Abhanga 4517
No path is truly found without staying close to God, and those who trust only their own cleverness stray, but crying out honestly when lost brings them safely back.
The verse
आपुलाल्यापरी करितील सेवा । गीत गाती देवा खेळवूनि ॥१॥
खेळु मांडियेला यमुने पाबळीं । या रे चेंडुफळी खेळूं आतां ॥२॥
आणविल्या डांगा चवगुणां काठी । बैसोनिया वांटी गडिया गडी ॥३॥
गडी जंव पाहे आपणासमान । नाहीं नारायण म्हणे दुजा ॥४॥
जाणोनि गोविंदें सकळांचा भाव । तयांसि उपाव तो चि सांगे ॥५॥
सांगे सकळांसि व्हा रे एकीकडे । चेंडू राखा गडे तुम्ही माझा ॥६॥
मज हा न लगे आणीक सांगाती । राखावी बहुतीं हाल माझी ॥७॥
माझे हाके हाक मेळवा सकळ । नव जा बरळ एकमेकां ॥८॥
एका समतुकें अवघेचि राहा । जाईंल तो पाहा धरा चेंडू ॥९॥
चेंडू धरा ऐसें सांगतो सकळां । आपण निराळा एकला चि ॥१०॥
चिंडुनियां चेंडू हाणे ऊर्ध्वमुखें । ठेलीं सकळिक पाहात चि ॥११॥
पाहात चि ठेलीं न चलतां कांहीं । येरू लवलाहीं म्हणे धरा ॥१२॥
धरावा तयानें त्याचें बळ ज्यासि । येरा आणिकांसि लाग नव्हे ॥१३॥
नव्हे काम बळ बुद्धि नाहीं त्याचें । न धरवे निंचें उंचाविण ॥१४॥
विचारीं पडिले देखिले गोपाळ । या म्हणे सकळ मजमागें ॥१५॥
मार्ग देवाविण न दिसे आणिका । चतुर होत का बहुत जन ॥१६॥
चतुर चिंतिती बहुत मारग । हरि जाय लाग पाहोनियां ॥१७॥
या मागें जे गेले गोविंदा गोपाळ । ते नेले सीतळ पंथ ठायां ॥१८॥
पंथ जे चुकले आपले मतीचे । तयांमागें त्यांचे ते चि हाल ॥१९॥
हाल दोघां एक मोहरां मागिलां । चालतां चुकलां वाट पंथ ॥२०॥
पंथ पुढिलांसी चालतां न कळे । मागिलांनीं डोळे उघडावे ॥२१॥
वयाचा प्रबोध विचार ज्या नाहीं । समान तो देहीं बाळकांसी ॥२२॥
सिकविलें हित नायिके जो कानीं । त्यामागें भल्यांनीं जाऊं नये ॥२३॥
नये तें चि करी श्रेष्ठाचिया मना । मूर्ख एक जाणा तो चि खरा ॥२४॥
रानभरी जाले न कळे मारग । मग तो श्रीरंग आठविला ॥२५॥
लाज सांडूनियां मारितील हाका । कळलें नायका वैकुंठींच्या ॥२६॥
चारी वेद ज्याची कीर्ती वाखाणीती । तया अति प्रीति गोपाळांची॥२७॥
गोपाळांचा धांवा आइकिला कानीं । सोयी चक्रपाणि पालविलें॥२८॥
साया धरूनियां आले हरिपासीं । लहान थोरांसी सांभाळिलें ॥२९॥
सांभाळिलें तुका म्हणे सकळ हि । सुखी जाले ते ही हरिमुखें ॥३०॥
Literal translation
A 30-verse extended-narrative. Each (does) sevā in his own way, sings the song, playing for Deva. Khelu māṇḍiyelā Yamune pābaḷī — yā re cheṇḍu-phaḷī kheḷūm ātām — the game is set on Yamunā's bank, come, let's play cheṇḍu-phaḷī now. Brought out the ḍāngas, four-times the kāṭhīs; sitting, divide-the-partners. When (Krṣṇa) looks for a partner like-himself, Nārāyaṇa says — there is no second. Knowing all their bhāva, Govinda tells them the upāya: 'all on one side; keep my ball, friends; I need no other companion; many must-watch my cries; meet my-shout-with-shout, don't fall-apart; stay-in-one-tukā; whoever-goes (after it), catch the ball.' Saying so, (he) stands separately-alone. He winds and shoots the ball ūrdhva-mukha; all stand-watching. They stand watching, not-moving — he says quickly 'catch!' Only one of strength catches; others can't reach. Not work, not strength, not buddhi — the low can't catch without the high. The gopāḷas fall to thinking; he says: 'all come after me.' Mārga Devāviṇa na dise āṇikā — chatura hōta kā bahuta jana — without Deva no other sees the path, however many become clever. Chatura cintitī bahuta māraga — Hari jāya lāga pāhōniyām — clever-ones think many paths; Hari goes seeing-the-track. Yā māgēm je gele govindā gopāḷa — te nele śītaḷa pantha ṭhāyā — those gopāḷas who went after Govinda — were taken to a cool path-place. Those who strayed by their own mati — their hāla follows them. Hāla to both — the leader and followers — when the path is mistaken. The followers must open their eyes. He who has no maturity-of-age, no thinking — is body-equal to a child. He who doesn't-hear-the-hita with ears — the bhalle shouldn't follow him. Doing-what's-against-the-śreṣṭha's-mana — that is the only true mūrkha. (They) became rāna-bharī, didn't know the path; then Śrīranga was remembered. Shedding shame, they-yell-out — heard by Vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka. The four vedas praise his fame — his special prīti is for the gopāḷas. Gopāḷāmcā dhāvā āikilā kānīm — sōyī chakrapāṇi pālavilēm — heard the gopāḷas' cry in his ears, Chakrapāṇi waved (his) flap. Coming under his shade, they reached Hari; small and great were protected. Sāmbhāḷile Tukā mhaṇe sakaḷa hi — sukhī jhāle te hi Hari-mukhē — Tukā says: (he) protected all — they became sukhī by Hari-mukha.
What it means
A 30-verse extended-pārable. Krṣṇa sets up a chenḍū-phaḷī game on the Yamunā bank: finds-no-equal-partner; tells-everyone to-stay-on-his-side, meet-his-shout-with-shout, stay-in-one-beat, follow-his-track. The game becomes a teaching: no path-is-seen-without Deva; clever-ones imagine paths — Hari goes-on-his-own-track; those-who-followed-him reach-a-cool-place; those-who-strayed-by-their-own-mind suffer; when-lost-in-wilderness, remember Śrīranga — he-hears-the-cry, waves-the-flap, gathers-all-under-shade.
For someone today
Krishna sets up a ball game with the cowherds and, finding no one his equal, tells everyone to simply stay together on his side, answer his call, and follow wherever he throws the ball, rather than each person going off in their own direction. When some of the boys trust their own cleverness and wander off looking for shortcuts, they get lost in the wilderness, while those who kept following Krishna's own track are led to safety. Tukaram draws a clear lesson from this: no path is truly found without staying close to God, and those who rely purely on their own wits, however smart they think they are, tend to stray and suffer along with anyone who followed them. But even those who wander get a way back, once they drop their pride and shame and simply cry out, God hears that call and gathers everyone safely under his care.
मराठी: कृष्ण गोपाळांसोबत चेंडूचा खेळ मांडतो आणि आपल्याबरोबरीचा कोणी सापडत नाही, तेव्हा सर्वांना सांगतो की आपापल्या मार्गाने न जाता एकत्र त्याच्या बाजूला राहा, त्याच्या हाकेला हाक द्या आणि तो चेंडू जिथे टाकेल तिकडे जा. काही मुले स्वतःच्या हुशारीवर विसंबून वेगळ्या वाटा शोधतात आणि रानात हरवतात, तर जे कृष्णाच्या मागोमाग चालत राहतात त्यांना सुरक्षित स्थळी नेले जाते. तुकाराम यातून स्पष्ट धडा देतात: देवाजवळ राहिल्याशिवाय खरा मार्ग सापडत नाही, आणि जे केवळ स्वतःच्या बुद्धीवर विसंबतात, कितीही हुशार असले तरी, ते भरकटतात आणि त्यांच्यामागे जाणारेही त्रास सोसतात. पण भरकटलेल्यांनाही परत येण्याचा मार्ग असतो, अहंकार आणि लाज सोडून फक्त हाक मारल्यास देव ती ऐकतो आणि सर्वांना सुरक्षितपणे आपल्या आश्रयाखाली घेतो.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's chenḍū-phaḷī Yamunā-game extended pārable
- Canonical path-not-without-Deva; follow-Hari's-track; cry-when-lost template
- Companion to 2540 (Kurukṣetra-sparrows: anāthāñcyā-Nātha)