Abhanga 2248
For today: Pandharī-going pilgrims, take my message — anāthāñchā-nātha is your vow — don't let the dīna be tormented; mahā-kāḷa serpent swallowed me — can't see net unraveling; kāma-krōdha dogs, māyā's whirlpool; soft-water-river takes to the bottom; if you've held udāsa — whose direction shall I look.
The verse
पंढरीस जाते निरोप आइका । वैकुंठनायका क्षम सांगा ॥१॥ अनाथांचा नाथ हें तुझें वचन । धांवें नको दीन गांजों देऊं ॥ध्रु.॥ ग्रासिलें भुजंगें सर्पें महाकाळें । न दिसे हें जाळें उगवतां ॥२॥ कामक्रोधसुनीं श्वापदीं बहुतीं । वेढलों आवर्ती मायेचिये ॥३॥ मृदजलनदी बुडविना तरी । आणूनियां वरी तळा नेते ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे तुवां धरिलें उदास । तरि पाहों वास कवणाची ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: You who go to Paṇḍharī, listen to my message — tell the Vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka, [ask for] forgiveness. 'Lord of the helpless' is your vow — come running, don't let the dīna be tormented. The great serpent of mahā-kāḷa has swallowed [me] — I can't see this net unraveling. By many beasts, kāma-krōdha dogs — I'm encircled in māyā's whirlpool. The soft-water-river doesn't drown but — bringing up, takes to the bottom. Tuka says: if you've held udāsa — whose direction shall I look?
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पंढरीस जाते निरोप आइका | "you who go to Paṇḍharī, listen to my message" |
| वैकुंठनायका क्षम सांगा | "tell the Vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka — [ask for] forgiveness" |
| अनाथांचा नाथ हें तुझें वचन | "'lord of the helpless' is your vow" |
| धांवें नको दीन गांजों देऊं | "come running — don't let the dīna be tormented" |
| ग्रासिलें भुजंगें सर्पें महाकाळें | "the great serpent of mahā-kāḷa has swallowed [me]" |
| न दिसे हें जाळें उगवतां | "I can't see this net unraveling" |
| कामक्रोधसुनीं श्वापदीं बहुतीं | "by many beasts — kāma-krōdha dogs" |
| वेढलों आवर्ती मायेचिये | "I'm encircled in māyā's whirlpool" |
| मृदजलनदी बुडविना तरी | "the soft-water-river doesn't drown but" |
| आणूनियां वरी तळा नेते | "bringing up, takes to the bottom" |
| तुका म्हणे तुवां धरिलें उदास | "Tuka says — if you've held udāsa" |
| तरि पाहों वास कवणाची | "whose direction shall I look" |
What it means
Message-via-Pandharī-pilgrims + the-mahā-kāḷa-serpent-swallowed-me + Tuvām-dharilē-udāsa abhang. A 5+1-verse petition.
The opening — the message-via-pilgrims: Paṇḍharīsa jātē niropa ā'ikā — Vaikuṇṭha-nāyakā kṣama sāngā — you who go to Paṇḍharī, listen to my message — tell the Vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka — [ask for] forgiveness. The classic go-to-Paṇḍharī-take-my-message format — the bhakta-asks-other-pilgrims to-be-his-messengers-to-Viṭhṭhal.
The biruda-invocation: anāthāñchā nātha hē tujhē vachana — dhāmvē nakō dīna gāñjōm dē'ūm — 'lord of the helpless' is your vow — come running, don't let the dīna be tormented. Anāthāñchā nātha = lord of the helpless — Viṭhṭhal's-distinctive-biruda. 'Lord-of-the-helpless' is-your-vow; come-running, don't-let the-dīna be-tormented.
The mahā-kāḷa-serpent image: grāsilē bhujangē sarpē mahā-kāḷē — na disē hē jāḷē ugavatām — the great serpent of mahā-kāḷa has swallowed [me] — I can't see this net unraveling. Bhujanga-sarpa = the great-serpent. Mahā-kāḷa = the great Time/Death. The mahā-kāḷa great-serpent has-swallowed-me; I-can't-see-the-net unraveling.
The dogs-and-beasts: kāma-krōdha-sunīm śvāpadīm bahutīm — vēḍhalōm āvartī māyēchiyē — by many beasts — kāma-krōdha dogs — I'm encircled in māyā's whirlpool. Sunīm = dogs (in compound). Āvarta = whirlpool, vortex. Many-beasts, kāma-krōdha-dogs; I-am-encircled in-the-whirlpool-of-māyā.
The deceptive-river: mṛda-jala-nadī buḍavinā tarī — āṇūniyām vari taḷā nētē — the soft-water-river doesn't drown but — bringing up, takes to the bottom. The soft-water-river (= mild-samsāra) doesn't-immediately-drown; but bringing-(swimmers)-to-the-surface, takes-them-to-the-bottom. The treacherous-current image.
The closing — whose-direction-if-you-are-udāsa: Tukā mhaṇē tuvām dharilē udāsa — tari pāhōm vāsa kavaṇāchī — Tuka says: if you've held udāsa — whose direction shall I look. If-you-have-held-udāsa (disengagement), whose-direction shall-I-look-towards? The classic petition-cry.
[T]
For someone today
For today: Pandharī-going pilgrims, take my message — anāthāñchā-nātha is your vow — don't let the dīna be tormented; mahā-kāḷa serpent swallowed me — can't see net unraveling; kāma-krōdha dogs, māyā's whirlpool; soft-water-river takes to the bottom; if you've held udāsa — whose direction shall I look.
Where this applies
- Message-via-Pandharī-pilgrims.* Paṇḍharīsa-jātē-niropa-Vaikuṇṭha-nāyakā.
- Anāthāñchā-nātha-don't-let-dīna-be-tormented.* Anāthāñchā-nātha-vachana-dīna-gāñjōm.
- Mahā-kāḷa-serpent-swallowed.* Grāsilē-bhujangē-sarpē-mahā-kāḷē-jāḷē.
- Kāma-krōdha-dogs-māyā-whirlpool.* Kāma-krōdha-sunīm-śvāpadīm-āvartī-māyē.
- Soft-water-river-takes-to-bottom.* Mṛda-jala-nadī-buḍavinā-taḷā.
- If-you-are-udāsa-whose-direction-shall-I-look.* Tuvām-dharilē-udāsa-pāhōm-vāsa.