संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 396 of 4582

Abhanga 396

English: Cendū-cau-guṇā — they play on the vāḷavaṇṭa — cala cala — they say — let's see by dṛṣṭi.

When the gōpīs go to the riverbank under water-fetching pretense — and you have to recognize this register

When all become tāṭasta in the eyelids — and you accept this absorption

When the ear hears Krishna-vēṇu-gīta — and you receive this music-image

The verse

चेंडू चौगुणा खेळती वाळवंटीं । चला चला म्हणती पाहूं दृष्टी वो ॥१॥ मिस पाणियाचें करितील घरीं । बारा सोळा मिळोनि परस्परीं वो ॥ध्रु.॥ कोणा नाठवे कोण कुळ याती । जालीं ताटस्त सकळ नेत्रपातीं वो ॥२॥ करी श्रवण कृष्णवेणुगीत । स्वामी तुकयाचा पुरवील मनोरथ वो ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Cendū-cau-guṇā — they play on the vāḷavaṇṭa — cala cala — they say — let's see by dṛṣṭi. Miṣa of water — at home — twelve-and-sixteen meeting. No one remembers — whose kuḷa-yāti — all became tāṭasta in netra-pātīm. Ear hears — Krishna-vēṇu-gīta — Tukya's svāmī will fulfill manōratha.

मराठी: चेंडू चौगुणा खेळती वाळवंटीं — चला चला म्हणती पाहूं दृष्टी. मिस पाणियाचें करितील घरीं — बारा सोळा मिळोनि परस्परीं. कोणा नाठवे कोण कुळ याती — जालीं ताटस्त सकळ नेत्रपातीं. तुकाराम म्हणतां — करी श्रवण कृष्णवेणुगीत — स्वामी तुकयाचा पुरवील मनोरथ.

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
चेंडू चौगुणा खेळती वाळवंटीं	"cendū-cau-guṇā — play on the vāḷavaṇṭa"
चला चला म्हणती पाहूं दृष्टी	"cala cala — they say — let's see by dṛṣṭi"
मिस पाणियाचें करितील घरीं	"miṣa of water — at home"
बारा सोळा मिळोनि परस्परीं	"twelve-and-sixteen meeting one another"
कोणा नाठवे कोण कुळ याती	"no one remembers — whose kuḷa-yāti"
जालीं ताटस्त सकळ नेत्रपातीं	"all became tāṭasta — in netra-pātīm"
करी श्रवण कृष्णवेणुगीत	"ear hears — Krishna-vēṇu-gīta"
स्वामी तुकयाचा पुरवील मनोरथ	"Tukya's svāmī — will fulfill manōratha"

What it means

A gōpīs-at-the-riverbank-Krishna-vēṇu-līlā abhang. Closes the gōpī-līlā cluster (377-396). Four claims:

चेंडू चौगुणा खेळती वाळवंटीं — चला चला म्हणती पाहूं दृष्टी — cendū-cau-guṇā — they play on the vāḷavaṇṭa — cala cala — let's see by dṛṣṭi. The opening-image: Krishna and the cowherd-boys play cendū-cau-guṇā (a fourfold ball-game) on the vāḷavaṇṭa (riverbank-sand); the gōpīs say cala cala — let's see (Him) by dṛṣṭi**.
मिस पाणियाचें करितील घरीं — बारा सोळा मिळोनि परस्परीं — miṣa of water — at home — twelve-and-sixteen meeting. The pretext-image: they make miṣa (pretext) of water-fetching at home; twelve-and-sixteen (= bārā-soḷā — many gōpīs) meet one another. The water-fetching is the cover-story for the meeting.
कोणा नाठवे कोण कुळ याती — जालीं ताटस्त सकळ नेत्रपातीं — no one remembers whose kuḷa-yāti — all became tāṭasta in netra-pātīm. The forgetting-and-fixing image: no one remembers who is from which kuḷa-yāti (clan-caste); all became tāṭasta (transfixed, frozen-still) in netra-pātīm (the eyelids). In the absorbed-darśana, the eyelids freeze; clan-caste is forgotten. (Compare 366 any yāti for Vaiṣṇava; same anti-yāti-essential register.)
करी श्रवण कृष्णवेणुगीत — स्वामी तुकयाचा पुरवील मनोरथ — ear hears Krishna-vēṇu-gīta — Tukya's svāmī will fulfill manōratha. The closing-music-image: the ear hears Krishna-vēṇu-gīta (Krishna's flute-song); Tukya-svāmī will fulfill the manōratha (heart's-wish). The flute-music draws and the manōratha is fulfilled*.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the gōpīs-at-the-riverbank-Krishna-vēṇu-līlā register:

Krishna plays on the vāḷavaṇṭa; the gōpīs say cala cala*. Cendū-cau-guṇā — cala cala. The deva plays in plain-sight; the bhakti-call is come, let's see. Don't dawdle*.
Water-fetching as miṣa*. Miṣa pāṇiyācē. The bhakti-event sometimes needs a worldly-pretext (water-fetching, errand-running) for cover. The gōpīs use the pretext; don't be ashamed of yours*.
Clan-caste forgotten in absorbed-darśana. Kōṇā nāṭhavē kōṇa kuḷa-yāti — jālīm tāṭasta sakaḷa nētra-pātīm. In absorbed-darśana, kuḷa-yāti is forgotten; the eyelids freeze. (Compare 365 no diśā excluded from deva's khēḷa, no viṭāḷa root in the gōta; same anti-clan-essential, here in absorbed-darśana mode.)
Ear hears Krishna-vēṇu-gīta; manōratha* fulfilled. Karī śravaṇa Krishna-vēṇu-gīta — pūravīla manōratha. The flute-song reaches the ear; the deva fulfills the manōratha. The bhakti-music is fulfillment-music*.

For today: if the deva plays on the vāḷavaṇṭa, say cala cala — go quickly; use a worldly-pretext if needed for the cover; let kuḷa-yāti be forgotten in the absorbed-darśana; let the Krishna-vēṇu-gīta reach the ear; the manōratha will be fulfilled.

This abhang is the closing-image of the gōpī-līlā cluster (377-396): the gōpīs-at-the-riverbank-darśana, eyelids-frozen, ear-hearing-the-flute-song, manōratha-fulfilled. The cluster's Krishna-bhakti arc — megha-śyāma → bhāva-cause → butter-thief → gate-blocker → khasama-ego-leaving → manō-vyathā → riverbank-vēṇu-darśana → manōratha-fulfilled — closes here.

मराठी: ही ओवी gōpīs-at-the-riverbank-Krishna-vēṇu-līlā register नाव सांगते:

Krishna vāḷavaṇṭa वर खेळतो; गोपी cala cala* म्हणतात. चेंडू चौगुणा — चला चला. Deva plain-sight मध्ये खेळतो; bhakti-call come, let's see. Dawdle नका*.
पाणी आणणं as miṣa*. मिस पाणियाचें. Bhakti-event कधी कधी worldly-pretext (water-fetching, errand) cover साठी मागतो. गोपी pretext वापरतात; तुमचा pretext साठी ashamed नका*.
Absorbed-darśana मध्ये clan-caste विसरतं. कोणा नाठवे कोण कुळ याती — ताटस्त सकळ नेत्रपातीं. Absorbed-darśana मध्ये kuḷa-yāti विसरतं; Eyelids freeze होतात. (365 no diśā excluded, no viṭāḷa root compare; same anti-clan-essential, here absorbed-darśana mode.)
कान Krishna-vēṇu-gīta ऐकतो; manōratha* पूर्ण. करी श्रवण कृष्णवेणुगीत — पुरवील मनोरथ. Flute-song कानाला पोचतं; Deva manōratha पूर्ण करतो. Bhakti-music fulfillment-music*.

आज: Deva vāḷavaṇṭa वर खेळत असेल — cala cala म्हणा, चला quickly; Cover साठी worldly-pretext वापरा गरज पडल्यास; Absorbed-darśana मध्ये kuḷa-yāti विसरू द्या; Krishna-vēṇu-gīta कानाला पोचू द्या; manōratha पूर्ण होईल.

Gōpī-līlā cluster (377-396) चं closing-image: Riverbank-darśana, eyelids-frozen, flute-song-hearing, manōratha-fulfilled. Cluster चा Krishna-bhakti arc — megha-śyāma → bhāva-cause → butter-thief → gate-blocker → khasama-ego-leaving → manō-vyathā → riverbank-vēṇu-darśana → manōratha-fulfilled — इथे closes.

Where this applies

Krishna plays in plain-sight; cala cala. Don't dawdle.
Water-fetching as miṣa. Worldly-cover.
Kuḷa-yāti forgotten in tāṭasta-darśana. Anti-clan-essential.
Flute-song fulfills manōratha. Music-mechanism.