Abhanga 375

This abhang names the sakhī-bhāva / bridal-mystic register:

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A sakhī-bhāva / bridal-mystic abhang. Tukaram speaks as the bride-bhakta who goes alone with Rāṇā-Govinda — the deva imagined as the groom. This is the Vārkarī's relatively-rare bridal-mystic register (more common in Mīrābāī, Ānṭāḷ, and the Northern Vaiṣṇava traditions; here in Tukaram's voice). Six claims:

1. एकली राणागोविंदा सवें — गेलें ठावें तें जालें — alone with Rāṇā-Govinda — what was to happen, happened. The bridal-going-alone: I went alone with the deva-as-Rāṇā-Govinda; what was to happen, happened. The consummation-claim, in indirect form.

2. मज न म्हणा न म्हणा शिंदळी — नाहीं विषम जवळीं आतळलें — don't call me śimḍaḷi — no viṣama came near. The defense-against-misreading: don't call me adulteress; no viṣama (improper) thing came near. The aloneness-with-deva is not adulterous; it is union, not transgression. (Worldly-frame would call this aloneness-with-the-other adulterous; Tukaram defends — deva is the husband.)

3. नव्हती देखिली म्यां वाट — म्हणोनि हा धीट संग केला — I had not seen the path — therefore made this dhīṭa sanga. The boldness-defense: the path I had not seen — therefore I made bold company. The boldness was from path-unfamiliarity, not from impropriety.

4. भेणें मिठी दिधली गळां — सेजे जवळ दडालें — from fear — embrace at the throat — hid near the bed. The fear-embrace claim: embrace given out of fear — hid near the bed. The proximity is from fear-of-the-unfamiliar-path, not desire-only.

5. सलगी धरी पयोधर — साहाती करमुर सवें — payōdhara salagī — karamuru sustained. The intimate-touches sustained. (Salagī — intimate-touch / familiar-touch; karamuru — gentle handling.) The intimate-physical-mode is named, not concealed.

6. आहेव मी गर्भीणपणें — हें सांगणें कां लागे — तुका म्हणे सेवटा नेलें — संपादिलें उभयतां — I am āhēva in garbhīṇa-paṇa — why be told — Tuka says: brought to destination — fulfilled by both together. The closing-claim: I am āhēva (married-with-husband-alive) — in pregnant-state; why need this be told? (= the relationship is established and bearing-fruit; no need to explain.) Brought (me) to the destination; fulfilled by ubhayatā (both together). Mutual-completion — both deva and bhakta complete each other.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the sakhī-bhāva / bridal-mystic register:

1. Aloneness with the deva is not adulterous. Mai na mhaṇā na mhaṇā śimḍaḷi. Worldly-frames would call the bhakta's aloneness-with-the-deva improper; the bhakta defends — deva is the husband. Don't apologize for solitary-bhakti.

2. Boldness arose from path-unfamiliarity. Navhatī dēkhilī mayām vāṭa — dhīṭa sanga kelā. The bhakta's boldness with the deva was from not-knowing-the-way. Holding-the-deva closely was navigational-necessity.

3. The intimate-touches are not concealed in the bridal-image. Embrace at the throat, hiding near the bed, payōdhara salagī, karamuru sustained. The bridal-mystic register names the intimate-physical-mode openly. The bhakta is not embarrassed by closeness with the deva.

4. Mutual-completion: fulfilled by both together. Sēvaṭā nēlē — sampādilē ubhayatā. The bhakta-deva relationship is mutual-completion; both fulfilled together. Not unilateral-dependence; bilateral-fulfillment.

For today: don't apologize for the solitary-bhakti or the closeness-with-the-deva; recognize that boldness arises from navigational-need, not impropriety; don't conceal the intimacy-with-the-deva; recognize that the deva and the bhakta complete each other.

This abhang is Tukaram's relatively-rare sakhī-bhāva voice. Most of his abhangs are in the dāsa or bāḷa or bāpa registers; here he is the vadhū (bride). The register-shift shows the breadth of bhakti-affect Tukaram explores.

मराठी: ही ओवी sakhī-bhāva / bridal-mystic register नाव सांगते:

1. Deva सोबतची aloneness adulterous नाही. मज न म्हणा शिंदळी. Worldly-frames bhakta च्या deva-सोबतच्या aloneness ला improper म्हणतील; bhakta defend करते — deva husband. Solitary-bhakti साठी apologize करू नका.

2. Boldness path-unfamiliarity मधून. नव्हती देखिली वाट — धीट संग केला. Bhakta ची deva-सोबत boldness वाट न-माहीत असण्यामुळे. Deva ला closely धरणं navigational-necessity.

3. Intimate-touches bridal-image मध्ये conceal होत नाहीत. गळ्याला embrace, सेजेजवळ हिडणं, payōdhara salagī, karamuru sustained. Bridal-mystic register intimate-physical-mode openly name करतं. Deva सोबतच्या closeness ने bhakta embarrassed नाही.

4. Mutual-completion: दोघेही मिळून fulfilled. सेवटा नेलें — संपादिलें उभयतां. Bhakta-deva relationship mutual-completion; दोघेही together fulfilled. Unilateral-dependence नाही; bilateral-fulfillment.

आज: Solitary-bhakti किंवा deva-closeness साठी apologize करू नका; Boldness navigational-need मधून, impropriety नाही ओळखा; Deva-intimacy conceal करू नका; Deva आणि bhakta एकमेकांना complete करतात ओळखा.

Tukaram च relatively-rare sakhī-bhāva voice. बहुतेक abhangs dāsa, bāḷa, bāpa registers मध्ये; इथे vadhū (bride). Register-shift Tukaram च्या bhakti-affect breadth दाखवतो.

Where this applies

• Aloneness with deva is not adulterous. Bridal-mystic defense.
• Boldness from path-unfamiliarity. Navigational-necessity.
• Intimacy named openly. No concealment.
• Mutual-completion. Bilateral-fulfillment.

Related verses

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