Abhanga 1097
Even the great battle between Rāma and Rāvaṇa is really an act of love underneath, this verse says: the true aim behind the arrows is prēma-sukha, the joy of loving connection, and every arrow that flies serves that love at a deeper level. Both fighters put their reputation on the line the moment they step onto the battlefield. Tukārām says his master Raghunāth won not through brute force but by knowing the varma, the one vital point where the real difference could be made. Real victory in any struggle comes from understanding what truly matters, not from simply matching force with force.
The verse
समरंगणा आला । रामें रावण देखिला ॥१॥ कैसे भीडतील दोन्ही । नांव सारुनियां रणीं ॥ध्रु.॥ प्रेमसुखाचें संधान । बाणें निवारिती बाण ॥२॥ तुकयास्वामी रघुनाथ । वर्म जाणोनि केली मात ॥३॥
Literal translation
Samarangaṇā — Rāma saw Rāvaṇa. Bhīḍatīla — nāva-raṇī. Prēma-sukha-samdhāna — bāṇa-bāṇa. Tukayā-svāmī Raghu-nātha — varma-māta.
मराठी: समरंगणा आला — Rāmें Rāvaṇ देखिला. कैसे भीडतील दोन्ही — रणीं नांव सारुनियां. प्रेम-सुखाचें संधान — बाणें बाण निवारिती. Tukayā-svāmī Raghu-nātha — वर्म जाणोनि मात केली.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| समरंगणा आला | "samarangaṇā" |
| रामें रावण देखिला | "Rāma saw Rāvaṇa" |
| कैसे भीडतील दोन्ही | "bhīḍatīla" |
| नांव सारुनियां रणीं | "nāva — raṇī" |
| प्रेमसुखाचें संधान | "prēma-sukha-samdhāna" |
| बाणें निवारिती बाण | "bāṇa repels bāṇa" |
| तुकयास्वामी रघुनाथ | "Tukayā-svāmī Raghu-nātha" |
| वर्म जाणोनि केली मात | "varma — māta" |
What it means
Rāmacaritra abhanga 8. The Rāma-Rāvaṇa-yuddha. Four claims:
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समरंगण — Rāma-Rāvaṇ-देखिला. On-the-battlefield-claim. Came to thesamarangaṇa;Rāma saw Rāvaṇa.
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भीडतील-दोन्ही — नांव-रणीं. Leaving-name-in-battlefield-claim. How shall they fight, both?; leaving thenāva(name, reputation) in theraṇī.
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प्रेम-सुख-संधान — बाणें-बाण. Bāṇa-repels-bāṇa-claim. Thesamdhāna(aim) ofprēma-sukha;bāṇarepelsbāṇa. (At a deeper level: the prema-sukha is thereal target — even arrow-against-arrow is in service of prema.)
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Tuka-स्वामी — वर्म-मात. Knowing-varma-won-the-māta-claim. Tukayā-svāmī Raghu-nātha;knowing the varma, made the māta (won the match).
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For someone today
Even the great battle between Rāma and Rāvaṇa is really an act of love underneath, this verse says: the true aim behind the arrows is prēma-sukha, the joy of loving connection, and every arrow that flies serves that love at a deeper level. Both fighters put their reputation on the line the moment they step onto the battlefield. Tukārām says his master Raghunāth won not through brute force but by knowing the varma, the one vital point where the real difference could be made. Real victory in any struggle comes from understanding what truly matters, not from simply matching force with force.
मराठी: राम आणि रावण यांच्यातील मोठे युद्धसुद्धा खोलवर पाहता प्रेमाचेच कृत्य आहे, असे हा अभंग सांगतो: बाणांच्या मागचे खरे लक्ष्य प्रेमसुख आहे, आणि उडणारा प्रत्येक बाण खोलवर त्याच प्रेमाच्या सेवेत असतो. दोन्ही योद्धे रणांगणावर उतरताच आपली प्रतिष्ठा पणाला लावतात. तुकाराम म्हणतात, त्यांचे स्वामी रघुनाथ यांनी बळाने नव्हे तर वर्म ओळखून, म्हणजे नेमकी निर्णायक जागा जाणून, विजय मिळवला. कोणत्याही संघर्षात खरा विजय बळाला बळाने उत्तर देण्यातून नव्हे तर नेमके काय महत्त्वाचे आहे हे समजण्यातून मिळतो.
Where this applies
- Battlefield. Samarangaṇā.
- Name-staked. Raṇī.
- Arrow-arrow. Bāṇa.
- Won-by-varma. Māta.