Abhanga 3114
Tukārām's līlā-claim. For (the bhakti of) you — mūḍha, chatura, paṇḍita — all become mad. But the secret is not known to anyone — (they) will suffer in the mine-of-suffering. The lame crosses the mountain; the mute does speech. The sinful becomes virtuous; the wicked does no harm. With only a sport-mere, Hari makes the brahmāṇḍa free. (He) plays līlā — looks separate while pervading. The verse permits the canonical bhakti-paradox: lame-crosses-mountain by-the-Lord's-heḷā-mātra.
The verse
तुज करितां होती ऐसे । मूढ चतुर पंडित पिसे॥१॥
परि वर्म नेणे तें कोणी । पीडाखाणी भोगितील ॥ध्रु.॥
उलंघितें पांगुळ गिरी । मुकें करी अनुवाद ॥२॥
पापी होय पुण्यवंत । न करी घात दुर्जन ॥३॥
अवघें हेळामात्रें हरि । मुक्त करी ब्रम्हांड ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे खेळे लीळा । पाहे वेगळा व्यापूनि ॥५॥
Literal translation
Tuja karitām hōtī aise — for (the doing of) you, (they) become; mūḍha chatura paṇḍita pise — mūḍha, chatura, paṇḍita — all mad. Pari varma neṇe te kōṇī — but the varma — no one knows; pīḍākhāṇī bhōgatīla — they will suffer in pīḍākhāṇī. Ulanghite pānguḷa girī — the lame crosses the mountain; muke karī anuvāda — the mute does anuvāda. Pāpī hōya puṇyavanta — the pāpī becomes puṇyavanta; na karī ghāta durjana — the durjana doesn't do harm. Avaghe heḷāmātre Hari — Hari, with only heḷā-mātra; mukta karī brahmāṇḍa — makes brahmāṇḍa mukta. Tukā mhaṇe kheḷe līḷā — Tukā says: (he) plays līḷā; pāhe vegaḷā vyāpūnī — (he) looks separate while pervading.
What it means
★ A striking 5-verse līlā-claim text by Tukārām.
The 5 paradoxical-claims of-Hari's-bhakti-līlā: 1. Mūḍha-chatura-paṇḍita-all-become-pisē (mad-for-bhakti) 2. Lame (pangu) crosses-the-mountain 3. Mute (mūka) does-anuvāda (response, speech) 4. Pāpī becomes-puṇyavanta; durjana doesn't-do-harm 5. Hari makes-brahmāṇḍa-mukta with only-heḷā-mātra (a-mere-sport)
The closing: plays-līḷā; looks-separate while-vyāpana (pervading) — pure paradox-bhakti.
★ The pangu-crosses-mountain, mūka-does-anuvāda is a canonical Vedānta-Bhakti-image: pangu giri-langhayate, mūka karoti vāchālam — a-foundational-Tukārām-favorite-image expressing-bhakti's-transformative-power.
For someone today
Tukārām's līlā-claim. For (the bhakti of) you — mūḍha, chatura, paṇḍita — all become mad. But the secret is not known to anyone — (they) will suffer in the mine-of-suffering. The lame crosses the mountain; the mute does speech. The sinful becomes virtuous; the wicked does no harm. With only a sport-mere, Hari makes the brahmāṇḍa free. (He) plays līlā — looks separate while pervading. The verse permits the canonical bhakti-paradox: lame-crosses-mountain by-the-Lord's-heḷā-mātra.
Where this applies
- ★ Striking līlā-claim text
- Pangu-crosses-mountain, mūka-does-anuvāda canonical-paradox
- Hari-makes-brahmāṇḍa-mukta with-heḷā-mātra