Abhanga 238
This abhang names a common bhakti-failure-mode:
The verse
अवघीं मिळोनि कोल्हाळ केला । आतां होता म्हणती गेला ॥१॥ आपलिया रडती भावें । जयासवें जयापरी ॥ध्रु.॥ चुकलों आम्ही खेळतां खेळ । गेला गोपाळ हातींचा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे धांवती थडी । न घली उडी आंत कोणी ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: All gathered — made clamor. Just now (he was here), (now they) say gone. Each cries by their own bhāva — by whichever (relation). We missed in playing the game — the gopāl is gone from our hands. Tuka says: they run to the bank — but no one jumps inside.
मराठी: अवघीं मिळोनि कोल्हाळ केला — आतां होता म्हणती गेला. आपलिया रडती भावें — जयासवें जयापरी. चुकलों आम्ही खेळतां खेळ — गेला गोपाळ हातींचा. तुकाराम म्हणतात — धांवती थडी — न घली उडी आंत कोणी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अवघीं मिळोनि कोल्हाळ केला | "all gathered — made kolhāḷa (clamor)" |
| आतां होता म्हणती गेला | "just now (he was), (now they) say gone" |
| आपलिया रडती भावें | "(each) cries by their own bhāva" |
| जयासवें जयापरी | "by-whichever (relation)" |
| चुकलों आम्ही खेळतां खेळ | "we missed (failed) in playing the game" |
| गेला गोपाळ हातींचा | "the gopāl has gone from our hands" |
| धांवती थडी | "they run to the thaḍī (bank)" |
| न घली उडी आंत कोणी | "(but) no one jumps inside" |
What it means
A crisis-witness abhang in the Kāliya-mardana sequence. After Krishna jumps into the Yamuna (237), the bhakta-band reacts. Three sharp observations:
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आपलिया रडती भावें — जयासवें जयापरी — each cries by their own bhāva — by whichever relation. The plurality-of-affects in shared-grief. Each companion has their own bhāva with Krishna; the grief is not uniform. Some cry as friends, some as protectors, some as worshippers, some as children. The bhāva-uniqueness is preserved even in collective-crisis.
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चुकलों आम्ही खेळतां खेळ — गेला गोपाळ हातींचा — we missed in playing the game — the gopāl is gone from our hands. The self-recognition: we (= the bhakta-band) missed in playing the game; the gopāl has gone-from-our-hands. The bhaktas take responsibility: they missed; they let him go-from-their-hands. (Compare 230's kabaddi-trap played, cattle avoided — the bhaktas' game-engagement causes neglect of the deity-charge.)
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धांवती थडी — न घली उडी आंत कोणी — they run to the bank — but no one jumps inside. The sharp critique. They all run to the bank (= externally-respond, witness, gather, lament) — but none jumps inside (= none enters the deep with Krishna). The bank-running-no-jumping is the failure-mode. The bhakta-band witnesses externally but does not enter. [T]
For someone today
This abhang names a common bhakti-failure-mode:
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Each cries by their own bhāva — preserve the plurality. Āpalīyā raḍatī bhāvē — jayāsavē jayāparī. In shared-crisis, each one's grief has its own form. Don't demand uniformity; let each cry by their own bhāva. Forced-uniform-grief is less than the plural-honest grief.
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Honest self-recognition: we missed. Cukalōm āmhī khēḷatām khēḷa. The bhaktas do not blame Krishna for jumping; they blame themselves for missing in the game. Honest-self-blame — not survivor-guilt, but honest-recognition that I-let-this-happen.
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Bank-running is not jumping-inside. Dhāmvatī thaḍī — na ghalī uḍī āmta koṇī. This is the sharp critique. Witnessing externally — running to the bank, lamenting, gathering, telling-others, posting-online, processing — is not the same as entering the deep with the loved-one. Many run to the bank; few jump inside. Examine which mode you are in.
For today: in any crisis with a loved-one in the deep — let plural-bhāvas grieve honestly; take honest self-blame for letting-it-happen; ask whether you are running to the bank or jumping inside.
This claim is structurally important: external-witnessing of crisis is the standard bhakta-failure-mode. Tukaram is not asking everyone to jump inside (that would be reckless); he is naming the bank-running as the standard-form-which-is-not-the-jumping. Honest-recognition is the first step.
मराठी: ही ओवी common bhakti-failure-mode नाव सांगते:
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प्रत्येक आपल्या bhāva-ने रडतो — plurality जपा. आपलिया रडती भावें — जयासवें जयापरी. Shared-crisis मध्ये — प्रत्येकाच्या grief-ला आपलं form. Uniformity demand करू नका; प्रत्येकाला आपल्या bhāva-ने रडू द्या. Forced-uniform-grief plural-honest grief पेक्षा कमी.
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Honest self-recognition: आम्ही चुकलो. चुकलों आम्ही खेळतां खेळ. Bhaktas कृष्णाला blame करत नाहीत jumping साठी; ते स्वतःला blame करतात game मध्ये missing साठी. Survivor-guilt नाही, honest-recognition की मी हे होऊ-दिलं.
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Bank-running jumping-inside नाही. धांवती थडी — न घली उडी आंत कोणी. हे sharp critique. External witnessing — bank कडे धावणं, lamenting, gathering, telling-others, posting-online, processing — नाही same as deep मध्ये प्रिय-व्यक्तीसह enter होणं. अनेक bank-कडे धावतात; thoडे inside-jump करतात. कोणत्या mode मध्ये आहात तपासा.
आज: प्रिय-व्यक्ती deep-मध्ये असलेल्या crisis मध्ये — plural-bhāvas honestly grieve होऊ द्या; honest self-blame let-it-happen साठी घ्या; bank-कडे धावत आहात की inside-jump करत आहात विचारा.
हा claim structurally महत्त्वाचा: crisis च external-witnessing standard bhakta-failure-mode. तुकाराम सर्वांनी inside-jump करावं सांगत नाहीत (ते reckless होईल); bank-running standard-form आहे जे jumping नाही — हे नाव सांगतायत. Honest-recognition पहिली पायरी.
Where this applies
- Plural bhāvas in shared-grief. Don't force uniformity.
- Honest self-blame: I let-it-happen. Not survivor-guilt.
- Bank-running is not jumping-inside. Witnessing ≠ entering.