संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1445 of 4582

Abhanga 1445

For today: interruption creates gap in Govinda — every load you take is what binds; just sit in place, remember the feet, see his place; samkalpa-vikalpa break the unbroken; mind-born pāpa is rope-snake; Viśvambhara dwells in the cosmos — stay joy-formed.

When interruptions break Govinda-cintana — whatever load taken binds; mind-born pāpa is rope-snake; Viśvambhara dwells everywhere — stay sukha-rūpa

The verse

अंतराय पडे गोविंदीं अंतर । जो जो घ्यावा भार तो चि बाधी ॥१॥ बैसलिये ठायीं आठवीन पाय । पाहीन तो ठाय तुझा देवा ॥ध्रु.॥ अखंड तें खंडे संकल्पीं विकल्प । मनोजन्य पाप रज्जुसर्प ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे विश्वीं विश्वंभर वसे । राहों ऐसे दशे सुखरूप ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: When antarāya falls — antara (forms) in Govinda — whatever bhāra is taken — that itself bādhī. Sitting in the place — I will āṭhavīna pāya — I will pāhīna that ṭhāya, yours, Deva. The akhaṇḍa gets khaṇḍa by samkalpa-vikalpa — manō-janya pāpa is rajju-sarpa. Tuka says: in viśva — Viśvambhara — vasē — let us stay in such daśā sukha-rūpa.

मराठी: अंतराय — पडे — गोविंदीं — अंतर; — जो — जो — घ्यावा — भार — तो — चि — बाधी. बैसलिये — ठायीं — आठवीन — पाय; — पाहीन — तो — ठाय — तुझा — देवा. अखंड — तें — खंडे — संकल्पीं — विकल्प; — मनो-जन्य — पाप — रज्जु-सर्प. Tukā म्हणे — विश्वीं — विश्वंभर — वसे; — राहों — ऐसे — दशे — सुख-रूप.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
अंतराय पडे गोविंदीं अंतर "(when) antarāya (= interruption / obstacle) — falls (paḍē) — in Govindaantara (gap / distance)"
जो जो घ्यावा भार तो चि बाधी "whatever (jō jō) — bhāra (load) — taken (ghyāvā) — that very (tō chi) — binds (bādhī)"
बैसलिये ठायीं आठवीन पाय "sitting at the place (baisaliyē ṭhāyīm) — I will remember (āṭhavīna) — (your) feet (pāya)"
पाहीन तो ठाय तुझा देवा "I will see (pāhīna) — that ṭhāya (place) — yours (tujhā) — Deva"
अखंड तें खंडे संकल्पीं विकल्प "the akhaṇḍa (unbroken) — gets khaṇḍa (broken) — by samkalpa-vikalpa (= resolution-and-doubt)"
मनोजन्य पाप रज्जुसर्प "manō-janya (mind-born) — pāpa — (is like) rajju-sarpa (= rope-snake)"
तुका म्हणे विश्वीं विश्वंभर वसे "Tuka says — in (the) viśvaViśvambhara (= cosmos-supporter) — dwells (vasē)"
राहों ऐसे दशे सुखरूप "let us stay (rāhōm) — (in) such a daśā (state) — sukha-rūpa (joy-formed)"

What it means

Interruption-creates-gap-in-Govinda abhang. The opening: antarāya paḍē Gōvindīm antara — jō jō ghyāvā bhāra tō chi bādhīwhen antarāya (= interruption / obstacle) falls — antara (gap) (forms) in Govinda; — whatever bhāra (load / responsibility) is taken — that very (tō chi) — binds (bādhī). Wordplay between antarāya (interruption) and antara (gap): the interruption itself produces a gap in the Govinda-cintana. Whatever load you take on — it's the binder.

The simple resolution: baisaliyē ṭhāyīm āṭhavīna pāya — pāhīna tō ṭhāya tujhā Devāsitting at (the) place — I will remember (your) feet; — I will see — that ṭhāya — yours, Deva. Sit-in-place; remember-feet; see-the-place-of-the-feet. Three simple acts.

The diagnostic: akhaṇḍa tēm khaṇḍē samkalpīm vikalpa — manō-janya pāpa rajju-sarpathe akhaṇḍa (unbroken) — gets broken — by samkalpa-vikalpa (= resolution-and-doubt-cycle); — mind-born pāpa — is (like) rajju-sarpa (= rope-snake). The akhaṇḍa (unbroken bhakti-flow) is broken by samkalpa-vikalpa (the yes-no oscillation). And the mind-born pāpa — is like the rope-snake (= classical Vedānta example: a rope mistaken for a snake at twilight). The pāpa exists only in the mind; take a closer look and it's a rope. (One of the strongest Vedānta-rope-snake references in the Gatha — Tuka uses it to deflate guilt over imagined pāpa.)

The closing assurance: viśvīm Viśvambhara vasē — rāhōm aisē daśē sukha-rūpain the viśva (cosmos) — Viśvambhara (= cosmos-supporter) — dwells; — let us stay (rāhōm) — in such a daśā (state) — sukha-rūpa (joy-formed). (= the cosmos itself is full-of-Viśvambhara; — let us stay sukha-rūpa in that recognition. Compare 1411's yētō-baisaliyā-ṭhāyā-āsaṇa-vyāpī-Devarāyā — Deva pervades the seat where one sits.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: interruption creates gap in Govinda — every load you take is what binds; just sit in place, remember the feet, see his place; samkalpa-vikalpa break the unbroken; mind-born pāpa is rope-snake; Viśvambhara dwells in the cosmos — stay joy-formed.

Where this applies

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