संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1696 of 4582

Abhanga 1696

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.

When you'd describe Pāṇḍuranga-fulfilling-cravings — no-equal-sukha-in-three-bhuvanas; nāma-ekāvaḷī; viśrānti; Pāṇḍuranga-fulfilled-doha-ḷē

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

English: 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 equalin three-bhuvanas"
म्हणऊनि मन स्थिरावलें "thereforemindhas become sthira"
धरियेलीं जीवीं पाउलें कोमळीं "heldin jīvasoft feet"
केली एकावळी नाममाळा "madeekāvaḷīnāma-mālā"
शीतळ होऊनियां पावलों विश्रांती "becoming coolattained viśrānti"
न साहे पुढती घाली चित्ती "won't bearfurtherplaces in chitta"
तुका म्हणे जाले सकळ सोहळे "Tuka says — all sōhaḷē (festivals) — have been done"
पुरविले डोहळे पांडुरंगें "fulfilledthe 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 sthirāvalēmno 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-māḷāheld 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 chittībecoming 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 PāṇḍurangēTuka 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

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