Abhanga 2731
Yēṇē jāṇē tarī — the coming and going (samsāra) — that — rāhē Deva krpā karī — stops, if Deva does compassion.
The verse
येणें जाणें तरी । राहे देव कृपा करी ॥१॥
ऐसें तंव पुण्य नाहीं । पाहातां माझे गांठी कांहीं ॥ध्रु.॥
भय निवारिता कोण वेगळा अनंता ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे वारे भोग । वारी तरी पांडुरंग ॥३॥
Literal translation
Yēṇē jāṇē tarī — the coming and going (samsāra) — that — rāhē Deva krpā karī — stops, if Deva does compassion. Aisē tanva puṇya nāhīm — there is no such puṇya; pāhātām mājhe gāṭhī kāmhī — looking at my pouch — nothing. Bhaya nivāritā kōṇa vēgaḷā Anantā — who is separate-from-Ananta to remove the bhaya (fear)? Tukā says: vārē bhōga — vārī tari Pāṇḍuranga — the wind of bhōga — only Pāṇḍuranga fans it away*.
What it means
A short humble-petition verse. Yēṇē jāṇē tarī — rāhē Deva krpā karī — the coming-and-going (of samsāra) only stops if Deva does compassion. The yēṇē-jāṇē (coming-going) is the samsāra-cycle; rāhē (stops, stays-still) only by krpā (compassion). Not by self-effort, not by accumulated-merit.
The dhrūpada: aisē tanva puṇya nāhīm — pāhātām mājhe gāṭhī kāmhī — I don't have such puṇya; looking at my pouch — there is nothing. Gāṭhī (pouch, knot-bag) — the place where one stores accumulated-merit (or coins). The bhakta looks at his own gāṭhī and finds kāmhī (nothing). Honest disclaimer about the puṇya-balance.
The second verse offers a rhetorical-placement: bhaya nivāritā kōṇa vēgaḷā Anantā — who is separate-from-Ananta to remove fear? The structure of the question: to remove fear, who would even be separate from Ananta? Only the non-Ananta could be the source of fear, and the removal is from-within-Ananta. The bhakta doesn't have to look elsewhere.
The close: vārē bhōga — vārī tari Pāṇḍuranga — the wind of bhōga (experience-pleasure) — only Pāṇḍuranga fans it away. Vārē-bhōga is a striking compound: the wind of bhōga — the bhōga-attractions blow like wind. Vārī (fan-away, dispel) — only Pāṇḍuranga can dispel the wind-of-bhōga. The wind itself cannot be stopped; the fanning-away removes it.
For someone today
A useful honest-petition for the I-have-nothing-in-my-pouch moment. The coming-and-going stops only by Deva's compassion; I have no puṇya — my pouch is empty; who is even separate-from-Ananta to remove fear? Only Pāṇḍuranga fans away the wind-of-bhōga. The honest empty-pouch confession is the petition; nothing else needs to be added. The wind-of-bhōga image is useful: the attractions blow like wind — you cannot stop them by gripping, but Pāṇḍuranga can fan them away.
Where this applies
- The I-have-no-puṇya-in-my-pouch honest acknowledgment
- Recognizing only Deva's compassion stops coming-and-going
- The rhetorical placement: who is separate-from-Ananta to remove fear?
- The wind-of-bhōga — Pāṇḍuranga-fans-it-away image