Abhanga 1360
For today: like a whirling-toy, everything seems to spin; stay still — the immovable is where it always is; one shout makes many echoes; clouds run, the moon seems to run; the same seems as other.
The verse
भोवंडींसरिसें । अवघें भोंवत चि दिसे ॥१॥ ठायीं राहिल्या निश्चळ । आहे अचळीं अचळ ॥ध्रु.॥ एक हाकेचा कपाटीं । तेथें आणीक नाद उठी ॥२॥ अभ्रें धांवे शशी । तुका असे ते तें दुसरें भासी ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Like a bhōmvaḍī — everything appears spinning. Staying still in (one's) ṭhāya — the acaḷa is in the acaḷa. One shout in the kapāṭa — there other nādas rise. (When) clouds run, the moon (seems to run) — Tuka says — that-very seems-as-other.
मराठी: भोंवडीं-सारिखें — अवघें भोंवत-च दिसें. ठायीं-च — निश्चळ राहिल्या — अचळ-तो — अचळींच आहे. कपाटांत एक हाक — तिथें-च — आणखीं नाद उठतात. अभ्रें (ढग) धांवती — शशी (चंद्र) — धांवे-सारिखा (दिसे). Tukā म्हणे — असे-तें-च — तें — दुसरें-सारिखें भासें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| भोवंडींसरिसें | "like (sariśē) a bhōmvaḍī (whirling-game / spinning-toy)" |
| अवघें भोंवत चि दिसे | "everything (avaghē) — appears (disē) — bhōmvata (spinning)" |
| ठायीं राहिल्या निश्चळ | "staying (rāhilyā) niścaḷa (motionless) — in (one's own) ṭhāya (place)" |
| आहे अचळीं अचळ | "the acaḷa (immovable) — is in the acaḷa" |
| एक हाकेचा कपाटीं | "one hāka (shout) — in the kapāṭa (cave)" |
| तेथें आणीक नाद उठी | "there — other nādas (echoes) rise (uṭhī)" |
| अभ्रें धांवे शशी | "(when) clouds (abhra) run — the śaśī (moon) (seems-to) run" |
| तुका असे ते तें दुसरें भासी | "Tuka — that-very (asē tē) — dusarē bhāsī (seems as another)" |
What it means
Whirling-perception abhang. The opening image: bhōmvaḍīsarisē — avaghē bhōmvata chi disē — like a bhōmvaḍī (= the spinning-top / whirling-fan) — everything seems to spin. When you spin, the world appears to spin. Subject's-motion projected onto the world.
The contrast: ṭhāyīm rāhilyā niścaḷa — āhē acaḷīm acaḷa — staying niścaḷa (motionless) in (one's) ṭhāya — the acaḷa (the immovable) is in the acaḷa (the immovable place). Stay still, and you see the immovable — because the immovable is exactly where the immovable always is.
The echo-image: ēka hākēcā kapāṭīm — tēthē āṇīka nāda uṭhī — one shout in the kapāṭa (cave) — there other nādas (echoes) rise. One outcry produces many echoes; thus one misperception generates many derivative-misperceptions. The echo-multiplication of error.
The closing classical image: abhrē dhāmvē śaśī — (when) clouds run, the śaśī (moon seems-to) run. The classical Indian moon-among-clouds perceptual illusion: clouds drift, the moon appears to move-the-other-way. Tukā asē tē tē dusarē bhāsī — that-very (= the same thing) seems-as-other. The same Hari, in the abhra (cloud) of māyā, appears as other (= as world).
[T]
For someone today
For today: like a whirling-toy, everything seems to spin; stay still — the immovable is where it always is; one shout makes many echoes; clouds run, the moon seems to run; the same seems as other.
Where this applies
- Whirling-everything-spins.* Bhōmvaḍīsarisē-bhōmvata.
- Staying-still-immovable-is-immovable.* Ṭhāyīm-niścaḷa-acaḷīm-acaḷa.
- One-shout-many-echoes.* Hākēcā-kapāṭīm-nāda-uṭhī.
- Clouds-run-moon-seems-to-run.* Abhrē-dhāmvē-śaśī.
- Same-seems-as-other.* Asē-tē-tē-dusarē-bhāsī.