Abhanga 377

The divine witness is present right here, is drawn toward a heart that longs sincerely, and takes care of anyone who holds that presence with single-minded devotion.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A rasa-bhakti and Sarva-sākṣī abhang. Five claims:

1. अवघ्यां अवघा हा कैसा नवलाव — सर्वसाक्ष तेथें चि त्याचा जीव — all-in-all, how wondrous — Sarva-sākṣī, His jīva is right there. The opening-wonder: the All-in-all is wondrous; the Sarva-sākṣī (witness-of-all) — His jīva is right there. Pervasive presence.

2. एका मेघःशामें जलधर वोल — रसीं उतावळि हृदय सखोल — one megha-śyāma jala-dhara showers — in rasa, the deep hṛdaya impatient. The cloud-dark-Krishna shower image: onemegha-śyāma(cloud-dark, i.e. Krishna) — asjala-dhara(water-holder, rain-cloud) — showers; in the rasa, the deep heart is impatient. (Bhāgavata-trope of Krishna as megha-śyāma whose darśana showers rasa.)

3. अंध बहिर हे प्रेत लोकां चारी — त्यांची कीर्ति गाइली पुराणांतरी — blind, deaf, prēta-people — their kīrti sung in Purāṇas. The those-without-bhakti are blind-deaf-prēta claim: people without bhakti are spiritually-blind, deaf, and prēta-like; yet their kīrti (ironic? orthe bhaktas' kīrti among them) sung in Purāṇas.

4. परस्परें हे सादरा सादर — योग सज्जनाच्या सुखा नाहीं पार — दुरी जवळी संचिता — रंगा रंगा ऐसें होणें लागे हरि — mutual sādara-sādara — yoga of sajjana, sukha unbounded — far-near sañcita — into ranga-ranga Hari must come. The sajjana-yoga claim: mutual regard between sajjana — sukha unbounded; sañcita far-near — into the ranga-ranga (rasa-rasa, bhakti-color), Hari must come.

5. पडिलें कानीं त्या जीवाचें जतन — धरियेले एकाभावें हृदयीं चरण — fallen in the ear, that jīva's jatana — placed by ekā-bhāva, feet in hṛdaya. The closing-claim: whose ear has received (the kīrti / Hari-nāma) — that jīva's jatana (care) is the deva's; (such a one) places the feet in the heart byekā-bhāva. Ekā-bhāva — single-pointed devotion.

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For someone today

This abhang celebrates how present the divine already is: the Sarva-sakshi, the witness of all, has his very being right here, not somewhere far away, so there is no need to search for him elsewhere. Picture Krishna as a dark rain-cloud whose grace showers down like rain, and let your own heart grow deep and eager to receive it. Keeping company with good, sincere people brings joy without limit, so seek out that fellowship. When you hold onto your own color of devotion, God is drawn to answer it with his own, the way color calls to color. And when you set your heart on him alone, with single-minded love, holding his feet in your heart, he himself takes care of you.

मराठी: हा अभंग सांगतो की परमेश्वर आधीच किती जवळ आहे — सर्वसाक्षी, सर्वांचा साक्षीदार, त्याचे अस्तित्व इथेच, आपल्या जवळच आहे, कुठेतरी दूर नाही, त्यामुळे त्याला दुसरीकडे शोधण्याची गरज नाही. कृष्णाला मेघासारख्या काळ्या ढगाची कल्पना करा, ज्याची कृपा पावसासारखी बरसते — आणि आपले हृदय ती कृपा झेलण्यासाठी खोल आणि आतुर होऊ द्या. चांगल्या, मनापासूनच्या माणसांची संगत ठेवल्याने अमर्याद आनंद मिळतो, म्हणून अशी संगत शोधा. जेव्हा तुम्ही आपल्या भक्तीचा रंग धरून ठेवता, तेव्हा देवही आपल्या रंगाने प्रतिसाद द्यायला येतोच, जसा रंगाला रंग ओढतो. आणि जेव्हा तुम्ही एकनिष्ठ भावाने त्याच्यावरच मन ठेवता, त्याचे चरण हृदयात धरता, तेव्हा तो स्वतः तुमची काळजी घेतो.

Where this applies

• Sarva-sākṣī'sjīva present here. Pervasive-presence.
• Megha-śyāmashowers inrasa. Cloud-dark Krishna image.
• Yogaofsajjana—sukha unbounded. Fellowship.
• Ranga-ranga draws Hari. Color-mechanism.
• Ekā-bhāva places feet in heart. Single-pointed.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2481 — Pandharpur surpasses even the greatest pilgrimage cities because people there set aside pr
• Abhanga 4481 — Tukaram promises that sincerely calling on the Lord's name, knowingly or unknowingly, with
• Abhanga 4482 — Tukaram teaches that no ritual equals sincerely speaking the Lord's name, that self-center
• Abhanga 4483 — Tukaram tells of the gopis whose all-consuming secret longing for Krishna, hidden beneath