Abhanga 222

This abhang names a deepest-paradox with structural-implications:

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A cosmic-domestic paradox abhang — building on 176, 184, 200, 211. Three movements:

1. गौळणी बांधिती धारणासि गळा — खेळे त्या गोपाळांमाजी ब्रम्ह — the gopis bind dhāraṇā to (his) neck — the brahman plays among those gopāls. Dhāraṇā in yogic-vocabulary = the holding, the concentration, the focused-pillar (the sixth limb of aṣṭānga). Here it is tied as a cord at Krishna's neck — tied by the gopis. The yogic-faculty (dhāraṇā) is bound to the deity by the intimate-ones. And what is the deity doing under this binding? — the brahman plays among the gopāls. The cosmic-absolute is in the play-mode, with the cord-of-dhāraṇā at his neck (tied by the affectionate-ones). (Compare 173: the catching is by sama-bhāva; 0007 the gopīs tie him with their cords.)

2. धांवोनियां मागे यशोदे भोजन — हिंडे रानोरान गाईपाठीं — runs to Yashodā for food — wanders forest after the cow. The cosmic-form does household-tasks. Asks for food from the foster-mother, follows the cow into the forest. Pastoral-domestic activity is what the cosmic-form chooses. (Compare 188's deity runs after the cows.)

3. सर्व कळा ज्याचे अंगीं — भोळेपणालागीं भीक मागे — he in whose body all kalā reside — begs for bhoḷepaṇā. The deepest-paradox. The one-who-has-all-skills (sarva-kalā) is begging for bhoḷepaṇā (innocence, simplicity, naïve-simplicity). The all-skilled is not seeking more-skills; he is seeking the un-skilled-state. The bhoḷepaṇā is what skill cannot achieve from inside; it must be received from outside the skill-economy. The deity begs for it — and where does he beg? Among the gopāls, from Yashodā, in the forest after the cow. The innocence is to be found among the simple, not among the cosmic-deities. [T]

For someone today

This abhang names a deepest-paradox with structural-implications:

1. The cosmic-absolute is bound by the intimate-ones to play-mode. Gauḷaṇī bāndhitī dhāraṇāsi gaḷā. Don't think the cosmic-presence is unbound and we are bound. The intimate-ones bind the cosmic-presence by tying dhāraṇā at his neck. Affection binds the absolute. (This is the warkari-tantric-bhakti claim — opposite to the standard moksha frame where the bound jīva longs for the unbound absolute; here, the bound absolute plays under the affectionate-binding.)

2. The cosmic-form chooses household-tasks. Yashodā for food, forest after the cow. The household-pastoral activity is what the cosmic-form prefers. Don't upgrade your spirituality away from these; they are what the cosmic-form is doing.

3. The all-skilled begs for innocence. Sarva-kalā... bhoḷepaṇā-lāgīm bhīka māgē. This is the radical-claim. Skill-accumulation does not produce innocence; bhoḷepaṇā is exterior to the skill-economy. The all-skilled — having reached the limit of what skill can do — begs for bhoḷepaṇā. And he begs from the simple — the gopāls, Yashodā, the cow.

For today: if you have been accumulating skills and noticing that innocence is missing, recognize the structure: skill-accumulation cannot produce innocence; bhoḷepaṇā must be begged from the simple. The all-skilled deity himself does this. Stop trying to generate innocence by more-skill; receive it from those who have it natively.

मराठी: ही ओवी एक deepest-paradox नाव सांगते:

1. Cosmic-absolute intimate-ones-ने play-mode मध्ये बांधलेला. गौळणी बांधिती धारणासि गळा. Cosmic-presence unbound आणि आम्ही bound असं समजू नका. Intimate-ones cosmic-presence ला dhāraṇā गळ्यात बांधून ठेवतात. Affection absolute ला बांधतं. (Warkari-tantric-bhakti claim — standard moksha frame च्या उलट जिथे bound jīva unbound absolute साठी ओढ करतो; इथे bound absolute affectionate-binding खाली खेळतो.)

2. Cosmic-form household-tasks निवडतो. यशोदा कडून भोजन, गाईच्या मागे रान. Household-pastoral activity cosmic-form preferred. यापासून दूर upgrade करू नका; cosmic-form हेच करतोय.

3. All-skilled बोळेपणासाठी भीक मागतो. सर्व कळा... भोळेपणालागीं भीक मागे. हा radical-claim. Skill-accumulation innocence produce करत नाही; भोळेपणा skill-economy च्या बाहेर. All-skilled — skill काय करू शकतं याची मर्यादा गाठून — भोळेपणासाठी भीक मागतो. आणि कुठे? Simple-ones कडून — गोपाळ, यशोदा, गाय.

आज: skills accumulate करत असाल आणि innocence missing आहे notice करत असाल — structure ओळखा: skill-accumulation innocence produce करू शकत नाही; भोळेपणा simple कडून मागायला हवा. All-skilled देव स्वतः असं करतो. More-skill ने innocence generate करायचा प्रयत्न थांबवा; नैसर्गिकपणे ज्यांच्याकडे आहे त्यांच्याकडून receive करा.

Where this applies

• Cosmic-form bound by affection. Reverse the standard moksha frame.
• Cosmic chooses household-tasks. Don't upgrade away.
• All-skilled begs for innocence. Innocence is exterior to skill.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2481
• Abhanga 4481
• Abhanga 4482
• Abhanga 4483