Abhanga 4167
Aisā dustara bhavasāgara — neṇōm kaisā utarūm pāra — such (is) the dustara bhava-sāgara — I know not how to cross to the far-shore.
The verse
ऐसा दुस्तर भवसागर । नेणों कैसा उतरूं पार ॥१॥
कामक्रोधादि सावजें थोर । दिसताती भयंकर ॥ध्रु.॥
मायाममतेचे भोवरे । घेती भयानक फेरे ॥२॥
वासनेच्या लहरा येती । उद्योगहेलकावे बसती ॥३॥
तरावया एक युक्ति असे । तुका नामनावेमधीं बैसे ॥४॥
Literal translation
Aisā dustara bhavasāgara — neṇōm kaisā utarūm pāra — such (is) the dustara bhava-sāgara — I know not how to cross to the far-shore. Kāma-krōdhādi sāvaje thōra — disatātī bhayankara — kāma-krōdha etc. are great predators — they look fearful. Māyā-mamatēche bhōvare — ghētī bhayānaka phere — whirlpools of māyā-mamatā — take frightful rounds. Vāsanechyā laharā yetī — udyōga-helakāve basatī — waves of vāsanā come — the push-pull of effort seats-itself. Tarāvayā eka yukti ase — Tukā nāma-nāvemadhīm baise — one means exists for crossing — Tukā sits in the nāma-boat.
What it means
A 5-verse bhava-sāgara picture. Ocean-of-being-impassable; kāma-krodha-predators; māyā-mamatā-whirlpools; vāsanā-waves; only-one-means — sit-in-the-Name-boat. Tukā's prescription concise: Name-nave (Name = boat) — the most canonical Vārkarī image.
For someone today
Tukārām says: the-ocean-of-being-is-full-of-predators-whirlpools-and-waves; only-one-means-works — sit-in-the-Name-boat.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's Name-boat to cross bhava-sāgara canonical
- Companion to 2448 (nāma-sankīrtana-sādhana-paim-sōpē)