Abhanga 2700
The one with eyes runs in fear — doesn't realize death is right alongside. What direction-wandering has happened — he goes by the wrong way. If the samsāra-lament has set, then strength (comes). Tukā: the inferior buddhi has missed Nārāyaṇa.
The verse
भेणें पळे डोळसा । न कळे मृत्यु तो सरिसा ॥१॥
कैसी जाली दिशाभुली । न वजातिये वाटे चाली ॥ध्रु.॥
संसाराची खंती । मावळल्या तरी शिक्त ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे हीणा । बुद्धि चुकली नारायणा ॥३॥
Literal translation
The ḍōḷasā (one with eyes) runs in bhaya (fear); he does not realize that mrtyu (death) is right sarisā (alongside). What diśābhulī (direction-wandering, getting-lost-of-direction) has come about — he goes by vajātiyē vāṭē (the wrong-way path). The samsārāñcī khantī (samsāra-lament) — if it has māvaḷaliyā (set, like sunset, become-complete) — then strength. Tukā says: the hīṇā (inferior, low) buddhi has chukalī (missed, gone-wrong-from) Nārāyaṇa.
What it means
A short running-in-the-wrong-direction diagnostic. Bhēṇē paḷē ḍōḷasā — na kaḷē mrtyu tō sarisā — the one with eyes runs in fear — but does not realize death is right alongside. The ḍōḷasā (sighted-one) thinks his eyes help him; he sees danger and runs. But death is right alongside — sarisā — the very thing he is running-from is the thing he is running-with. His sight has not helped.
The dhrūpada: kaisī jālī diśābhulī — na vajātiyē vāṭē chālī — what direction-wandering has happened — he goes by the wrong way. Diśā-bhulī — direction-wandering, the confusion of which-way-is-which. Even with eyes, the ḍōḷasā has lost his direction.
The second verse: samsārāñcī khantī — māvaḷaliyā tarī śakti — if the samsāra-lament has set (māvaḷalī = sunset, ended, completed) — then strength. The conditional: if the khantī (lament) about samsāra has actually-ended, then strength. The condition is honest: the strength requires the khantī to be done.
The close: hīṇā buddhi chukalī Nārāyaṇā — the inferior-buddhi has missed Nārāyaṇa. The simple-naming: this happens because the hīṇa (inferior, low) buddhi has chukalī (missed, gone-aside-from) Nārāyaṇa. Without Nārāyaṇa, the ḍōḷasā runs the wrong way.
For someone today
The verse is a small mirror for running-in-fear-with-eyes-open. You see, you run, but death is right alongside — you have wandered direction without knowing. The diagnostic: even sight-with-fear is diśābhulī without the right anchor. The simple naming — the inferior-buddhi has missed Nārāyaṇa — is the cure: locate Nārāyaṇa, and the direction re-orients.
The if the samsāra-lament has actually-set condition is precise: only after the lament fully ends, strength comes. Don't expect strength while the lament is still in-process — wait for the māvaḷaṇē (sunset-completion).
Where this applies
- The diagnostic of running-toward-distraction-from-fear — not realizing the danger is alongside
- Recognizing diśābhulī (direction-wandering) as the symptom of missing-Nārāyaṇa
- Waiting for samsāra-lament to actually-set before expecting strength
- The simple-naming as the cure: missed Nārāyaṇa — re-locate Nārāyaṇa