Abhanga 2192
When every scheme and means have run dry, all that remains is to trust and live under a higher authority, surrendering at those feet as the only path left.
The verse
उपाधीजें बीज । जळोनि राहिलें सहज ॥१॥ आम्हां राहिली ते आतां । चाली देवाचिया सत्ता ॥ध्रु.॥ प्राधीन तें जिणें । केलें सत्ता नारायणें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जाणें पाय । खुंटले आणीक उपाय ॥३॥
Literal translation
The seed of upādhi — naturally remains burnt. What remained for us now — walking under the Lord's sattā. Dependent is this jiṇē — Nārāyaṇa has done it by his sattā. Tuka says: only the feet are known — other means are stopped.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| उपाधीजें बीज | "the seed of upādhi" |
| जळोनि राहिलें सहज | "naturally remains burnt" |
| आम्हां राहिली ते आतां | "what remained for us now" |
| चाली देवाचिया सत्ता | "walking under the Lord's sattā" |
| प्राधीन तें जिणें | "dependent is this jiṇē (life)" |
| केलें सत्ता नारायणें | "Nārāyaṇa has done it by his sattā" |
| तुका म्हणे जाणें पाय | "Tuka says — only the feet are known" |
| खुंटले आणीक उपाय | "other means are stopped" |
What it means
Upādhi-seed-burnt + life-under-Lord's-sattā abhang.
The opening — the burnt seed: upādhījē bīja — jaḷōni rāhilē sahaja — the seed of upādhi naturally remains burnt. The seed-of-upādhi (= the seed-of-adventitious-attachment, the kāraṇa-of-samsāra-continuation) has-naturally been-burnt-away. Echoes 2190's yēṇē-jāṇē upādhīchē-mūḷa — there the root-of-upādhi was-identified-as-coming-and-going; here the-seed-itself is-burnt.
The Lord's-sattā image: āmhām rāhilī tē ātām — chālī Dēvāchiyā sattā — what remained for us now — walking under the Lord's sattā. Sattā = authority, rule, regime. What-remains-for-us is to-walk-(continue-living)-under the Lord's-sattā.
The dependent-life: prādhīna tē jiṇē — kēlē sattā Nārāyaṇē — dependent is this jiṇē — Nārāyaṇa has done it by his sattā. Prādhīna = dependent, under-someone-else's-authority. Dependent-is-this-life; Nārāyaṇa has-made-it-so by-his-sattā. The bhakta's-life as not-self-owned but Lord-owned.
The closing — only-the-feet, other-means-stopped: Tukā mhaṇē jāṇē pāya — khuṇṭalē āṇīka upāya — Tuka says: only the feet are known — other means are stopped. Khuṇṭalē = stopped, plugged-up. Only-the-feet (= the-Lord's-feet) are-known (= the only-resort); other-means are-all-stopped-up.
[T]
For someone today
For today: upādhi seed naturally burnt; what remained — walking under Lord's sattā; dependent jiṇē — Nārāyaṇa has done it; Tuka says — only feet known — other means stopped.
Where this applies
- When you've exhausted every clever plan to fix your life and only surrender feels left.
- When you realize an old craving or attachment has quietly lost its grip on you over time.
- When you're learning to trust that your life is guided by something larger than your own control.
- When you feel stuck and want to stop scheming for a solution and simply rest in faith.