Abhanga 2068
English: Kāḷa eats the world — we put feet on (his) head.
The verse
जगा काळ खाय । आम्ही माथां दिले पाय ॥१॥ नाचों तेथें उभा राहे । जातां व्यंग करी साहे ॥ध्रु.॥ हरिच्या गुणें धाला । होता खात चि भुकेला ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे हळु । जाला कढत शीतळु ॥३॥ ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Kāḷa eats the world — we put feet on (his) head. Dance — there he stands — when going, he bears the affront. By Hari's guṇa, filled — he who was eating-and-still-hungry. Tuka says: gently — what was boiling, became cool. ॥3॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| जगा काळ खाय | "Kāḷa eats the world" |
| आम्ही माथां दिले पाय | "we put feet on (his) head" |
| नाचों तेथें उभा राहे | "dance — there he stands" |
| जातां व्यंग करी साहे | "when going, he bears the affront" |
| हरिच्या गुणें धाला | "by Hari's guṇa, filled" |
| होता खात चि भुकेला | "he who was eating-and-still-hungry" |
| तुका म्हणे हळु | "Tuka says — gently" |
| जाला कढत शीतळु | "what was boiling, became cool" |
| ॥३॥ | "colophon-3 — closes 3-abhang sub-cluster (2066-2068)" |
What it means
Foot-on-Kāḷa's-head + boiling-became-cool abhang. CLOSES 3-ABHANG SUB-CLUSTER (2066-2068).
The opening — foot-on-Kāḷa: jagā kāḷa khāya — āmhī māthām dilē pāya — Kāḷa eats the world — we put feet on (his) head. Kāḷa (death-time) eats-the-world; but-we-(bhaktas) put-our-feet on-Kāḷa's-head. Bhakti reverses-the-cosmic-power-hierarchy.
The bearing: nāchōm tēthē ubhā rāhē — jātām vyanga karī sāhē — dance — there he stands — when going, he bears the affront. Wherever-we-dance, Kāḷa-just-stands-by; bears-the-affront when-we-pass.
The hunger-filled: Harichyā guṇē dhālā — hōtā khāta chi bhukēlā — by Hari's guṇa, filled — he who was eating-and-still-hungry. The one-who-was-always-eating-but-still-hungry has-been-filled by-Hari's-guṇas.
The brilliant closing-paradox: Tukā mhaṇē haḷu — jālā kaḍhata śītaḷu — Tuka says: gently — what was boiling, became cool. The boiling-(samsāra) gently became-cool (= the heat-of-suffering quietly-subsided under-Hari's-influence).
Colophon ॥३॥ confirms 3-abhang sub-cluster (2066-2068) on bhāva-determined-fruit/foot-on-Kāḷa.
[T]
For someone today
For today: Kāḷa eats the world — we put feet on his head; dance, there he stands — when going, bears the affront; by Hari's guṇa, filled — he who was eating-and-still-hungry; Tuka says — gently — what was boiling, became cool.
Where this applies
- Foot-on-Kāḷa's-head.* Jagā-kāḷa-khāya-māthām-pāya.
- Dance-Kāḷa-bears-the-affront.* Nāchōm-ubhā-vyanga-sāhē.
- Hari's-guṇa-fills-the-always-hungry.* Harichyā-guṇē-dhālā-bhukēlā.
- Boiling-quietly-became-cool.* Haḷu-kaḍhata-śītaḷu.