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.
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
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 Govinda — antara (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) viśva — Viśvambhara (= 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 bādhī — whenantarāya(= interruption / obstacle) falls —antara(gap) (forms) inGovinda; — whateverbhāra(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 Devā — sitting at (the) place — I willremember(your) feet; — I willsee— thatṭhāya— 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-sarpa — theakhaṇḍa(unbroken) — getsbroken— bysamkalpa-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-rūpa — in theviśva(cosmos) —Viśvambhara(= cosmos-supporter) — dwells; — let us stay (rāhōm) — in such adaśā(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
- When your focus keeps getting broken by distractions and you feel further from what grounds you each time
- When you keep taking on extra responsibilities and notice they're what's actually weighing you down
- When back-and-forth doubt keeps interrupting a sense of peace you'd otherwise hold steady
- When you feel guilty over something and, looking closer, realize the fear was only ever in your own mind