Abhanga 691
The universe is too vast to be fully grasped by your own effort, so cling to the guidance of realized people instead of trying to measure it alone.
The verse
कोण त्याचा पार पावला धुंडितां । पुढें विचारितां विश्वंभरा ॥१॥ अणुरेणु सूक्ष्मस्थूळा पार नाहीं । श्रुती नेती त्या ही खुंटलिया ॥ध्रु.॥ फळांत कीटक येवढें आकाश । ऐसीं तरुवरास अनेक किती ॥२॥ दाविलें अनंतें अर्जुनासि पोटीं । आणीक त्या सृष्टी कृष्णलोक ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे लागा संतांचिये कासे । ठाव घेतां कैसे वांचा जीवें ॥४॥
Literal translation
Who has reached its pāra (far-shore) by searching? — even Viśvambhara, considered further. No pāra even for aṇu-rēṇu-sūkṣma-sthūḷā — even Śruti's neti get khuṇṭaliyā (stuck). In a phaḷa (fruit), in a kīṭaka (worm) — that-much ākāśa — such, taru-vara — many — how many? Ananta showed Arjuna in His pōṭa (belly) — and-other sṛṣṭi, Kṛṣṇa-lōka. Tuka says: cling to santāmciyē kāsē — taking ṭhāva (measure) — how do you survive with jīva?
मराठी: कोण ह्याचा पार धुंडित पावला? — पुढें विचारतां विश्वंभरा. अणु-रेणु-सूक्ष्म-स्थूळ — पार नाही — श्रुती-नेति-नेति सुद्धा खुंटली. फळांत कीटक — एवढं आकाश — अशी तरुवरें अनेक — किती?. अनंतेंसी अर्जुनास पोटी दाखविलं — आणि त्या सृष्टी, कृष्ण-लोक. Tuka म्हणे: संतांच्या कासेला लागा — ठाव-घेतां कसा जीवें वांचा?.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कोण त्याचा पार पावला धुंडितां | "who — pāra — reached — searching" |
| पुढें विचारितां विश्वंभरा | "considering further — Viśvambhara" |
| अणुरेणु सूक्ष्मस्थूळा पार नाहीं | "aṇu-rēṇu-sūkṣma-sthūḷā — pāra — none" |
| श्रुती नेती त्या ही खुंटलिया | "śrutī's neti — khuṇṭaliyā (stuck)" |
| फळांत कीटक येवढें आकाश | "in phaḷa — kīṭaka — that-much ākāśa" |
| ऐसीं तरुवरास अनेक किती | "such — taru-vara — many — how many?" |
| दाविलें अनंतें अर्जुनासि पोटीं | "Ananta — showed — Arjuna — pōṭa (belly)" |
| आणीक त्या सृष्टी कृष्णलोक | "and-other — sṛṣṭi — Kṛṣṇa-lōka" |
| लागा संतांचिये कासे | "cling — santāmciyē kāsē (santas' hem)" |
| ठाव घेतां कैसे वांचा जीवें | "ṭhāva taking — how — vāncā (alive) — jīvē" |
What it means
A cosmological-vastness-no-far-shore-aṇu-rēṇu-fruit-worm-cosmos-Anantā-shows-Arjuna-cling-to-santas abhang. Cosmological-vastness register. Four claims:
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पार धुंडित कोण? — विश्वंभर पुढें-विचारतां. No-pāra-by-searching-claim. Who has reached thepāra(far-shore) by searching?; (consider) evenViśvambhara(the universe-supporter). No-one-reaches-the-far-shore-even-of-Viśvambhara.
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अणु-रेणु-सूक्ष्म-स्थूळ — पार नाही — श्रुती-नेति खुंटलि. No-pāra-Vedas-stuck-claim. Even foraṇu-rēṇu-sūkṣma-sthūḷā(the four-fold scale: atom-particle-subtle-gross); nopāra; even theŚruti'sneti-neti (the Upaniṣadic "not-this-not-this" formula) get khuṇṭaliyā (stuck, halted).Even-the-Vedas-stuck; no-far-shore-from-aṇu-to-sthūla.
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फळांत कीटक — एवढं आकाश — तरुवर अनेक — किती? — अनंतेंसी अर्जुनास पोटी — आणि कृष्ण-लोक. Cosmological-fractal-claim. In a fruit (phaḷa), in a worm (kīṭaka) — that-muchākāśa(sky / space); (in such)taru-vara(great-trees) — many — how many uncountable!; Ananta showed Arjuna in His belly (= the Bhagavad-gītā 11 viśva-rūpa-darśana — Arjuna seeing-all-cosmoses-in-Kṛṣṇa's-form);and other-such sṛṣṭi, including Kṛṣṇa-lōka. Cosmological-fractal: in-a-fruit's-worm-is-a-cosmos; trees-uncountable; Arjuna-saw-all-cosmoses-in-Kṛṣṇa's-belly. (This is the anantatā of the cosmos — Bhagavad-gītā's viśva-rūpa applied with the fruit-worm-cosmos image.)
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Tuka: संतांच्या-कासेला लागा — ठाव-घेतां कसा वांचा? Cling-to-santas-and-don't-survive-measuring-claim. Tuka says: cling tosantāmciyē kāsē(the hem of the santas' garment); (if you try to)ṭhāva-ghētām(take-the-measure / fathom-it-yourself) — how do you (the bhakta) survive (vāncā) with (your)jīva?. The bhakta-cannot-survive-fathoming-cosmos; cling-to-santas-instead. (The practical-resolution: don't try to fathom the infinite; cling to the santāmciyē kāsa — the santas' garment-hem.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram says the universe is too vast for anyone to fully grasp. Even the Vedas' deepest inquiry gets stuck trying to define it, and there's a whole cosmos hidden inside a single fruit or a tiny worm, just as Krishna once showed Arjuna entire worlds inside his own body. Trying to measure or fully understand something this immense on your own is a losing effort. Instead, Tukaram's advice is simple: hold on to the company and guidance of the santas, the realized ones, rather than trying to figure it all out by yourself.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की हे विश्व इतकं अफाट आहे की कोणीही ते पूर्णपणे जाणू शकत नाही. वेदांची खोल शोधसुद्धा त्याची व्याख्या करताना अडखळते, आणि एका फळात, एका किड्यातही संपूर्ण आकाश सामावलेलं असतं, जसं कृष्णाने अर्जुनाला आपल्या पोटात सगळी सृष्टी दाखवली. एवढं अफाट काहीतरी स्वतःच्या बळावर मोजायचा किंवा पूर्ण समजून घ्यायचा प्रयत्न करणं व्यर्थ आहे. तुकारामांचा सल्ला साधा आहे, स्वतः सगळं शोधण्याऐवजी संतांचा आधार धरा.
Where this applies
- Nopāra anywhere. Vastness.
- Fruit-worm-cosmos. Fractal.
- Anantā-Arjuna. Bhagavad-gītā 11.
- Santāmciyē kāsē. Cling-image.