out how; recognize that it happens.

  4. The earlier-fear was in vain. Bhyalom vāyām-vīṇa. Post-rescue, you recognize the fear was excessive. This is not a moralism (you should not have feared); it is a retrospective truth. With this company, the fear was out of place.

  5. With this company, no śiṇa. Yā sāngātē nāhī śiṇa. The long-claim: with the loved-one's company, no fatigue. Śiṇa — strain, exhaustion, depletion — does not happen in this company. (Compare 184's bhoga-bhogūn-brahmacārienjoying without depletion; here, facing-crisis without depletion.)

For today: when in davāgni-modeclose eyes, do not insist on understanding the māva, trust the cosmic-form to eat the obstacle, recognize post-rescue that the fear was in vain, claim the no-śiṇa property of the company.

मराठी: ही ओवी trapped-in-fire situation चं resolution-mode नाव सांगते. पाच claims:

  1. भिऊ नका, डोळे झाकून राहा. Resolution मधली पहिली instruction जे होतंय ते पाहूही नका. बहुतेक strategies पाहायला लावतात (course-correct, anticipate, manage करायला); resolution-mode म्हणतो पाहणं थांबवा. डोळे झाकून घ्या; तुमच्या monitoring शिवाय leading होऊ द्या.

  2. देवांचा ही देव माव* कळू देत नाही. Resolution-mechanism समजेल अशी अपेक्षा करू नका. माव non-disclosed. कसा rescue झाला याचं rational explanation मिळणार नाही. फक्त झाला* हे दिसेल.

  3. विश्व-रूप obstacle खातो. विश्व-रूप (प्रिय-व्यक्तीचं cosmic-aspect) तुम्हाला consume करत असलेला obstacle खातो. Metaphorical only नाही; real-bhakti situations मध्ये obstacle प्रिय-व्यक्तीच्या bigger-aspect ने swallowed होतो. कसा figure out करू नका; होतो हे ओळखा.

  4. आधीची भीती व्यर्थ होती. भ्यालों वांयांविण. Post-rescue, तुम्ही भीती जास्त होती हे ओळखता. Moralism नाही (घाबरायला नको होतं); retrospective truth. या company मध्ये भीती out of place होती.

  5. या company मध्ये शिण* नाही. या सांगातें नाहीं शिण. Long-claim: प्रिय-व्यक्तीच्या company मध्ये फटिग नाही. शिण — strain, exhaustion, depletion — या company मध्ये होत नाही. (Compare 184: भोग-भोगून-ब्रम्हचारीenjoying without depletion; इथे facing-crisis without depletion*.)

आज: davāgni-mode मध्ये असाल — डोळे झाका, माव समजायचा आग्रह सोडा, cosmic-form obstacle खाईल विश्वास ठेवा, post-rescue भीती व्यर्थ होती ओळखा, company च्या no-śiṇa property ला claim करा.

Where this applies

Related verses