Abhanga 4508
Once the mind is truly devoted, even physical separation becomes a form of meditation on togetherness, because the heart stays fixed on the beloved regardless of distance.
The verse
जाय फाकोनियां निवडितां गाईं । आपलाल्या सोयी घराचिये ॥१॥
घराचिये सोयी अंतरला देव । गोपाळांचे जीव गोविंदापे ॥२॥
गोविंदे वेधिलें तुका म्हणे मन । वियोगें ही ध्यान संयोगाचें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Jāya phākōniyām nivaḍitām gāīm — (the) cows go scattering as (they) sort-themselves; āpalālyā sōyī ghāracihye — each by its own arrangement homeward. Ghārāciye sōyī antaralā Deva — in the home-arrangement Deva became-distant; gōpāḷāñce jīva Govindāpe — the gopāḷas' jīva is on Govinda. Govinde vedhilēm Tukā mhaṇe mana — Tukā says: Govinda has pierced mana; viyōge hī dhyāna samyōgāce — even in separation, (it is) dhyāna of union.
What it means
A 3-verse text on the gopāḷa-samsāra moment. Cows-and-cowherds scatter homeward; in that very going-home Deva-becomes-distant; their jīva stays on Govinda. Even-the-separation is-meditation-on-union — viyōga is itself a form of dhyāna.
For someone today
As evening comes, the cows scatter and each cowherd heads home along their own path, so that for a moment God feels physically distant from them, yet their hearts stay completely fixed on him the whole time. Tukaram says that once the mind has truly been pierced by love, even the ordinary separations of daily life become a kind of meditation on togetherness. You do not need someone physically present every moment to stay connected to them, because a mind that is truly devoted keeps holding that closeness even when circumstances pull people apart.
मराठी: संध्याकाळ होताच गाई विखुरतात आणि प्रत्येक गोपाळ आपापल्या वाटेने घराकडे निघतो, त्यामुळे क्षणभर देव त्यांच्यापासून शारीरिकदृष्ट्या दूर वाटतो, तरीही त्यांचे मन सतत त्याच्यावरच स्थिर असते. तुकाराम म्हणतात की एकदा मन खऱ्या प्रेमाने भारून गेले की, दैनंदिन आयुष्यातील साधे विरहाचे क्षणही मीलनाचे ध्यानच बनतात. प्रत्येक क्षणी कोणी शारीरिकरित्या जवळ असण्याची गरज नसते, कारण खरोखर समर्पित मन परिस्थितीने वेगळे केले तरी ती जवळीक टिकवून ठेवते.
Where this applies
- When daily routines or duties physically separate you from someone you love
- When you feel far from God or a loved one but notice your heart still stays fixed on them
- When you assume that distance always means disconnection
- When ordinary partings, like heading home at day's end, become quiet moments of remembering someone dear