Abhanga 2276
A sincere resolve to change your life can bring on real restlessness and fear when the help you are waiting for does not arrive right away, and admitting that fear honestly is part of the path.
The verse
संताचे उपदेश आमुचे मस्तकीं । नाहीं मृतेलोकीं राहाणेसा ॥१॥ म्हणऊनि बहु तळमळी चित्ती । येईवो धांवत पांडुरंगे ॥ध्रु.॥ उपजली चिंता लागला उसीर । होत नाहीं धीर निढळ वाटे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे पोटीं रिघालेंसे भय । करूं आतां काय ऐसें जालें ॥३॥
Literal translation
The saints' upadēśas are on our head — no [intention] of staying in the mortal-world. Therefore — great taḷamaḷī in chitta — come running, Pāṇḍuranga. Chinta arose — there's been delay — patience cannot be held — feels niḍhaḷa. Tuka says: fear has entered the belly — what should I do now — like this it has become.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| संताचे उपदेश आमुचे मस्तकीं | "the saints' upadēśas are on our head" |
| नाहीं मृतेलोकीं राहाणेसा | "no [intention] of staying in the mortal-world" |
| म्हणऊनि बहु तळमळी चित्ती | "therefore great taḷamaḷī in chitta" |
| येईवो धांवत पांडुरंगे | "come running, Pāṇḍuranga" |
| उपजली चिंता लागला उसीर | "chinta arose, there's been delay" |
| होत नाहीं धीर निढळ वाटे | "patience cannot be held — feels niḍhaḷa" |
| तुका म्हणे पोटीं रिघालेंसे भय | "Tuka says — fear has entered the belly" |
| करूं आतां काय ऐसें जालें | "what should I do now — like this it has become" |
What it means
Saints'-upadēśa-on-head-no-stay-in-mortal-world + fear-in-belly abhang.
The opening — saints' upadēśas: santāchē upadēśa āmuchē mastakīm — nāhīm mṛtē-lōkīm rāhāṇēsā — the saints' upadēśas are on our head — no [intention] of staying in the mortal-world. The saints'-upadēśas are-on-our-head (= we-bear-them as-our-burden-and-honor); no-intention of-staying in-the-mortal-world (mṛtē-lōka = the world-of-the-mortal-and-dying). The saints' teaching has-made-the-bhakta-resolve to-transcend-this-world.
The taḷamaḷī: mhaṇa'ūni bahu taḷamaḷī chittī — yē'īvō dhāmvata Pāṇḍurangē — therefore — great taḷamaḷī in chitta — come running, Pāṇḍuranga. Therefore great-taḷamaḷī (tossing) in-chitta; come-running, Pāṇḍuranga.
The chinta-and-delay: upajalī chintā lāgalā usira — hōta nāhīm dhīra niḍhaḷa vāṭē — chinta arose, there's been delay — patience cannot be held — feels niḍhaḷa. Niḍhaḷa = the forehead; here used as 'helpless', 'forehead-shaking'. Chinta arose, delay-followed; patience can't-be-held; (the forehead) feels-niḍhaḷa.
The closing — fear-in-the-belly: Tukā mhaṇē pōṭīm righālēmsē bhaya — karūm ātām kāya aisē jālē — Tuka says: fear has entered the belly — what should I do now — like this it has become. Fear has-entered the-belly; what-should-I-do-now? Like-this it-has-become.
[T]
For someone today
For today: saints' upadēśas on our head — no stay in mortal-world; great taḷamaḷī — come running, Pāṇḍuranga; chinta arose, delay, patience can't be held; Tuka says — fear in belly — what now.
Where this applies
- When you have made a serious resolve to change your life and feel restless until it actually happens
- When you are waiting urgently for help and the delay itself starts to wear down your patience
- When worry turns physical, a knot in your stomach, shaky hands, a sense you cannot just sit still
- When you feel embarrassed admitting you are afraid, even though your longing for something good is completely sincere