Abhanga 4489
The verse
चारी वेद ज्याची कीर्ती वाखाणिती । बांधवी तो हातीं गौळणीच्या ॥१॥
गौळणिया गळा बांधिती धारणीं । पायां चक्रपाणी लागे तया ॥२॥
तयाघरीं रिघे चोरावया लोणी । रितें पाळतूनि शिरे माजी ॥३॥
माजी शिरोनियां नवनीत खाये । कवाड तें आहे जैसें तैसें ॥४॥
जैसा तैसा आहे अंतर्बाह्यात्कारीं । म्हणउनि चोरी नसंपडे ॥५॥
नसंपडे तयां करितां खटपट । वाउगे बोभाट वर्माविण ॥६॥
वर्म जाणती त्या एकल्या एकटा । बैसतील वाटा निरोधूनि ॥७॥
निवांत राहिल्या निःसंग होऊनि । निश्चळि ज्या ध्यानीं कृष्णध्यान ॥८॥
न ये क्षणभरी योगियांचे ध्यानीं । धरिती गौळणी भाविका त्या ॥९॥
भाविका तयांसी येतो काकुलती । शाहाण्या मरती नसंपडे ॥१०॥
नलगे वेचावी टोळी धनानांवें । तुका म्हणें भावें चाड एका ॥११॥
Literal translation
★ Vedas-praise — gauḷaṇī-bind-him-by-hand; bind-his-neck — Cakra-pāṇī-falls-at-her-feet; steals-butter-from-her-house — empty-watched-sneaks-in; inside-eats-navanīta — door-as-is; antar-bāhya-as-is — chōrī-not-caught; not-caught-by-effort — vain-shouting-without-mark; mark-known-by-those-alone — sit-blocking-paths; quietly-niḥsanga — niścaḷa-Krṣṇa-dhyāna; not-in-yogis'-dhyāna — gauḷaṇī-bhāvika-hold-him; bhāvika-coming-pleading — wise-die-not-caught; no-troops-money — Tukā: bhāva-chāḍa-of-One.
What it means
★ An 11-verse yamak-bandha celebrating-the-Vedic-Lord-as-bound-by-gauḷaṇī. The paradox: the Vedas spend-eternity-praising-his-glory, but the simple-cowherd-women bind-him-at-the-neck. Chakra-pāṇī (he-who-holds-the-discus, Viṣṇu) falls-at-the-gauḷaṇī's-feet. He steals-butter from their-house — but-because he's-antar-bāhya-the-same (transcends inside-outside), the theft-can't-be-caught. Yogis-can't-touch-him-in-dhyāna, but-the-bhāvika-gauḷaṇī-hold-him. The closing: no-money-no-troops-no-name needed — only bhāva — and chāḍa-of-One (need-of-the-One) is fulfilled. Pair with 4483 (gopī-cluster), 4495 (bāla-līlā-butter-stealing), 4487 (spaṭika-śilā).
For someone today
Tukārām: the-Lord-the-Vedas-praise-is-bound-by-the-cowherd-women-at-the-neck — yogis-can't-find-him-in-meditation-but-the-bhāvika-cowgirls-hold-him — wise-people-die-trying-and-don't-catch-him — no-money-no-effort-needed-only-pure-bhāva.
Where this applies
- ★ Tukārām's Vedas-praise-but-gauḷaṇī-bind-Lord + bhāva-supremacy-over-jñāna-yoga canonical