Abhanga 230

This is a difficult-but-important abhang. Three claims:

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A crisis-and-witness abhang in the gopa-game register. The events are condensed and somewhat opaque, but the structural-claim is precise. Five movements:

1. डाई घालुनियां पोरें — त्यांचीं गुरें चुकवीलीं — the boys put the ḍāī — their cattle were avoided. The boys play a kabaddi-like trap-game; in the process their charges (the cattle) were avoided / lost-track-of. The play-with-the-game caused neglect of the actual-charges.

2. खेळ खेळतां फोडिल्या डोया — आपण होय निराळा — playing the game — eyes (or heads) were broken; he himself becomes nirāḷā. Injury during play. Ḍoyā — eyes (or heads by extension). The play caused injury. And (Krishna or the boy) becomes nirāḷā — separated, apart, distinct. The injury produces a separation.

3. मारिती माया घेती जीव — नाहीं कीव अन्यायें — the māyā (mother) hits, takes (his) life; no mercy for wrongdoing. The post-injury punishment. The mother (or māyā in cosmic-key) hits and takes life; no mercy for the wrongdoer. The strict-discipline rule — no kīva (mercy / pity) for the anyāya (wrong). (Compare 75 — bhakti's compassion has limits.)

4. तुका कान्होबा मागें — तया अंगें कळों आलें — Tuka says: Kānhobā (was) behind — by his anga (body / form) came-to-be-known. The witness-claim. Kānhobā was behind it all — orchestrating, present-but-hidden. And by his anga (his body / the visible-event itself) — it came to be known. The visible event itself carried Krishna's signature; the witness comes through the body of the event.

The anga-known mechanism is structurally important: the deity is not separately-discoverable; the deity is known-by-the-body-of-the-event. The crisis itself is the witness.

[T]

For someone today

This is a difficult-but-important abhang. Three claims:

1. Play-with-the-game can cause neglect of the actual-charges. Tyāñcīm gurē cukavīlīm. When the boys put their attention on the kabaddi-trap-game, the cattle they were responsible for got away. Engagement-in-the-game can mean abandoning the responsibility. Notice when this is happening.

2. Injury and separation in the game. Ḍoyā fōḍilyā — āpaṇa hōya nirāḷā. The play injures; the injured-one becomes apart (nirāḷā). Sometimes the injury is what separates. Don't romanticize the play; injuries happen.

3. No-mercy-for-the-wrongdoer is a real rule. Nāhīm kīva anyāyē. The māyā (mother / cosmic-mother) hits and takes life when anyāya has happened. The bhakti-compassion has limits; the wrongdoing is dealt-with strictly. (Compare 75's wicked-portrait.)

4. Kānhobā is behind; the witness comes by the anga* of the event. Kānhobā māgēm — tayā angē kaḷōm ālēm. The deity is not separately-discoverable. The deity is behind the event and known through the event-body itself. Don't seek the deity as a separate-witness; the crisis-event is the witness*.

For today: when a crisis or injury or strict-discipline happens, recognize that Kānhobā was behind and that the event itself is the witness. The anyāya-discipline is real; the deity does not always intervene to soften the consequence. And in the play-itself, notice when engagement-in-game leads to neglect of charges.

मराठी: ही ओवी कठीण-पण-महत्त्वाची आहे. तीन claims:

1. Game मध्ये engagement actual-charges नांगरून जाऊ शकतं. त्यांचीं गुरें चुकवीलीं. Boys नी kabaddi-trap-game वर लक्ष ठेवलं — responsible-cattle निसटली. Game-engagement responsibility abandon करू शकतो. हे कधी होतंय notice करा.

2. Game मध्ये injury आणि separation. डोया फोडिलया — आपण होय निराळा. Play injure करते; injured-one निराळा होतो. कधी कधी injury च separates. Play romanticize करू नका; injuries होतात.

3. Wrongdoer ला no-mercy* real-rule. नाहीं कीव अन्यायें. Māyā (मातेला / cosmic-mother) hits आणि life घेते — अन्याय झाला. Bhakti-compassion ला मर्यादा; wrongdoing strictly deal* केलं जातं. (75 wicked-portrait compare.)

4. Kānhobā मागे; witness अंगा*-ने event चं. कान्होबा मागें — तया अंगें कळों आलें. देव separately-discoverable नाही. देव event-च्या-मागे आणि event-body-तून known. Separate-witness म्हणून देवाला शोधू नका; crisis-event च witness*.

आज: crisis किंवा injury किंवा strict-discipline झाली — Kānhobā मागे होता आणि event स्वतः witness ओळखा. अन्याय-discipline real; देव consequence soften करायला नेहमी intervene करत नाही. आणि play-मध्ये, game-engagement charges abandon करायला लावतंय का — notice करा.

Where this applies

• Game-engagement may abandon actual-charges. Notice.
• Play-injuries are real; they may separate. Don't romanticize.
• No-mercy for wrongdoing. Limits of compassion.
• Kānhobā behind, known by the anga* of the event.* Crisis is the witness.

Related verses

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