Abhanga 2227
Someone who has given themselves fully to one refuge deserves a timely answer, not an unexplained delay from someone who could easily help.
The verse
अनन्यासी ठाव एक सर्वकाजें । एकाविण दुजें नेणे चित्ती ॥१॥ न पुरतां आळी देशधडी व्हावें । हें काय बरवें दिसतसे ॥ध्रु.॥ लेंकराचा भार माउलीचे शिरीं । निढळ तें दुरी धरिलिया ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे किती घातली लांबणी । समर्थ होउनि केवढ्यासाटीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
For the ananya — one refuge for all work — knows no other in chitta besides the One. Without the request being fulfilled, becoming desha-dhaḍī — is this looking good? The child's burden is on the mother's head — the forehead [is] far when kept at a distance. Tuka says: how long have you stretched this — being samartha for [such] a small thing?
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अनन्यासी ठाव एक सर्वकाजें | "for the ananya — one refuge for all work" |
| एकाविण दुजें नेणे चित्ती | "knows no other in chitta besides the One" |
| न पुरतां आळी देशधडी व्हावें | "without the request being fulfilled, becoming desha-dhaḍī (homeless-banished)" |
| हें काय बरवें दिसतसे | "is this looking good" |
| लेंकराचा भार माउलीचे शिरीं | "the child's burden is on the mother's head" |
| निढळ तें दुरी धरिलिया | "the forehead [is] far when kept at a distance" |
| तुका म्हणे किती घातली लांबणी | "Tuka says — how long have you stretched this" |
| समर्थ होउनि केवढ्यासाटीं | "being samartha for [such] a small thing" |
What it means
Ananya-one-refuge + child's-burden-on-mother's-head + samartha-for-small-thing abhang. Seventeenth abhang of the niḍrā-cluster.
The ananya-one-refuge: ananyāsī ṭhāva ēka sarva-kājē — ēkāviṇa dujē nēṇē chittī — for the ananya — one refuge for all work — knows no other in chitta besides the One. Ananya = one-pointed, without-an-other. For-the-ananya, there's-one refuge for-all-work; no-other (besides-the-One) is-known in-chitta.
The desha-dhaḍī threat: na puratām āḷī dēśa-dhaḍī vhāvē — hē kāya baravē disatasē — without the request being fulfilled, becoming desha-dhaḍī — is this looking good. Dēśa-dhaḍī = homeless, country-banished. Without-the-request being-fulfilled, becoming homeless-banished — is-this looking-good (for-your-reputation)?
The mother-and-child image: lēnkarāchā bhāra māulīchē śirīm — niḍhaḷa tē durī dharaliyā — the child's burden is on the mother's head — the forehead [is] far when kept at a distance. Lēnkara = child. Māulī = mother. Niḍhaḷa = forehead. The child's-burden is-on-the-mother's-head; the forehead (= the child's-forehead, the place-of-the-mother's-kiss) is-far when-kept-at-a-distance. The Vārkarī image of-Viṭhṭhal-as-Vīṭhāī-māulī — the mother-who-bears-the-child's-burden, who-kisses-the-forehead-when-close.
The closing — samartha-for-small-thing: Tukā mhaṇē kitī ghātalī lāmbaṇī — samartha hō'uni kēvaḍhyāsāṭīm — Tuka says: how long have you stretched this — being samartha for [such] a small thing? Samartha = omnipotent, capable. How long-have-you-stretched-this; being samartha (omnipotent), [why such delay] for-such-a-small-thing?
The niḍrā-petition-climax: the bhakta invokes ananya-doctrine (the one-pointed-bhakta has-only-one-refuge), the mother-child image (Vīṭhāī-māulī), and the samartha-for-trivia argument (the Lord's-omnipotence is-shamed-by-delay-for-a-small-grant). A triple-pressure on Viṭhṭhal.
[T]
For someone today
For today: for the ananya — one refuge — no other in chitta; without request fulfilled, desha-dhaḍī — is this good; child's burden on mother's head — forehead far when distanced; Tuka says — how long stretched this — samartha for such small thing.
Where this applies
- When you realize you have committed yourself entirely to one relationship or cause and have no backup plan
- When a sincere request of yours goes unanswered long enough to leave you stranded
- When you long for the closeness of someone who feels distant right now
- When someone capable of helping quickly is instead taking a puzzlingly long time over something small