Abhanga 1366
For today: all toil is mithyā until Rāma is in the throat; sāvadhāna — unwind the mind from sankalpa; abandonment-as-display gets struck by kāla; give your share, meditate Pāṇḍuranga.
The verse
अवघी मिथ्या आटी । राम नाहीं तंव कंठीं ॥१॥ सावधान सावधान । उगवीं संकल्पीं हें मन ॥ध्रु.॥ सांडिलें तें मांडे । आघ्र उरल्या काळें दंडे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आलें भागा । देउनि चिंतीं पांडुरंगा ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: All toil is mithyā — until Rāma is in the throat. Sāvadhāna sāvadhāna — unwind this mind from sankalpa. What was abandoned is māṇḍē — what's left, kāḷa daṇḍē. Tuka says: what came as bhāga — give — meditate Pāṇḍuranga.
मराठी: अवघी आटी मिथ्या-च — कंठीं राम नाहीं तोपर्यंत. सावधान, सावधान — संकल्पांतून हें मन उगवी. सांडलें तें मांडें — उरलेलें — कालानें-च दंडें. Tukā म्हणे — भागा-तें आलें — देऊन — पांडुरंग-च चिंतीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अवघी मिथ्या आटी | "all (avaghī) — āṭī (toil) — is mithyā" |
| राम नाहीं तंव कंठीं | "until (tamva) — Rāma — is not in the kaṇṭha (throat)" |
| सावधान सावधान | "sāvadhāna — sāvadhāna" |
| उगवीं संकल्पीं हें मन | "ugavī (open / unwind) — this mind — from sankalpa" |
| सांडिलें तें मांडे | "what was abandoned (sāṇḍilēm) — is māṇḍē (display)" |
| आघ्र उरल्या काळें दंडे | "what's left (uralyā) — kāḷē — daṇḍē (punishes / strikes)" |
| आलें भागा देउनि चिंतीं पांडुरंगा | "what came as bhāga — give (dē'unī) — meditate Pāṇḍuranga" |
What it means
Sāvadhāna-unwind-mind-from-sankalpa abhang. The opening: avaghī mithyā āṭī — Rāma nāhīm tamva kaṇṭhīm — all the āṭī (toil) is mithyā — until Rāma is in the kaṇṭha (throat). Until the name is on the tongue, all spiritual-toil is vain. The criterion: kaṇṭha-Rāma.
The repeated wake-call: sāvadhāna sāvadhāna — ugavī sankalpīm hē mana — wake! wake! — ugavī (= unwind / dis-engage / extricate) — this mind from sankalpa. Sankalpa (= the formal-resolve / the I'll-do-this-for-this-result declaration) is the binding-mechanism; unwind from it.
Sāṇḍilē tē māṇḍē — āghra uralyā kāḷē daṇḍē — what was abandoned is māṇḍē (= ostentation, display); what remains, kāḷa daṇḍē (= kāla strikes / punishes). The sannyāsi who displays renunciation isn't really renouncing; what he didn't fully renounce, kāla will strike. The display-of-tyāga doesn't fool kāla.
The closing: ālēm bhāgā — dē'unī cintīm Pāṇḍurangā — what came as bhāga (one's share) — give (= offer, transmit) — meditate Pāṇḍuranga***. Whatever came to your share — give it forward, and meditate Pāṇḍuranga.
[T]
For someone today
For today: all toil is mithyā until Rāma is in the throat; sāvadhāna — unwind the mind from sankalpa; abandonment-as-display gets struck by kāla; give your share, meditate Pāṇḍuranga.
Where this applies
- Toil-mithyā-until-Rāma-in-throat.* Mithyā-āṭī-Rāma-kaṇṭhīm.
- Wake-up-and-unwind-mind-from-sankalpa.* Sāvadhāna-ugavī-sankalpīm.
- Display-tyāga-struck-by-kāla.* Sāṇḍilē-māṇḍē-kāḷē-daṇḍē.
- Give-share-and-meditate-Pāṇḍuranga.* Bhāgā-dē'unī-Pāṇḍurangā.