Abhanga 4518
(Krṣṇa) tells them with mouth: paila cheṇḍū pāhā — udakāmta ḍōhāciye māthām — see yonder the ball — on the deep-pool's-surface.
The verse
मुखें सांगे त्यांसि पैल चेंडू पाहा । उदकांत डोहाचिये माथां ॥१॥
माथां कळंबाचे अवघडा ठायीं । दावियेला डोहीं जळामाजी ॥२॥
जळांत पाहातां हाडति या दृष्टि । म्हणे जगजेठी ऐसें नव्हे ॥३॥
नव्हे साच चेंडू छाया दिसे आंत । खरा तेथें चत्ति लावा वरी ॥४॥
वरी देखियेला अवघ्यांनीं डोळां । म्हणती गोपाळा आतां कैसें ॥५॥
कैसें करूनियां उतरावा खालीं । देखोनियां भ्यालीं अवघीं डोहो ॥६॥
डोहो बहु खोल काळया भीतरी । सरलीं माघारीं अवघीं जणें ॥७॥
जयाचें कारण तयासी च ठावें । पुसे त्याच्या भावें त्यास हरि ॥८॥
त्यासि नारायण म्हणे राहा तळीं । चढे वनमाळी झाडावरी ॥९॥
वरि जातां वरि पाहाती गोपाळ । म्हणति सकळ आम्ही नेणों ॥१०॥
नेणों म्हणती हें करितोसि काईं । आम्हां तुझी आईं देइल सिव्या ॥११॥
आपुलिया कानां देउनियां हात । सकळीं निमित्य टाळियेलें ॥१२॥
निमित्याकारणें रचिलें कारण । गेला नारायण खांदीवरी ॥१३॥
खांदीवरी पाव ठेवियेला देवें । पाडावा त्या भावें चेंडू तळीं ॥१४॥
तळील नेणती तुका म्हणे भाव । अंतरींचा देव जाणों नेदी ॥१५॥
Literal translation
(Krṣṇa) tells them with mouth: paila cheṇḍū pāhā — udakāmta ḍōhāciye māthām — see yonder the ball — on the deep-pool's-surface. On the surface, in the kaḷamba-tree's awkward-place, the ball was shown-in the ḍoha within the water. Jaḷāmta pāhātām hāḍati yā drṣṭi — mhaṇe jagajeṭhī aise navhe — looking-into-water (their) eyes get-stuck; jagajeṭhī says — not-so. Navhe sāca cheṇḍū chāyā dise āmta — kharā tethēm catti lāvā varī — the real ball is not (there); chhāyā only appears within; the real (one) — fix chitta above. Above all saw-with-eyes; they say to the gopāḷa: 'now how?' How to bring-it-down? Seeing-it, all-feared the ḍoha. The ḍoha is very-deep, with Kāḷiyā within; all retreated. Jayāce kāraṇa tayāsī ca ṭhāve — puse tyācyā bhāve tyāsa Hari — whose purpose, he-alone knows; Hari asks (each) by his bhāva. Nārāyaṇa says: 'stay below'; Vanamāḷī climbs the tree. Going up, the gopāḷas look up; all say 'we don't know.' 'Don't,' they say, 'what are you doing — your-mother will curse us.' Putting hand on his own ears, (he) dismissed all-the-nimitta. Nimittā-kāraṇe rachile kāraṇa — gelā Nārāyaṇa khāṇdī-varī — for the nimitta's sake the kāraṇa was rachila (built); Nārāyaṇa got on the branch. (He) placed foot on the branch; with that bhāva, intends-to-drop the ball below. Taḷīla neṇatī Tukā mhaṇe bhāva — antarīmcā Deva jāṇōm nedī — those-below don't-know the bhāva, Tukā says; the antarīmcā-Deva doesn't-let-be-known.
What it means
Opening verse of Tukārām's extended Kāḷiyā-mardana narrative (continuing 4519–4526+). The ball-in-the-water is a pretext (nimitta); the real kāraṇa is to-drop-into-the-ḍoha-to-subdue Kāḷiyā. The gopāḷas don't-know-the-real-bhāva; the-Deva-within doesn't-let-himself-be-known. Tukārām's frame: the Lord's-real-purpose is-always-hidden behind-the-apparent-pretext.
For someone today
Tukārām claims: the-Lord-acts under a pretext; the-real-purpose is-hidden from-those-close-by; the-Deva-within doesn't-reveal-his-plan.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's Kāḷiyā-mardana opening narrative
- Canonical kāraṇa-on-nimitta; antarīmcā-Deva-doesn't-let-be-known
- Gopāḷa-līlā extended cluster (4508–4526+)