Abhanga 1462
Time's authority over you dissolves the moment you truly remember the divine, and the whole purpose of being born is simply to remember Gōpāḷa.
The verse
काळाचिया सत्ता ते नाहीं घटिका । पंढरीनायका आठवितां ॥१॥ सदाकाळ गणना करी आयुष्याची । कथेचे वेळेची आज्ञा नाहीं ॥ध्रु.॥ याकारणें माझ्या विठोबाची कीर्ति । आहे हे त्रिजगतीं थोर वाट ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जन्मा आलियाचें फळ । स्मरावा गोपाळ तें चि खरें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Kāḷa's sattā — there is no ghaṭikā — when remembering Paṇḍharī-nāyaka. (Kāla) does the gaṇanā of āyuṣya sadā-kāḷa — but at kathā's time, there is no ājñā. For this reason, my Viṭhoba's kīrti — is, in three worlds, a thōra vāṭa. Tuka says: the fruit of having come to janma — smarāvā Gōpāḷa — that alone is kharēm.
मराठी: काळाचिया — सत्ता — ते — नाहीं — घटिका; — पंढरी-नायका — आठवितां. सदा-काळ — गणना — करी — आयुष्याची; — कथेचे — वेळेची — आज्ञा — नाहीं. याकारणें — माझ्या — विठोबाची — कीर्ति; — आहे — हे — त्रिजगतीं — थोर — वाट. Tukā म्हणे — जन्मा — आलियाचें — फळ; — स्मरावा — गोपाळ — तें — चि — खरें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| काळाचिया सत्ता ते नाहीं घटिका | "kāḷa's — sattā (dominion) — that — is not — ghaṭikā (a 24-minute unit)" |
| पंढरीनायका आठवितां | "when one remembers (āṭhavitām) — Paṇḍharī-nāyaka" |
| सदाकाळ गणना करी आयुष्याची | "always (sadā-kāḷa) — gaṇanā (counting) — does — of āyuṣya (lifespan)" |
| कथेचे वेळेची आज्ञा नाहीं | "of kathā's — time — there's no — ājñā (= permission / authority)" |
| याकारणें माझ्या विठोबाची कीर्ति | "for this reason — my Viṭhobā's — kīrti" |
| आहे हे त्रिजगतीं थोर वाट | "is — this — in tri-jagat (three worlds) — thōra vāṭa (great way)" |
| तुका म्हणे जन्मा आलियाचें फळ | "Tuka says — the fruit (phaḷa) — of having come to janma" |
| स्मरावा गोपाळ तें चि खरें | "should be smarāvā (= remembered) — Gōpāḷa — that very — is kharēm (true)" |
What it means
Time-has-no-authority-at-kathā-time abhang. The opening cosmic-claim: kāḷācīyā sattā tē nāhīm ghaṭikā — Paṇḍharī-nāyakā āṭhavitām — inkāḷa'ssattā— there's not even aghaṭikā(= 24-minute time-unit); — when (one)remembers—Paṇḍharī-nāyaka. Time's-dominion has no foothold (= even one ghaṭikā) when Hari is remembered. (Cf. 1416's avaghā-ākāra-grāsiyēlā-kāḷē-ēka-chi-nirāḷē-Haricē-nāma — Hari-nāma alone escapes Time's devouring; here the same theme stated as Time-has-no-permission-during-Hari-remembrance.)
The legal-technicality: sadā-kāḷa gaṇanā karī āyuṣyācī — kathēcē vēḷēcī ājñā nāhīm — (Kāla) does thegaṇanāofāyuṣya— always; — atkathā's time — there is noājñā(permission). The metaphor: Kāla has the standing-order to count lifespan; — but no specific-permission to operate during kathā-time. (= striking legal-formalism — kathā-time is exempt from Kāla's jurisdiction.)
The cosmic-fame: yā-kāraṇē mājhyā Viṭhōbācī kīrti — āhē hē tri-jagatīm thōra vāṭa — for this reason — myViṭhobā'skīrti— is — in thetri-jagat— athōra vāṭa(= great way / path). Viṭhobā's fame as theTime-exempting refugeis the great-path across three worlds.
The closing-purpose-of-life: janmā āliyācēm phaḷa — smarāvā Gōpāḷa tē chi kharēm — thefruitof having come tojanma—should be: remember Gōpāḷa — that alone is kharēm (true).Why-were-you-born?—to remember Gōpāḷa. (Compare 1457'sjanma-gōḍa-yā-sāṭīm— birth is sweet for this; here thepurpose is named explicitly.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: Time has no ghaṭikā-foothold when Hari is remembered; Kāla counts lifespan always but has no permission during kathā-time; this makes Viṭhoba's fame the great way across three worlds; the fruit of birth is to remember Gōpāḷa — that alone is true.
Where this applies
- When you feel crushed by the pressure of time running out and need a moment where that pressure lifts.
- When you're absorbed in a sacred story or remembrance and worldly deadlines seem to fall away.
- When you wonder what your life is actually for and need a simple, clear answer.
- When you seek a refuge from the anxiety that time and mortality bring.