Abhanga 1958
The exhausted ache of waiting for someone you long for is completely undone the moment they finally arrive, and that reunion can feel bigger than the whole world.
The verse
आजिचिया लाभें ब्रम्हांड ठेंगणें । सुखी जालें मन कल्पवेना ॥१॥ आर्तभूत माझा जीव जयांसाटीं । त्यांच्या जाल्या भेटी पायांसवें ॥ध्रु.॥ वाटुली पाहातां सिणले नयन । बहु होतें मन आर्तभूत ॥२॥ माझ्या निरोपाचें आणिलें उत्तर । होइल समाचार सांगती तो ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे भेटी निवारला ताप । फळलें संकल्प संत आले ॥४॥ आजि बरवें जालें । माझें माहेर भेटलें ॥१॥ डोळां देखिले सज्जन । निवारला भाग सीण ॥ध्रु.॥ धन्य जालों आतां । क्षेम देऊनियां संतां ॥२॥ इच्छेचें पावलों । तुका म्हणे धन्य जालों ॥३॥
Literal translation
(a) Today's gain — the brahmāṇḍa is small; the mind is happy beyond imagining. For whom my jīva was longing-ridden — with their feet, meeting happened. Watching the path, eyes wearied — the mind was much longing-ridden. They brought reply of my message — they'll tell the news. Tuka says: meeting cooled the burn — resolve fruited, saints came. (b) Today good happened — my māhēra met. Saw sajjanas with eyes — cooled was the share-of-fatigue. Became blessed now — giving kṣēma to saints. Reached desire — Tuka says — became blessed.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आजिचिया लाभें ब्रम्हांड ठेंगणें | "today's gain — the brahmāṇḍa is small" |
| सुखी जालें मन कल्पवेना | "the mind is happy beyond imagining" |
| आर्तभूत माझा जीव जयांसाटीं | "for whom my jīva was longing-ridden" |
| त्यांच्या जाल्या भेटी पायांसवें | "with their feet, meeting happened" |
| वाटुली पाहातां सिणले नयन | "watching the path, eyes wearied" |
| बहु होतें मन आर्तभूत | "the mind was much longing-ridden" |
| माझ्या निरोपाचें आणिलें उत्तर | "they brought reply of my message" |
| होइल समाचार सांगती तो | "will be the news, they'll tell" |
| तुका म्हणे भेटी निवारला ताप | "Tuka says — meeting cooled the burn" |
| फळलें संकल्प संत आले | "resolve fruited — saints came" |
| आजि बरवें जालें | "today good happened" |
| माझें माहेर भेटलें | "my māhēra met" |
| डोळां देखिले सज्जन | "saw sajjanas with eyes" |
| निवारला भाग सीण | "cooled was the share-of-fatigue" |
| धन्य जालों आतां | "became blessed now" |
| क्षेम देऊनियां संतां | "giving kṣēma to saints" |
| इच्छेचें पावलों | "reached desire" |
| तुका म्हणे धन्य जालों | "Tuka says — became blessed" |
What it means
Meeting-cooled-the-burn + māhēra-met abhang. TWO-ABHANG PAGE — the source contains two short abhangs. The traditional count treats these separately, contributing to the 11-abhang final-letter sub-cluster (1953-1962, traditional count).
(a) The arrival-day: ājichiyā lābhē brahmāṇḍa ṭhēngaṇē — today's gain, the brahmāṇḍa is small. Today's-gain dwarfs-the-cosmos (= the saints' arrival is greater than the brahmāṇḍa).
The longing-fulfilled: ārta-bhūta mājhā jīva jayāmsāṭīm — tyāñcyā jālyā bhēṭī pāyāmsavē — for whom jīva was longing-ridden — meeting happened with their feet. Pāyāmsavē = with-their-feet (= bowing-at-their-feet).
The closing-of-(a): Tukā mhaṇē bhēṭī nivāralā tāpa — phaḷalē sankalpa santa ālē — Tuka says: meeting cooled the burn — resolve fruited, saints came. The bhakta's-resolve (sankalpa) bore-fruit; the burning was-cooled.
(b) Today-good-happened — my-māhēra-met: āji baravē jālē — mājhē māhēra bhēṭalē. Repeat-affirmation: the saints-arriving = māhēra-meeting (echoing 1945's māhēriñcē ālē tē maja māhēra).
The kṣēma-giving: kṣēma dē'ūniyām santām — giving kṣēma to saints. Kṣēma = welfare-greeting (asking after well-being).
[T]
For someone today
For today: (a) today's gain — brahmāṇḍa is small — mind happy beyond imagining; for whom jīva was longing — meeting happened with their feet; eyes wearied watching path — mind was longing-ridden; they brought reply of my message — they'll tell the news; Tuka says — meeting cooled the burn — resolve fruited, saints came. (b) Today good happened — my māhēra met; saw sajjanas with eyes — cooled fatigue-share; blessed now — gave kṣēma to saints; reached desire — Tuka says — blessed.
Where this applies
- When you have waited so long for someone that your eyes literally tire from watching the road or the door
- When a reunion finally happens and everything else in the world suddenly feels small next to that joy
- When you compare the moment of meeting someone dear to going home to your own family
- When a long ache or worry finally cools the moment the person or news you were waiting for arrives