संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2768 of 4582

Abhanga 2768

Māgē puḍhē rīga na pure chi pāhātām — backward-forward, there's no rīga (room/passage) to look; avaghā avaghīm veṣṭilōm — I am completely encircled by all.

The I-am-completely-encircled-save-me-in-any-way full surrender
Do-the-holī-of-samchita-karma — burn the accumulated-karma in festival-fire
Preserve-in-any-fashion — leaving the method to the protector

The verse

मागें पुढें रीग न पुरे चि पाहातां । अवघा अवघीं वेष्टिलों ॥१॥ करितां न कळे कांहीं असतील गुण दोष । करीं होळी संचिताची ॥ध्रु.॥ करिती ताडातोडी ऐसी यांची खोडी । न चले माझें यास कांहीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे हरी राखे भलत्या परी । आम्ही तुझीं शरणागतें ॥३॥

Literal translation

Māgē puḍhē rīga na pure chi pāhātāmbackward-forward, there's no rīga (room/passage) to look; avaghā avaghīm veṣṭilōmI am completely encircled by all. Karitām na kaḷē kāmhī asatīla guṇa-dōṣa(I) don't know — there may be guṇa-dōṣa (qualities-faults); karīm hōḷī samchitāñcīdo the hōḷī (festival-fire-burning) of samchita-karma. Karitī tāḍātōḍī aisī yāñcī khōḍīthey do tāḍātōḍī (cutting-breaking) — such is their khōḍī (fault); na chale mājhe yāsa kāmhīmy (effort) does nothing for them. Tukā says: Hari rākhē bhalatyā parīHari preserves in whatever fashion; āmhī tujhīm śaraṇāgatēwe are your refuge-takers.

What it means

A short fully-encircled-surrender verse. Māgē puḍhē rīga na pure chi pāhātām — avaghā avaghīm veṣṭilōmbackward-forward, no room even to look — I am completely encircled by all. The image: encircled-by-enemies, no escape-direction available. Veṣṭilōmwrapped, encircled.

The dhrūpada: karitām na kaḷē kāmhī asatīla guṇa-dōṣa — karīm hōḷī samchitāñcīI don't know what guṇa-dōṣa there may be — do the holī of samchita. The bhakta-doesn't-know his own qualities-and-faults. He asks the Lord to do the holī (the festival-fire-burning) of samchita-karma (accumulated, not-yet-active karma). Holi — the spring-festival of bonfires — used as image: burn all of it in one fire.

The second verse names the external-attackers: karitī tāḍātōḍī aisī yāñcī khōḍī — na chale mājhe yāsa kāmhīthey do cutting-breaking — such is their fault; my (effort) does nothing for them. The tāḍātōḍī (cutting-breaking) — the attacks — are the encirclers' khōḍī (fault). The bhakta's effort doesn't work on them.

The close: Hari rākhē bhalatyā parī — āmhī tujhīm śaraṇāgatēHari preserves in whatever fashion — we are your refuge-takers. The full-surrender: preserve in any way you choose; the method is yours. The bhakta's only-claim: we are your refuge-takers.

For someone today

A useful full-surrender petition for the completely-encircled moment. Backward-forward there's no room; I am encircled by all. I don't know what guṇa-dōṣa may be in me — do the holī of samchita. They do cutting-breaking — such is their fault; my effort does nothing. Hari preserves in any fashion — we are your refuge-takers. The verse permits: (1) full-acknowledgment of being-encircled, no-escape-route; (2) full-acknowledgment of self-unknown-guṇa-dōṣa; (3) full-surrender of the method to the protector. The closing-claim — we are your refuge-takers — is the only-requirement.

Where this applies