Abhanga 1492

Knowing the truth about life, aging, and death is not enough on its own; unless you actually act on it now, by something as simple as remembering God, the chance to change may quietly slip away.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

Why-don't-they-say-Rāma-Rāma abhang. Direct continuation of 1491's astonishment-and-grief. Where 1491 enumerated why people neglect bhakti?, 1492 enumerates why-they-neglect-it-despite-knowing. The opening: kāya ēkām jālēm tēm kām nāhīm ṭhāvē — what's happened to others — why don't they know? Then: dēkhatīla ḍōḷām aikatī kānīm — bōlilēm purāṇīm tēm hī ṭhāvē — they see with eyes, hear with ears — even what's spoken in the Purāṇas they know. The paradox-of-knowing-but-not-acting.

The body-knowledge: kāya hēm śarīra sāca kīm jāṇāra — sakaḷa vicāra jāṇatī hā — whether this body is real or going — they know all the reasoning. The jāṇāra (= going-away) — the body is going-from-existence; they know this intellectually.

The age-progression: kām hēm kaḷōm nayē āpulēm āpaṇā — bālatva tāruṇya vṛddha-daśā — why doesn't this come known to oneself — childhood, youth, old-age? The three-ages — even seeing one's own progression, why doesn't the bhakti-implication become clear?

The wife-son-wealth-question: kām hēm āvaḍalēm priyā-putra-dhana — kāya kāmā kōṇa kōṇā ālēm — why are wife-son-wealth liked? — what work has anyone been of, to anyone? (= no relation has helped any other in extremity.)

The wasted-birth: kām hēm janma vāyām ghātalēm uttama — kām hē Rāma-Rāma na mhaṇatī — why this best-birth thrown in vain? — why don't they say Rāma-Rāma? The vāyām-ghātalēm image — the human-birth, the best, has beenthrown-out-without-using. Why don't they at least say "Rāma-Rāma"? (= the most-minimal-bhakti-act.)

The delusion-paradox: kāya bhulī yāñsī paḍalī jāṇatām — dēkhatī maratām āṇikāñsī — whatbhulīhas fallen on them, knowing? — they see others dying. Even with eyes-on-others'-deaths, the bhulī covers them.

The closing-image: kāya karitī hē bāndhaliyā kāḷē — baḷē vajra-pāśīm — what would they do —bound by Kāla— by force — in thevajra-pāśa(= adamantine-noose)? The vajra-pāśa is the unbreakable-noose — even if they wanted to act, they'd be helpless. (= bhulī produces complete paralysis; the wake-up-window may have closed.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: people see, hear, know — yet why don't they understand for themselves? body-truth, age-progression, wife-son-wealth's uselessness — all known; this best-birth thrown in vain — why don't they say Rāma-Rāma? delusion has fallen even on knowers; bound by Time in adamantine-noose.

Where this applies

• When you already know what's good for you but keep putting off actually doing it
• When you notice yourself aging or see loved ones growing older, yet you still act as if you have all the time in the world
• When you've witnessed someone else's death or loss and feel the truth of it fade within days instead of changing how you live
• When you keep telling yourself you'll start a small daily practice like prayer or reflection someday, but someday never comes

Related verses

• Abhanga 2448 — The easiest path to God is repeating divine names with love at home, right where you are,
• Abhanga 2464 — For today: Pāṇḍuranga is sukha-rūpa ; no wandering, no shaving, no sādhana-pressure ; Chan
• Abhanga 2477 — Like a child too absorbed in play to notice how tired he is, let go and trust the parent c
• Abhanga 2481 — Pandharpur surpasses even the greatest pilgrimage cities because people there set aside pr