संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4535 of 4582

Abhanga 4535

Tukārām's Indra-angered-Lord-tells-gauḷīs-don't-fear-but-they-have-no-firmness-don't-recognize-Deva-ādi-Deva-suffer-bodily-as-bhāra-vāhī canonical

The verse

खेळ नव्हे बरा इंद्र कोपलिया । देव म्हणे तयां भेऊं नका ॥१॥ नका धरू भय धाक कांहीं मनीं । बोले चक्रपाणि गौळियांसि ॥२॥ गौळियांसि धीर नाहीं या वचनें । आशंकितमनें वेडावलीं ॥३॥ वेडावलीं त्यांसि न कळतां भाव । देवआदिदेव नोळखतां ॥४॥ नोळखतां दुःखें वाहाती शरीरीं । तुका म्हणे वरि भारवाही ॥५॥

Literal translation

Not-good-play-Indra-angered — Lord-says-don't-fear. Don't-hold-fear-doubt-mana — Chakra-pāṇi-to-gauḷīs. Gauḷīs-no-dhīra — āśankita-bewildered. Bewildered-not-knowing-bhāva — not-recognizing-Deva-ādi-Deva. Not-recognizing-suffer-bodily — Tukā: bhāra-vāhī.

What it means

A 5-verse yamak-bandha continuing the Indra-yajña-prevention narrative. After-Lord-snatches-Indra's-bhāga, the gauḷīs-fear-Indra-will-be-angered. Lord-tells-them don't-fear, but-they-have-no-firmness in-his-vachana. The diagnosis: bewildered, they-don't-recognize-the-Deva, the-ādi-Devanot-recognizing, they-suffer-bodily as-bhāra-vāhī (burden-carriers, beasts-of-burden — they carry-the-Lord-on-their-shoulders-yet-don't-recognize-him). This is one of Tukārām's signature-images: the bhakta-as-burden-carrier-who-doesn't-recognize-the-Lord-he's-carrying. Pair with 4534 (preceding), 4536 (continuing chain).

For someone today

Tukārām: the-Lord-said "don't-fear-Indra's-anger" — but-the-gauḷīs-couldn't-firm-up-in-his-word — they-didn't-recognize-the-Deva-and-suffered-as-burden-carriers-with-the-Lord-right-there-on-their-shoulders.

Where this applies

Related verses