Abhanga 2899
Sukha sukhā bhēte — sukha (joy) meets sukha; maga tōḍiliyā na tuṭe — then, even by breaking (it), (it) doesn't break.
The verse
सुख सुखा भेटे । मग तोडिल्या न तुटे ॥१॥
रविरिश्मकळा । नये घालितां पैं डोळां ॥ध्रु.॥
दुरि तें जवळी । स्नेहें आकाशा कवळी ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे चत्ति । माझें पायीं अखंडित ॥३॥
Literal translation
Sukha sukhā bhēte — sukha (joy) meets sukha; maga tōḍiliyā na tuṭe — then, even by breaking (it), (it) doesn't break. Ravi-riśmi-kaḷā — the sun's raśmi-kaḷā (ray-art, ray-emanations); nye ghālitām paim ḍōḷām — cannot be put into the eye (cannot be contained). Duri te javaḷī — the far (becomes) near; snehe ākāśā kavaḷī — by snēha (oil, love-affection), (one) kavaḷī (embraces, encompasses) the sky. Tukā says: chitti — (my) chitta; mājhe pāyī akhaṇḍita — at (your) feet, unbroken.
What it means
A short bhakti-union image-set verse.
Sukha sukhā bhēte — maga tōḍiliyā na tuṭe — sukha meets sukha — once joined, doesn't break. The opening-image: when two sukhas meet (the bhakta's-sukha meets the Lord's-sukha), the union is unbreakable.
Ravi-riśmi-kaḷā — nye ghālitām paim ḍōḷām — the sun's rays cannot be put into the eye. The image: the sun-rays are too-vast to be contained in the eye. (Application: the bhakti-union is too-vast to be contained-or-described.)
Duri te javaḷī — snehe ākāśā kavaḷī — the far becomes near — by snēha, one embraces the sky. The classical-image: snēha (love-affection, oil-substance) can embrace-the-sky (with affection, even the most-distant becomes near). Snēha is both love-affection and oil in Marathi — and oil-spreads-everywhere; so love does too.
The close: Tukā mhaṇe chitti — mājhe pāyī akhaṇḍita — my chitta — at (your) feet, unbroken. The bhakta's-claim: my chitta-at-your-feet is akhaṇḍita (unbroken, continuous). The bhakti-union the verse-described is the bhakta's-own-experience.
For someone today
A useful bhakti-union image set. Sukha meets sukha — once joined, doesn't break. The sun's rays cannot be put into the eye. The far becomes near — by snēha (love), one embraces the sky. My chitta — at your feet, unbroken. Three operative-images: (1) sukha-meets-sukha and doesn't-break; (2) sun-rays are too-vast for the eye; (3) snēha brings-the-far-near. The closing-claim: my chitta is akhaṇḍita-at-your-feet. The verse permits bhakti-union-claim with poetic-warrants.
Where this applies
- The sukha-meets-sukha; snēha-embraces-the-distant bhakti-union image
- Recognizing once-joined-doesn't-break in bhakti-union
- Chitta-akhaṇḍita-at-feet — unbroken-bhakti claim
- The poetic-warrants for bhakti-union-experience