Abhanga 1936
Not knowing how things will turn out keeps the mind restless, but that restlessness ends the moment the real answer arrives.
The verse
यावरि न कळे संचित आपुलें । कैसें वोडवलें होइल पुढें ॥१॥ करील विक्षेप धाडितां मुळासी । किंवा धाडा ऐसी तांतडी हे ॥ध्रु.॥ जोंवरी हे डोळां देखें वारकरी । तों हें भरोवरी करी चित्ती ॥२॥ आस वाढविते बुद्धीचे तरंग । मनाचे ही वेग वावडती ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे तेव्हां होतील निश्चळ । इंद्रियें सकळ निरोपानें ॥४॥
Literal translation
Beyond this — my samcita is not known — how it will turn out. Will (the Lord) make obstruction — sending the messenger? — or send-(me) with such haste? Until eyes see the Vārakarī — till then the chitta swells with anxiety. Expectation grows the buddhi's-waves — the mind's speed too flutters. Tuka says: then will be still — all the indriyas — by the niropa.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| यावरि न कळे संचित आपुलें | "beyond this — my samcita is not known" |
| कैसें वोडवलें होइल पुढें | "how it will turn-out (vōḍavalē)" |
| करील विक्षेप धाडितां मुळासी | "will (the Lord) make obstruction — sending the messenger" |
| किंवा धाडा ऐसी तांतडी हे | "or — send-(me) with such haste" |
| जोंवरी हे डोळां देखें वारकरी | "until eyes see — the Vārakarī" |
| तों हें भरोवरी करी चित्ती | "till then — the chitta swells with anxiety" |
| आस वाढविते बुद्धीचे तरंग | "expectation grows — the buddhi's-waves" |
| मनाचे ही वेग वावडती | "the mind's speed too — flutters" |
| तुका म्हणे तेव्हां होतील निश्चळ | "Tuka says — then will be still" |
| इंद्रियें सकळ निरोपानें | "all the indriyas — by the niropa" |
What it means
Suspended-anxiety + indriyas-still-by-niropa abhang.
The opening: yāvari na kaḷē samcita āpulē — kaisē vōḍavalē hō'ila puḍhē — beyond this — my samcita is not known — how it will turn out. Don't-know-how-the-samcita-will-yield.
The double-question: karīla vikṣēpa dhāḍitām muḷāsī — kimvā dhāḍā aisī tāntaḍī hē — will (Lord) obstruct sending the messenger — or send-(me) with such haste?. Two possibilities: will-Lord-block-the-messenger? or-summon-me-immediately?.
The chitta-swells: jōmvarī hē ḍōḷām dēkhē Vārakarī — tōm hē bharōvarī karī chittī — until eyes see the Vārakarī — till then chitta swells with anxiety. Bharōvarī = swelling-with-fullness / heaving-with-anxiety. Until-the-Vārakarī-is-seen, the-chitta-keeps-swelling.
The waves and flutters: āsa vāḍhavitē buddhīcē taranga — manācē hī vēga vāvaḍatī — expectation grows buddhi's-waves — mind's speed flutters. The buddhi-waves and mind-flutters.
The closing-resolution: Tukā mhaṇē tēvhām hōtīla niścaḷa — indriyē sakaḷa niropānē — Tuka says: then will be still — all the indriyas — by the niropa. All-indriyas will-be-still once-the-niropa-arrives.
[T]
For someone today
For today: beyond this — my samcita is not known — how it will turn out; will (the Lord) make obstruction — sending the messenger? — or send-(me) with such haste?; until eyes see the Vārakarī — till then chitta swells with anxiety; expectation grows the buddhi's-waves — the mind's speed too flutters; Tuka says — then all indriyas will be still — by the niropa.
Where this applies
- When you genuinely don't know how a situation from your past will resolve and can't stop guessing
- When you can't tell if a delay means bad news or if good news is simply on its way
- When your mind keeps producing wave after wave of hope and worry while you wait for a specific piece of news
- When you trust that once the answer actually arrives your restlessness will finally settle