Abhanga 2035
Much suffering is self-made, like a parrot who could fly free from an open tube but believes itself trapped, and frantic effort to escape worry brings no peace, only more pain.
The verse
भेऊनियां काय देखिलें येणें । मारें घायेंविण लोळतसे ॥१॥ शुकनळिकेन्यायें गुंतलासी काय । विचारूनि पाहें मोकळिया ॥ध्रु॥ जाणोनियां काय होतोसी नेणता । शून्या ठाव रिता नाहीं नाहीं ॥२॥ धांवतां चि फुटे नव्हे समाधान । तुका म्हणे जाण पावे पीडा ॥३॥ ॥२॥
Literal translation
By fearing — what did one see? — rolls without being struck. Entangled like śuka-naḷikā — what for? — see freely, with consideration. Knowing — what — you pretend not to know — no place is empty/vacant. Bursts at running — no satisfaction comes — Tuka says — know — he receives pain. ॥2॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| भेऊनियां काय देखिलें येणें | "by fearing — what did one see" |
| मारें घायेंविण लोळतसे | "rolls without being struck" |
| शुकनळिकेन्यायें गुंतलासी काय | "entangled like śuka-naḷikā — what for" |
| विचारूनि पाहें मोकळिया | "see freely, with consideration" |
| जाणोनियां काय होतोसी नेणता | "knowing — what — you pretend not to know" |
| शून्या ठाव रिता नाहीं नाहीं | "no place is empty/vacant" |
| धांवतां चि फुटे नव्हे समाधान | "bursts at running — no satisfaction comes" |
| तुका म्हणे जाण पावे पीडा | "Tuka says — know — he receives pain" |
| ॥२॥ | "colophon-2 — closes 2-abhang sub-cluster (2034-2035)" |
What it means
Śuka-naḷikā-pretending + know-no-empty-place abhang. CLOSES 2-ABHANG SUB-CLUSTER (2034-2035).
The opening: bhē'ūniyām kāya dēkhilē yēṇē — mārē ghāyē-viṇa lōḷatasē — by fearing — what did one see — rolls without being struck. The fearful-fool rolls-without-being-struck (= imagined-blows make-him-collapse without-actual-cause).
THE ŚUKA-NAḶIKĀ IMAGE: śuka-naḷikē-nyāyē guntalāsī kāya — vichārūni pāhē mōkaḷiyā — entangled like śuka-naḷikā — what for? — see freely. Śuka-naḷikā = parrot-in-tube (the proverbial-image: a parrot-clinging to a-hollow-rotating-bamboo-tube thinks-itself-bound, but-could-fly-away anytime). The bhakta is-self-trapped like-the-parrot in-the-tube — could-be-free if-he-just-looked-around.
The pretense-of-ignorance: jāṇōniyām kāya hōtōsī nēṇatā — śūnyā ṭhāva ritā nāhīm nāhīm — knowing — what — you pretend not to know — no place is empty/vacant. You-know-but-pretend-not; no-place is-empty-of-the-Lord (he's-everywhere).
The closing: dhāmvatām chi phuṭē navhē samādhāna — Tukā mhaṇē jāṇa pāvē pīḍā — bursts at running — no satisfaction — Tuka says — know — he receives pain. The runner bursts; gets-no-satisfaction; only-pain.
Colophon ॥२॥ confirms 2-abhang sub-cluster (2034-2035) on kathā-distractions and self-trapping.
[T]
For someone today
For today: by fearing — what did one see? — rolls without being struck; entangled like śuka-naḷikā — see freely; knowing — pretends not to know — no place is empty; bursts at running — no satisfaction — Tuka says — know — receives pain.
Where this applies
- When you're anxious about something bad that hasn't actually happened.
- When you feel stuck in a situation you could actually walk away from if you looked at it clearly.
- When you claim not to notice something you already sense deep down.
- When rushing around to fix your worry only leaves you more exhausted and in pain.