Abhanga 2210
For today: very good to suddenly break off sanga — by own anubhava confirmed; tell the task to mind, no intimacy with people; Tuka says — fire arises on touching other sanga.
The verse
बहु बरें एकाएकीं । संग चुकी करावा ॥१॥ ऐसें बरें जालें ठावें । अनुभवें आपुल्या ॥ध्रु.॥ सांगावें तें काम मना । सलगी जना नेदावी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे निघे अगी । दुजे संगीं आतळतां ॥३॥ बोलिले कीं कवित्व बुडवणें तेव्हां कवित्व बुडवून पांच दिवस होते ॥ लोकांनीं फार पीडा केली कीं संसारही नाहीं व परमार्थही बुडविला आणीक कोणी असतें तें जीव देतें मग निद्रा केली ते अभंग ॥ २० ॥
Literal translation
English: It's very good, suddenly — to break off sanga. So well it became known — by my own anubhava. The task should be told to the mind — don't give intimacy to people. Tuka says: fire arises — on touching other sanga.
[Prose-marginalia, very important biographically]: He said: 'drown the poetry.' Then having drowned the poetry, five days passed. People caused great agony [saying]: 'You have neither samsāra, and you've also drowned paramārtha; anyone else would have given up his jīva.' Then he performed niḍrā — these are those abhangs. ॥20॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| बहु बरें एकाएकीं | "it's very good — suddenly" |
| संग चुकी करावा | "to break off sanga" |
| ऐसें बरें जालें ठावें | "so well it became known" |
| अनुभवें आपुल्या | "by my own anubhava" |
| सांगावें तें काम मना | "the task should be told to the mind" |
| सलगी जना नेदावी | "don't give intimacy to people" |
| तुका म्हणे निघे अगी | "Tuka says — fire arises" |
| दुजे संगीं आतळतां | "on touching other sanga" |
| (prose marginalia) | "He said: 'drown the poetry'; then five days passed since drowning. People caused great agony: 'you have neither samsāra nor preserved paramārtha; anyone else would have given up jīva.' Then he performed niḍrā — these are those abhangs. ॥20॥" |
What it means
Break-off-sanga-by-own-anubhava + fire-arises-on-touching-other-sanga abhang. CRITICAL biographical marker — the kavitvā-buḍavaṇē (poetry-drowning) episode and the 20-abhang niḍrā-cluster announcement.
The opening — suddenly-break-off: bahu barē ēkāēkīm — sanga chukī karāvā — it's very good, suddenly — to break off sanga. Very-good to-suddenly break-off sanga.
The anubhava-validates: aisē barē jālē ṭhāvē — anubhavē āpulyā — so well it became known — by my own anubhava. By-my-own-anubhava (personal-experience), this-was-well-confirmed.
The mind-only-task: sāngāvē tē kāma manā — salagī janā nēdāvī — the task should be told to the mind — don't give intimacy to people. Tell-the-task to-the-mind; don't-give intimacy (salagī) to-people.
The fire-arises image: Tukā mhaṇē nighē agī — dujē sangīm ātaḷatām — Tuka says: fire arises — on touching other sanga. On-touching-other-sanga, fire-arises (= burning-friction-of-conflict).
The prose-marginalia — historically crucial: This abhang is followed by an editorial-prose-note describing the famous kavitvā-buḍavaṇē (poetry-drowning) episode of Tukārām's biography:
- "Bōlilē kī kavitva buḍavaṇē" — He said: "drown the poetry"
- "tēvhām kavitva buḍavūna pāñca divasa hōtē" — then five days passed having drowned the poetry
- "lōkāñnīm phāra pīḍā kēlī kī samsārahī nāhīm va paramārthahī buḍavilā" — people caused great agony: "you have neither samsāra, and you've also drowned paramārtha"
- "āṇīka kōṇī asatēm tē jīva dētēm" — anyone else would have given up his jīva
- "maga nidrā kēlī tē abhanga ॥२०॥" — then he performed niḍrā — these are those abhangs (20 in count)
The historical incident: According to Vārkarī tradition, Tukārām, in response to persecution from upper-caste opponents (especially Mambājī), was instructed/compelled to drown his abhang-manuscripts in the Indrāyaṇī river. He then sat by the river in fast-and-vigil (the niḍrā) for thirteen days (in the standard tradition) until Viṭhṭhal himself restored the manuscripts.
The 20-abhang niḍrā-cluster (the Tukā-nidrā-abhang or "abhangs of the vigil/sleep") begins at 2211 and runs for the next ~20 abhangs. These are some of the most-celebrated abhangs in the Gatha, expressing Tukārām's anguish, resolve to renounce poetry, and the eventual restoration. The 2210 abhang's fire-arises-on-touching-other-sanga directly-precedes-this-cluster as the immediate-trigger-context.
[T]
For someone today
For today: very good to suddenly break off sanga — by own anubhava confirmed; tell the task to mind, no intimacy with people; Tuka says — fire arises on touching other sanga.
Biographical note: This abhang stands at the threshold of the kavitvā-buḍavaṇē episode, the great trial of Tukārām's life, when his abhang-manuscripts were drowned and the saint underwent thirteen days of fast-and-vigil before-restoration.
Where this applies
- Suddenly-break-off-sanga.* Bahu-barē-ēkāēkīm-sanga-chukī.
- Anubhava-confirms.* Aisē-jālē-ṭhāvē-anubhavē.
- Task-to-mind-no-intimacy-with-people.* Sāngāvē-kāma-manā-salagī-jana-nēdāvī.
- Fire-arises-on-other-sanga.* Nighē-agī-dujē-sangīm-ātaḷatām.
- Kavitvā-buḍavaṇē-episode-and-niḍrā-cluster-start.* Prose-marginalia announcement.