संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 733 of 4582

Abhanga 733

When something in you becomes truly settled and complete, scattered pieces gather into rhythm, and language itself reaches its limit and stops.

When what's built has become akṣai (imperishable) — doesn't break — and you have to recognize this register
When the foundation is laid deep; no further onward — and you accept this image
When speech has been halted onward — and you receive this final image

The verse

अक्षई तें झालें । आतां न मोडे रचिलें ॥१॥ पाया पडिला खोले ठायीं । तेथें पुढें चाली नाहीं ॥ध्रु.॥ होतें विखुरलें । ताळा जमे झडती आलें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे बोली । पुढें कुंटित चि जाली ॥३॥

Literal translation

Akṣai — became — now — na mōḍēracilē. Pāyā — laid — khōla-ṭhāyīm — there — puḍhē-cālī — none. What was — vikhuralētāḷā jamējhaḍatī ālē. Tuka says: bōlīpuḍhēkuṇṭita ci jālī.

मराठी: अक्षई झालं — आतां रचिलेलं मोडत नाही. पाया खोल-ठायीं पडला — तेथें पुढें चाली नाही. विखुरलेलं होतं — ताळ्यात जमलं — झडतीला आलं. Tuka म्हणे: बोली — पुढें कुंटीत-च जाली.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
अक्षई तें झालें "akṣai — became"
आतां न मोडे रचिलें "now — na mōḍēracilē"
पाया पडिला खोले ठायीं "pāyā — laid — khōla-ṭhāyīm"
तेथें पुढें चाली नाहीं "there — puḍhē-cālī — none"
होतें विखुरलें "what was — vikhuralē"
ताळा जमे झडती आलें "tāḷā jamējhaḍatī ālē"
बोली पुढें कुंटित चि जाली "bōlīpuḍhēkuṇṭita ci jālī"

What it means

A akṣai-built-no-break-foundation-deep-scattered-gathered-tāḷa-jhaḍatī-speech-halted abhang. Perfection-stops-language register. Three claims:

  1. अक्षई-झालं — रचिलेलं मोडत-नाही — पाया-खोल-ठायीं — पुढें-चाली-नाही. Akṣai-built-deep-foundation-no-onward-claim. It has becomeakṣai(imperishable, in-destructible); what isracilē(built-up, constructed) doesn'tmōḍē(break); thepāyā(foundation) is laid in akhōla ṭhāyīm(deep place); there, no further onward-movement (puḍhē cālī nāhīm — the path doesn't go further than this). Akṣai-construction-on-deep-foundation-and-no-further-onward.

  2. विखुरलेलं — ताळ्यात-जमलं — झडतीला-आलं. Scattered-gathered-jhaḍatī-claim. What wasvikhuralē(scattered, dispersed); gathered intotāḷa(rhythm, beat); jhaḍatī came (the jhaḍatī — the rhythmic-shaking, the dance-pose where the body-trembles-in-tāḷa).Scattered-elements-now-in-rhythm-and-jhaḍatī. (Thejhaḍatī in Vārkarī kīrtana is the rhythmic-shaking-dance that comes when the bhakta enters bhāva.)

  3. Tuka: बोली — पुढें कुंटीत-च-जाली. Speech-halted-onward-claim. Tuka says:bōlī (speech, language) — puḍhē (further) — kuṇṭita ci jālī (has-become halted, stopped, lame).Language-stops-onward-from-here. (At the point ofakṣai-perfection,speech itself stops; there's-no-further-language possible.)

[T]

For someone today

What has been built has now become imperishable — it will never come apart, because its foundation is laid deep, at a place beyond which nothing further needs to happen. What was once scattered has gathered itself into rhythm, and the trembling of ecstatic dance has come over it. Tukaram says that from here, even speech itself comes to a halt — there are simply no more words to carry it further.

मराठी: जे उभारले गेले होते, ते आता अक्षय झाले आहे — ते कधीही मोडणार नाही, कारण त्याचा पाया खोल जागी रोवला गेला आहे, जिथून पुढे जायला काहीच उरत नाही. जे पूर्वी विखुरलेले होते, ते आता तालात एकवटले आहे, आणि त्यावर झडतीची थरथर उतरली आहे. तुकाराम म्हणतात, इथून पुढे बोलीही थांबते — पुढे नेण्यासाठी शब्दच उरत नाहीत.

Where this applies

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