Abhanga 1766
For today: we are sated with happiness — let us belch (with satisfaction) — let us keep eating as long as it rises; let us play in the un-anointed-realm — the satiety with Hari is never filled; let us play all-within-all — with the buddhi that keeps us from falling in the wrestling-trap; Tuka says — the samartha-sattā is protecting us.
The verse
धालों सुखें ढेकर देऊं । उमटे जेवूं तोंवरी ॥१॥ क्रीडा करूं निरांजनीं । न पुरे धणी हरिसवें ॥ध्रु.॥ अवघे खेळों अवघ्यामधीं । डाईं न पडों ऐसी बुद्धी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे वांचवीत । आम्हां सत्ता समर्थ ॥३॥
Literal translation
We are sated with happiness — let us belch — let us eat as long as it rises. Let us play in nirañjana — the satiety is not filled with Hari. Let us play all-within-all — not falling in dāī, with such buddhi. Tuka says — protecting us — the samartha-sattā.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| धालों सुखें ढेकर देऊं | "we are sated — with happiness — let us belch (ḍhēkara)" |
| उमटे जेवूं तोंवरी | "let us eat — as long as it rises (= as long as it keeps coming)" |
| क्रीडा करूं निरांजनीं | "let us play — in nirañjana (= un-anointed-pure-realm)" |
| न पुरे धणी हरिसवें | "the satiety is not filled — with Hari" |
| अवघे खेळों अवघ्यामधीं | "let us play — all-within-all" |
| डाईं न पडों ऐसी बुद्धी | "not falling in dāī (= wrestling-trap) — with such buddhi" |
| तुका म्हणे वांचवीत | "Tuka says — protecting" |
| आम्हां सत्ता समर्थ | "us — the samartha-sattā (= mighty-power)" |
What it means
Play-with-Hari + don't-fall-in-dāī abhang.
The feast-image: dhālōm sukhē ḍhēkara dē'ūm — umaṭē jē'vūm tōmvarī — we are sated with happiness, let us belch — let us eat as long as it rises. Dhālōm = we-are-sated / fully-fed; ḍhēkara = belch (the post-feast Indian satisfaction-marker); umaṭē = as-it-rises / as-it-keeps-coming. We have feasted-on-bhakti-rasa to the point of belching-with-satisfaction; and yet, we keep eating as long as it keeps coming.
The play-image: krīḍā karūm nirāñjanīm — na purē dhaṇī Hari-savē — let us play in nirañjana — the satiety is not filled with Hari. Nirañjana = un-anointed, untainted, pure (= the realm-of-Hari that is free from samsāra-añjana); na purē dhaṇī = the satiety / fullness is never filled (= cannot be saturated). Play-with-Hari has no end-of-satisfaction. Hari-bhakti is endlessly-renewing.
The wrestling-image: avaghē khēḷōm avaghyāmadhīm — ḍāīm na paḍōm aisī buddhī — let us play all-within-all — not falling in dāī, with such buddhi. Avaghē khēḷōm avaghyāmadhīm = let us play all-within-all (= let us be present in everything-and-everywhere); ḍāīm na paḍōm = not falling in dāī (= not getting trapped in the wrestling-hold of samsāra); aisī buddhī = with such buddhi (= such-discrimination-developed). The bhakta plays-in-samsāra without getting-pinned-by-samsāra; the buddhi is the protection.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē vāñcavīta — āmhām sattā samartha — Tuka says: protecting us — the samartha-sattā. Vāñcavīta = protecting, saving; sattā samartha = mighty-power, supreme-authority (= Hari's sovereign-power). The samartha-sattā of Hari is what protects us from falling-into-the-wrestling-hold.
The triple-image: feast-with-belch (= bhōga-rasa) + play-in-nirañjana (= vihāra-rasa) + don't-fall-in-dāī (= wrestling-protection). Bhakti-as-feast-and-play, with samartha-sattā as the wrestling-coach who keeps you upright.
[T]
For someone today
For today: we are sated with happiness — let us belch (with satisfaction) — let us keep eating as long as it rises; let us play in the un-anointed-realm — the satiety with Hari is never filled; let us play all-within-all — with the buddhi that keeps us from falling in the wrestling-trap; Tuka says — the samartha-sattā is protecting us.
Where this applies
- When a moment of devotion or prayer leaves you deeply content but still wanting more of that same joy
- When you're fully engaged in daily life and worry that being in the world will drag you down with it
- When you sense that staying alert and discerning is what keeps you from getting entangled in old habits
- When you feel unsafe on your own and need to trust that a power greater than you is watching over you