Abhanga 1696
A joy greater than anything else settles the restless mind and, once truly held in the heart, lets you rest instead of striving.
The verse
नाहीं त्रिभुवनीं सुख या समान । म्हणऊनि मन स्थिरावलें ॥१॥ धरियेलीं जीवीं पाउलें कोमळीं । केली एकावळी नाममाळा ॥ध्रु.॥ शीतळ होऊनियां पावलों विश्रांती । न साहे पुढती घाली चित्ती ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जाले सकळ सोहळे । पुरविले डोहळे पांडुरंगें ॥३॥
Literal translation
No sukha equal in three-bhuvanas — therefore mind has become sthira. Held soft feet in jīva — made the ekāvaḷī of nāma-mālā. Becoming cool, attained viśrānti — won't bear further, places (it) in chitta. Tuka says: all sōhaḷē have been done — Pāṇḍuranga fulfilled the doha-ḷē.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नाहीं त्रिभुवनीं सुख या समान | "no sukha equal — in three-bhuvanas" |
| म्हणऊनि मन स्थिरावलें | "therefore — mind — has become sthira" |
| धरियेलीं जीवीं पाउलें कोमळीं | "held — in jīva — soft feet" |
| केली एकावळी नाममाळा | "made — ekāvaḷī — nāma-mālā" |
| शीतळ होऊनियां पावलों विश्रांती | "becoming cool — attained viśrānti" |
| न साहे पुढती घाली चित्ती | "won't bear — further — places in chitta" |
| तुका म्हणे जाले सकळ सोहळे | "Tuka says — all sōhaḷē (festivals) — have been done" |
| पुरविले डोहळे पांडुरंगें | "fulfilled — the doha-ḷē (pregnant-cravings) — by Pāṇḍuranga" |
What it means
No-equal-sukha + Pāṇḍuranga-fulfilled-doha-ḷē-pregnant-cravings abhang.
The no-equal: nāhīm tribhuvanīm sukha yā samāna — mhaṇa'ūni mana sthirāvalēm — no sukha equal in three-bhuvanas — therefore mind has become sthira. No sukha matches this; therefore mind has settled-firm.
The nāma-mālā: dhariyēlīm jīvīm pā'ulēm kōmaḷīm — kēlī ēkāvaḷī nāma-māḷā — held soft feet in jīva — made the ekāvaḷī of nāma-mālā. Ekāvaḷī = a single-strand-necklace. Made the nāma-mālā into a single-strand-necklace (= the nāmas threaded one-after-another into a single-strand-of-recitation).
The cool-rest: śītaḷa hō'uniyām pāvalōm viśrāntī — na sāhē puḍhatī ghālī chittī — becoming cool, attained viśrānti — won't bear further, places in chitta. The bhakta has cooled and rested; won't bear further (effort), places (the matter) in chitta.
The doha-ḷē-fulfillment: Tukā mhaṇē jālē sakaḷa sōhaḷē — puravilē dōha-ḷē Pāṇḍurangē — Tuka says: all sōhaḷē (festivals) have been done — Pāṇḍuranga fulfilled the doha-ḷē. Doha-ḷē = the pregnant-woman's-cravings (= the peculiar-food-and-experience-cravings of a pregnant woman, traditionally indulged-by-the-family). All festivals have been celebrated; Pāṇḍuranga has fulfilled the bhakta's pregnant-cravings. (Striking-image: the bhakta is the pregnant-mother carrying-bhakti-as-the-fetus; Pāṇḍuranga as the loving-husband / family who fulfills every craving.)
The bhakta-as-pregnant-woman image is unusual — it inverts the more-common bhakta-as-bride / bhakta-as-child register. The bhakta is pregnant-with-bhakti; Pāṇḍuranga indulges the cravings.
[T]
For someone today
For today: no sukha equal in the three-bhuvanas — therefore my mind has become steady; I have held the soft feet in my jīva — and made the single-strand-necklace of the nāma-mālā; becoming cool, I have attained rest — won't bear further effort, place it in chitta; Tuka says — all festivals have been completed — Pāṇḍuranga has fulfilled my pregnant-cravings.
Where this applies
- When your mind keeps searching for a happiness nothing else has matched
- When you find comfort in repeating a beloved name or prayer like beads on a string
- When you finally stop striving and let yourself simply rest in what you already have
- When you feel every deep longing of your heart has quietly been met