Abhanga 212

This abhang names the perfect kālā — and what to look for to recognize it:

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A come-let-us-see-Pāṇḍuranga abhang. Six images:

1. चला बाई — पाहूं वाळवंटीं — मांडियेला काला — come, sister — let's see at the river-sand-bank — the kālā is set up. The opening invitation, addressed to bāī (sister / female-companion). Vāḷavaṇṭa is the kīrtana-festival site.

2. आनंदें कवळ देती एकामुखीं एक — न म्हणती सान थोर — अवघीं सकळिक — in joy, mouth-to-mouth morsels; don't say small-or-big — all is sakaḷika. The eka-mukhīm-eka feeding is the kālā-distinguishing-feature: morsels go from one's hand to another's mouth. No small-or-big — all is the whole-of-it. The equality is sakaḷika — the whole-of-it-mode.

3. हमामा हुंबरी पांवा मोहरी — फेर माजी घालुनियां हरी — the percussion-cluster; Hari has set the round, having gone in the middle. The fērā (round-formation) — Hari is in the middle. The band-formation with the deity at the center. (Compare 196's one chand — here, one ring with Hari in the middle.)

4. लुब्धल्या नारी नर अवघ्या पशुयाती — विसरलीं देहभाव शंका नाहीं चित्तीं — women, men, all animal-classes lured; deha-bhāva forgotten; no doubt in chitta. The trance-spreads-across-species claim (parallel to 211). Lubdhalyā — lured / pulled-into. The species-inclusive trance: humans and all animal-classes are pulled into the same trance.

5. पुष्पाचा वरुषाव — आरतियांची दाटी — तुळसी माळा कंठीं — flower-rain, ārati-crowd, tulasi-mālā at the neck. The physical-marks of the festival — what is happening in visible-air and body-marker.

6. यादवांचा राणा गोपीमनोहर कान्हा — सुख वाटे देखोनियां मना — the Yadava-king, the gopī-mind-charmer Kānha — joy seems good when seen by the mind. The closing claim: the Yadava-king — Krishna in his royal-aspect — is also the gopī-mano-hara (gopī-mind-charmer) — Krishna in his intimate-affect-aspect. Both registers are simultaneously held. And the mind-seeing is what registers the joy.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the perfect kālā — and what to look for to recognize it:

1. The come-let-us-see* invitation is to the river-sand-bank, not the temple. Vāḷavaṇṭa pāhūm. The kālā happens at the informal river-bank, not at the establishment-temple. If the come invitation is to a temple, ask whether the vāḷavaṇṭa-register* is also there.

2. Mouth-to-mouth, no small-or-big. Eka-mukhīm eka — na sāna-thora. The real-shared-meal feeds mouth-to-mouth without small-or-big distinction. If the meal-distribution has small-and-big — higher-status gets the better-cuts — the kālā-register hasn't taken hold.

3. Hari in the middle of the round. Fēra mājī ghālunīyām Harī. The deity is in the middle of the band, not outside-and-watched. The ring-formation with the deity in the middle is the kālā-shape.

4. Trance spreads across species. Naarī-nara avaghyā paśu-yāti. When the trance is real, everyone in the field is pulled in — humans and animals alike. If only some are entranced and others aren't even feeling it, the kālā is partial.

5. Both Yadava-king and gopī-mind-charmer simultaneously. Don't split the deity into royal and intimate aspects. The same Krishna is both — Yadava-king ruling cosmically and gopī-mano-hara intimate-loving.

6. Mind-seeing registers the joy. Sukha vāṭē dekhonīyām manā. The mind is the registration-organ. What the mind sees, the body experiences as joy. If your mind is elsewhere, the joy doesn't register even when present.

For today: when at a real-festival, look for vāḷavaṇṭa-form, mouth-to-mouth-equality, deity-in-middle, species-spread-of-trance, both-king-and-charmer; let your mind see what is happening so the joy registers.

मराठी: ही ओवी perfect kālā नाव सांगते — आणि recognize करायला काय शोधायचं:

1. Come-let-us-see invitation नदीकाठी*, मंदिरात नाही. वाळवंटीं पाहूं. कालां informal नदीकाठी होतो, establishment-मंदिरात नाही. Come invitation मंदिरात असेल — वाळवंट-register* तिथे आहे का विचारा.

2. Mouth-to-mouth, सान-थोर नाही. एकामुखीं एक — न सान-थोर. Real-shared-meal mouth-to-mouth feed करतं सान-थोर distinction शिवाय. Meal-distribution ला सान-आणि-थोर — higher-status ला better-cuts — kālā-register hold नाही.

3. Hari रिंगणाच्या मध्यभागी. फेर माजी घालुनियां हरी. देव band च्या मध्ये, बाहेर-आणि-watched नाही. Deity-in-the-middle — kālā-shape.

4. Trance species ओलांडून पसरतो. नारी-नर अवघ्या पशुयाती. Trance real असेल — field मधले सर्व pulled-in — माणसं-प्राणी सारखे. काही entranced आणि इतर feel नाही — kālā partial.

5. Yadava-king आणि gopī-mind-charmer simultaneously. देवाला royal आणि intimate aspects मध्ये split करू नका. Same Krishna दोन्ही — Yadava-king cosmic-ruling आणि gopī-mano-hara intimate-loving.

6. Mind-seeing आनंद register करतं. सुख वाटे देखोनियां मना. मन registration-organ. मन पाहतं — body आनंद म्हणून experience करतं. मन दुसरीकडे असेल — आनंद present असतानाही register होत नाही.

आज: real-festival मध्ये असाल — वाळवंट-form, mouth-to-mouth-equality, deity-in-middle, species-spread-of-trance, both-king-and-charmer शोधा; मनाला पाहू द्या काय होतंय — आनंद register होतो.

Where this applies

• River-sand-bank not temple. Vāḷavaṇṭa-form.
• Mouth-to-mouth, no small-or-big. Equality-feeding.
• Hari in the middle of the round. Ring-formation.
• Both king and charmer simultaneously. Don't split.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2374
• Abhanga 2377 — English: Gentle, sweet bāla-rūpa — that form from Kāḷī-time.
• Abhanga 2387
• Abhanga 2402