Abhanga 1471
Sin, merit, pleasure and pain each take their turn pushing you around like time's puppet, so when fear rises, ask to be held rather than face it alone.
The verse
पापपुण्यसुखदुःखाचीं मंडळें । एक एकाबळें वाव घेती ॥१॥ कवतुक डोळां पाहिलें सकळ । नाचवितो काळ जीवांसी तो ॥ध्रु.॥ स्वर्गाचिया भोगें सरतां नरक । मागें पुढें एक एक दोन्ही ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे भय उपजलें मना । घेई नारायणा कडिये मज ॥३॥
Literal translation
Maṇḍaḷas of pāpa-puṇya-sukha-duḥkha — by each-one's-force, they take their vāva. The kavataka I saw all with eyes — Kāla makes the jīvas dance. When svarga's bhōga runs out, naraka — back and forth, ēka ēka, both. Tuka says: bhaya has arisen in manā — take me, Nārāyaṇa, on your kaḍī.
मराठी: पाप-पुण्य-सुख-दुःखाचीं — मंडळें; — एक — एका-बळें — वाव — घेती. कवतुक — डोळां — पाहिलें — सकळ; — नाचवितो — काळ — जीवांसी — तो. स्वर्गाचिया — भोगें — सरतां — नरक; — मागें — पुढें — एक — एक — दोन्ही. Tukā म्हणे — भय — उपजलें — मना; — घेई — नारायणा — कडिये — मज.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पापपुण्यसुखदुःखाचीं मंडळें | "of pāpa-puṇya-sukha-duḥkha — maṇḍaḷē (circles / domains)" |
| एक एकाबळें वाव घेती | "by ēka-ēkā-baḷē (each-by-its-own-force) — they take vāva (room / their share-of-space)" |
| कवतुक डोळां पाहिलें सकळ | "the kavataka (= spectacle / wonder) — with eyes — saw — all (sakaḷa)" |
| नाचवितो काळ जीवांसी तो | "Kāla — makes (the jīvas) — nācavitō (= dance)" |
| स्वर्गाचिया भोगें सरतां नरक | "by svarga's — bhōga (experience) — running out (saratām) — naraka" |
| मागें पुढें एक एक दोन्ही | "back and forth (māgēm puḍhēm) — ēka ēka — dōnnhī (= both)" |
| तुका म्हणे भय उपजलें मना | "Tuka says — bhaya (fear) — has arisen (upajalēm) — in manā" |
| घेई नारायणा कडिये मज | "take (ghē'ī) — Nārāyaṇa — on (your) kaḍī (= hip / waist) — me" |
What it means
Time-dances-jīvas-take-me-on-your-hip abhang. The opening cosmic-image: pāpa-puṇya-sukha-duḥkhācīm maṇḍaḷē — ēka ēkā-baḷē vāva ghētī — themaṇḍaḷas (circles / domains) ofpāpa-puṇya-sukha-duḥkha— byeach-one's-strength—take their vāva (room / share-of-space). The fourcircles—pāpa, puṇya, sukha, duḥkha— eachby its own forceclaims its space in the jīva's life. (Compare 1419'ssamcita-vāṭa-phānkatī — samcita-paths branching; same theme.)
The dance-image: kavataka ḍōḷām pāhilēm sakaḷa — nācavitō kāḷa jīvāñsī tō — thekavataka(= spectacle, wonder) — saw with eyes — all; —Kāla— makes thejīvas —dance. The unforgettable image: Time as puppet-master making jīvas dance. (Compare 1416's Time devours all forms; here Time plays with them like a dance.)
The cycle: svargācīyā bhōgēm saratām naraka — māgēm puḍhēm ēka ēka dōnnhī — whensvarga'sbhōgaruns out —naraka; —back and forth—ēka ēka, both. Heaven and hell trade places — as one ends the other begins. (= the Bhāgavata-Purāṇa point: even svarga is just temporary; followed by naraka or punar-janma.)
The closing-cry: bhaya upajalēm manā — ghē'ī Nārāyaṇā kaḍiyē maja — fear has arisen in (my) mind; — take, Nārāyaṇa, on (your)kaḍī(hip) — me. Take me on your hip — the child-on-mother's-hip image (Marathi kaḍē/kaḍiyē = the hip-side where children are carried). The fearful jīva asks Hari to carry him on the hip, child-style. (Pairs with 1406's kaḍē-baisōm-tēṇēm-asōm-nirbhara — sit on hip, be supported; here same child-on-hip image.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: the circles of pāpa-puṇya-sukha-duḥkha each take their force; Time makes the jīvas dance like a spectacle; svarga's experience runs out into naraka, back and forth; fear has arisen in my mind — Nārāyaṇa, take me on your hip.
Where this applies
- When you notice that good times and bad times keep trading places no matter how hard you try to hold on to the good
- When you feel like life's ups and downs are pushing you around and you have no control over the rhythm
- When success or pleasure starts to feel hollow because you sense it won't last
- When fear about the uncertainty of life rises up and you need to feel held rather than face it alone