संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1386 of 4582

Abhanga 1386

For today: much suffered before in ignorance — should you stay blind now? Place it on the One; don't grope for separate-things; the brahmāṇḍa-mover answers his own call.

When you'd stop groping among separate-things — place it on the One's body; the brahmāṇḍa-mover answers his own call

The verse

बहुत सोसिले मागें न कळतां । पुढती काय आतां अंध व्हावें ॥१॥ एकाचिये अंगीं हें ठेवावें लावून । नये भिन्न भिन्ना चांचपडो ॥ध्रु.॥ कोण होईल तो ब्रम्हांडचाळक । आपणें चि हाके देईल हाके ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे दिलीं चेतवूनि सुणीं । कौतुकावांचूनि नाहीं छळ ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Much suffered before, without knowing — should one now become blind? Place this on the One's body — don't go groping for separate-and-separate. Who else will be the brahmāṇḍa-cāḷaka? — by his own hāka, he will give hāka. Tuka says: having woken (with) the suṇī — without kavutuka, there is no chaḷa.

मराठी: बहुत सोसिलें — मागें — न-कळतां — पुढती — आतां — काय — अंध व्हावें? एकाच्या-च अंगीं — हें — ठेवावें — लावून — नका — भिन्न-भिन्ना — चांचपडूं. कोण होईल — तो — ब्रह्मांड-चाळक? — आपणच — हाकेला — हाक देईल. Tukā म्हणे — सुणीला (कुत्र्याला) चेतवून — कौतुका-वांचून — छळ नाहीं.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
बहुत सोसिले मागें न कळतां "much suffered (sōsilē) — before — na kaḷatām (without-knowing)"
पुढती काय आतां अंध व्हावें "now — should one — andha vhāvē (become blind / unseeing)?"
एकाचिये अंगीं हें ठेवावें लावून "place (ṭhēvāvē-lāvūn) — this — on ēka's (the One's) anga (body)"
नये भिन्न भिन्ना चांचपडो "(do) not — go — cāncapaḍa (= groping with feet) — bhinna-bhinna (separate-and-separate)"
कोण होईल तो ब्रम्हांडचाळक "who else (kōṇa) will be — that brahmāṇḍa-cāḷaka (cosmos-mover)?"
आपणें चि हाके देईल हाके "by his own hāka (call) — he will give hāka (= will respond / call back)"
तुका म्हणे दिलीं चेतवूनि सुणीं "Tuka says — dilī cētavūnī (= having woken) — suṇī (the dog / hound)"
कौतुकावांचूनि नाहीं छळ "without kavutuka (= playful purpose / wonder) — there is no chaḷa (deception / play)"

What it means

Don't-grope-place-on-the-One abhang. The opening retrospect: bahuta sōsilē māgē na kaḷatām — puḍhatī kāya ātām andha vhāvē?much suffered before, without knowingnow — should one (still) become andha (blind)? Past suffering happened in ignorance; now (after some learning), should one willfully stay blind? Andha vhāvēto become andha — Tuka asks the bhakta to refuse this.

The remedy: ēkāciyē angīm hē ṭhēvāvē lāvūn — nayē bhinna bhinnām cāncapaḍōplace this — on one's (the Ēka's) anga (body) — don't (na yē) go cāncapaḍa (= groping-with-feet, like one walking blind in the dark) for bhinna-bhinna (= separate-and-separate things). The image is exact: don't walk-blind groping-foot-by-foot for separate-things; place the load on the One.

The trust: kōṇa hō'īla tō brahmāṇḍa-cāḷaka — āpaṇē chi hākē dē'īla hākēwho else will be the brahmāṇḍa-cāḷaka (cosmos-mover)? — by his own hāka (call), he will give hāka (= response / call-back). The brahmāṇḍa-mover responds to his own call — i.e., the bhakta's call is his call (the hāka is one); he naturally answers.

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē dilī cētavūnī suṇī — kavutukāvāmcūnī nāhīm chaḷaTuka says — having woken the suṇī (dog / hound) — without kavutuka, there is no chaḷa (= teasing / play / deception). The dog has been roused; there's no playful-deception (chaḷa-kavutuka) intended. Sometimes Tuka writes obscure-image lines like this; the rough sense: the suṇī-rousing is real, not playful — Hari isn't playing with you when he calls.

[T]

For someone today

For today: much suffered before in ignorance — should you stay blind now? Place it on the One; don't grope for separate-things; the brahmāṇḍa-mover answers his own call.

Where this applies

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