Abhanga 433

You can look awake while staying spiritually shut, so when the divine calls at your door in an ordinary disguise, open up and respond instead of letting the moment pass forgotten.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A Vāsudeva-walks-the-streets-calling-for-dāna abhang. Second of the Vāsudeva cluster (cf. 432, ॥६॥ at end of 434). Five claims:

1. बोल बोले अबोलणे — जागें बाहेर आंत निजेलें — कैसें घरांत घरकुल — आंधार ना उजेडलें — speak-unspeaking — wake outside, sleeping inside — house-in-house — neither dark nor lit. The opening-paradox: speech-yet-silent; wake outside, sleeping inside; house within house — neither dark nor lit. The bhakta's-state in paradoxical-frame: outer-wake-inner-sleep.

2. वासुदेव करितों फेरा — वाडियांत बाहेर दारा — कोणी दान करा — जाब नेदा तरी जातों सामोरा — Vāsudeva going around — vāḍiyā and door — someone give dāna — if no answer, go ahead. The Vāsudeva-form: theVāsudeva(mendicant-singer) makes the rounds — at compound and door;give some dāna; if no answer — I go ahead (to the next house).

3. हातीं टाळ दिंडी — मुखीं गाणें — गजर मोठ्यानें — नाहीं निवडिलीं थोरलाहानें — नका निजों भिकेच्या भेणें — ṭāḷa-diṇḍī in hand — gāṇē in mouth — gajar loud — no big-and-small selected — don't sleep fearing bhikṣā. The singer's-instruments-and-call: cymbals and drum in hand, song in mouth, loud chant; not selecting big or small (houses); don't sleep fearing the alms-collector. Anyone-may-give; don't avoid.

4. मी वासुदेव तत्वता — कळों येईल विचारितां — आहे ठाउका सभाग्या संतां — नाहीं दुजा आणीक मागता — I am Vāsudeva-tatvatā — known by vicāra — known to fortunate-saints — no other māgatā. The self-revelation: I amVāsudeva-tatvatā(Vāsudeva-in-essence); known byvicāra(consideration); known to fortunate-saints; no othermāgatā(asker) than (this one). The Vāsudeva-singer is the deva-himself. (Compare 432 mī tōm sarva Vāsudeva; same self-claim.)

5. काय जागाचि निजलासी — सुनें जागोन दारापासीं — तुझ्या हितापाठीं करी व्यास व्यासी — भेटी न घेसी वासुदेवासी — sleeping awake — empty-knowing at door — for your hita Vyāsa exerts — no bhēṭi with Vāsudeva. The complaint: what kind of waking-yet-sleeping is this? — empty-knowing-at-the-door; for yourhita(good), Vyāsa-exerts asvyāsī(form-of-effort); yet you don't takebhēṭiwithVāsudeva. The Vāsudeva-singer comes to your good; you don't open.

6. ऐसें जागविलें अवघें जन — होतें संचित तींहीं केलें दान — तुका म्हणे दुबळीं कोणकोण — गेलीं वासुदेवा विसरून — thus woke all — sañcita — they made dāna — Tuka says: dubaḷīm — went forgetting Vāsudeva. The closing-result: thus all the people were woken; those who hadsañcita— they madedāna; Tuka says: but thedubaḷīm(poor / weak ones) — kōṇa-kōṇa (who-and-who)— went forgettingVāsudeva. Sañcita-haves give; sañcita-have-nots miss.

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram describes a strange kind of sleep, you can be walking around, talking, seemingly awake, while something inside you stays shut, like a house within a house that's neither dark nor lit. The wandering Vasudeva singer comes to every door asking for a small gift, not choosing the rich house over the poor one, and if nobody answers he simply moves on to the next. He insists he isn't just a beggar, he is Vasudeva himself in essence, easy enough to recognize if you actually stop and think, known to the fortunate saints. He has come for your own good, yet you don't open the door or meet him. Some people, hearing the call, give freely from what they've stored up, while others, weaker in faith, let the moment pass and simply forget the one who came knocking.

मराठी: तुकाराम महाराज एका विचित्र प्रकारच्या झोपेबद्दल बोलतात, तुम्ही फिरत असता, बोलत असता, वरून जागे दिसता, पण आतून काहीतरी बंद असतं, जणू घरातल्या घरात, ना अंधार ना उजेड. फिरता वासुदेव गायक प्रत्येक दाराशी येऊन थोडंसं दान मागतो, श्रीमंत घर आणि गरीब घर असा भेद न करता, आणि कोणी उत्तर दिलं नाही तर तो पुढच्या दाराकडे निघून जातो. तो सांगतो की मी केवळ भिक्षेकरी नाही, मी खरोखर वासुदेवच आहे, नीट विचार केला तर हे सहज ओळखता येईल, भाग्यवान संतांना हे माहीत आहे. तो तुमच्या भल्यासाठीच आला आहे, तरीही तुम्ही दार उघडत नाही किंवा त्याला भेटत नाही. काही जण हाक ऐकून, आपल्याजवळ जे साठवलेलं आहे त्यातून मनमोकळेपणाने दान करतात, तर काही दुर्बळ मनाचे लोक ती संधी सोडून देतात आणि दारात आलेल्याला विसरून जातात.

Where this applies

• Outer-wake, inner-sleep paradox. Recognize.
• Vāsudeva at your door. Give dāna.
• Don't avoid alms-collector. No big-and-small.
• Vāsudeva-tatvatā — the singer is the deva. Vicāra recognition.
• Deva exerts for your hita. Open the door.
• Sañcita-haves give;dubaḷīm forget. Differentiator.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2467 — What looks like your whole world, like a fig to the insect living inside it, is only a tin
• 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 4497 — Tukaram describes a life so soaked in devotion that Krishna's presence fills every ordinar