संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2957 of 4582

Abhanga 2957

Viṭhṭhalā Viṭhṭhalā — (O) Viṭhṭhal, Viṭhṭhal; kaṇṭha āḷavitām phuṭalā — (my) kaṇṭha (throat) has burst from āḷavaṇe (pleading-calling).

The throat-burst-from-pleading-Viṭṭhal-Viṭṭhal; many-birth-cycles yearning prayer
Recognizing the Lord's-silence as cheṣṭā (play, taunting)
Cruel-one (naṣṭā) Tukā-calls-the-Lord — the bhakta's-protest

The verse

विठ्ठला विठ्ठला । कंठ आळवितां फुटला ॥१॥ कई कृपा करिसी नेणें । मज दीनाचें धांवणें ॥ध्रु.॥ जाल्या येरझारा । जन्मां बहुतांचा फेरा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नष्टा । अबोलण्या तुझ्या चेष्टा ॥३॥

Literal translation

Viṭhṭhalā Viṭhṭhalā(O) Viṭhṭhal, Viṭhṭhal; kaṇṭha āḷavitām phuṭalā(my) kaṇṭha (throat) has burst from āḷavaṇe (pleading-calling). Kaī krpā karisī neṇewhen will (you) show krpā — (I) don't know; maja dīnāñce dhāvaṇe(of) me, the dīna's running (toward you). Jālyā yera-jhārā(there) have been yera-jhārā (back-and-forth-comings); janmām bahutāñcā pheṛā(in) births of many pheṛā (cycles). Tukā says: naṣṭā(O) naṣṭa (destroyer, cruel-one); abōlaṇyā tujhyā cheṣṭāyour abōlaṇyā (silence, non-speaking) is (your) cheṣṭā (play, taunting-sport).

What it means

A short throat-broken-yearning verse. Viṭhṭhalā Viṭhṭhalā — kaṇṭha āḷavitām phuṭalāViṭṭhal, Viṭṭhal — throat has burst from pleading. The opening-image: the bhakta has called-the-Name so-much that the throat has burst.

Kaī krpā karisī neṇe — maja dīnāñce dhāvaṇewhen will you show krpā — I don't know — the dīna's running. The yearning: the dīna is running (after the Lord); when-will-krpā-come?

Jālyā yera-jhārā — janmām bahutāñcā pheṛāmany back-and-forth-comings — many birth-cycles. The exhaustion-confession: many-lives have-been-spent-in-this-running.

The close: Tukā mhaṇe naṣṭā — abōlaṇyā tujhyā cheṣṭācruel-one — your silence is your taunting-play. The bhakta's-protest: the Lord's-silence is itself a cheṣṭā (taunting-play). The bold-naming: naṣṭa (destroyer, cruel) — directed-at-the-Lord. (Pairs with 2842 mother-cuts-throat-who-saves-baby.)

For someone today

A useful throat-broken-yearning prayer. Viṭhṭhalā, Viṭhṭhalā — (my) throat (has) burst from pleading. When will you show krpā? — (I) don't know — the dīna's running. (There have been) back-and-forth-comings — many births in many cycles. Cruel-one — your silence is your taunting-play. The verse permits the throat-burst protest: (1) Name-called-until-throat-bursts; (2) many-birth-cycles spent in this; (3) the Lord's-silence is taunting-play. The bhakta's bold-protest: call-the-Lord cruel for-his-silence. (Pairs with 2842 mother-cuts-throat — both name-the-Lord-as-cause-of-trouble.)

Where this applies

Related verses