Abhanga 1386
Stop groping blindly at separate problems and place the whole weight on the One who moves the universe, since your call and his answer are one and the same.
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
Much suffered before, without knowing — should onenowbecome 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 knowing—now— should one (still) becomeandha(blind)? Past suffering happened in ignorance; now (after some learning), should one willfully stay blind? Andha vhāvē — to become andha — Tuka asks the bhakta to refuse this.
The remedy: ēkāciyē angīm hē ṭhēvāvē lāvūn — nayē bhinna bhinnām cāncapaḍō — place this — onone's (theĒka's)anga(body) — don't (na yē) gocāncapaḍa(= groping-with-feet, like one walking blind in the dark) forbhinna-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 hākē — who else will be thebrahmāṇḍa-cāḷaka(cosmos-mover)? — by his ownhāka(call), he will givehāka(= 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 chaḷa — Tuka says — having woken thesuṇī(dog / hound) —without kavutuka, there is nochaḷa(= 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
- When you keep repeating the same painful pattern out of habit, even after you know better
- When you try to fix every problem separately instead of trusting one steady source
- When you doubt whether calling out for help will actually reach anyone
- When you feel scattered, chasing many different solutions instead of settling on one