Abhanga 3897
The verse
आविसाचे आसे गळ गिळी मासा । फुटोनियां घसा मरण पावे ॥१॥
मरणाचे वेळे करी तळमळ । आठवी कृपाळ तये वेळीं ॥२॥
अंतकाळीं ज्याच्या नाम आलें मुखा । तुका म्हणे सुखा पार नाहीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Fish-swallows-hook-out-of-bait-desire — throat-bursts — death. At-death-taḷamaḷa — remembers-krpāḷa. Tukā: Name-at-anta-kāḷa — no-pār-to-sukha.
What it means
★ A 3-verse anta-kāḷa-Name text. Out of desire for the bait, the fish swallows the hook — its throat bursts — death comes. At the moment of death, in its anxious-thrashing, it remembers the compassionate-one at that very moment. He in whose mouth the Name has come at the final-time — to his joy there is no far-shore (no limit). The fish-and-hook image — desire-for-bait leads to the hook — is the same image as 3836 vara-āhāra gaḷī lāvī. Here the bhakti-twist: even the fish in its dying-distress can call the Lord and be saved. Pair with 3879 (Ajāmīḷa-said-Nārāyaṇa-at-prāṇa-leaving — same anta-kāḷa-Name doctrine).
For someone today
Tukārām: even-the-fish-in-the-dying-moment-can-remember-the-Compassionate — Name-at-the-final-moment-has-no-limit-to-its-fruit.
Where this applies
- ★ Tukārām's anta-kāḷa-Name-saves-the-fish canonical
- Pair with 3879 (Ajāmīḷa-vimāna-at-anta-kāḷa)