Abhanga 4536
As long as a mind is bound to hope and craving, it cannot settle into firmness, so it fails to recognize what is already right beside it.
The verse
भारवाही नोळखती या अनंता । जवळी असतां अंगसंगें ॥१॥
अंगसंगें तया न कळे हा देव । कळोनि संदेह मागुताला ॥२॥
मागुती पडती चिंतेचिये डोहीं । जयाची हे नाहीं बुद्धि स्थिर ॥३॥
बुद्धि स्थिर होउं नेदी नारायण । आशबद्ध जन लोभिकांची ॥४॥
लोभिकां न साहे देवाचें करणें । तुका म्हणे तेणें दुःखी होती ॥५॥
Literal translation
Bhāra-vāhī-don't-recognize-Anantā — at-their-side-anga-sanga. Anga-sanga-no-recognition — samdēha-comes-back. Falls-into-chinta-ḍōha — buddhi-no-sthira. Nārāyaṇa-doesn't-let-buddhi-firm-in-āśā-bound-lobhika. Lobhika-can't-bear-Deva's-action — Tukā: duḥkhī.
What it means
A 5-verse yamak-bandha — diagnoses why-the-gauḷīs-can't-firm-up-in-Lord's-word. The diagnosis: (a) bhāra-vāhī-don't-recognize Anantā-at-their-side-with-anga-sanga — they carry-him-on-their-shoulders-but-don't-recognize, (b) when-something-is-known, samdēha-comes-back — knowledge keeps slipping, (c) buddhi-has-no-sthira (firmness), (d) Nārāyaṇa-himself-doesn't-let-the-buddhi-firm in-the-āśā-bound (the Lord-engineers-the-bewilderment by-supplying-the-hope-they-cling-to), (e) the lobhika-can't-bear-the-Deva's-action — therefore-they-become-duḥkhī. Pair with 4533 (Lord-engineers-self-forgetting), 4535 (preceding chain).
For someone today
Tukaram describes people who carry the divine right beside them, even touching them, and still fail to recognize what is there. Whenever a flicker of understanding comes, doubt pulls them back down into worry, because their minds never settle into firmness. Tukaram goes further and says the Lord himself will not let a mind stay firm as long as it is bound to hope and craving, so the greedy keep finding his ways unbearable and keep suffering. As long as your attention is gripped by wanting something, real recognition of what is already close to you cannot take hold.
मराठी: तुकाराम अशा लोकांचे वर्णन करतात जे दैवी उपस्थिती अगदी जवळ, अंगाला स्पर्श होईल इतकी असूनही ती ओळखत नाहीत. जेव्हा कधी थोडीशी समज येते, तेव्हाही शंका त्यांना पुन्हा काळजीच्या डोहात खेचते, कारण त्यांचे मन कधीच स्थिर होत नाही. तुकाराम पुढे जाऊन म्हणतात की जोपर्यंत मन आशेने आणि लोभाने बांधलेले असते, तोपर्यंत देवही ते मन स्थिर होऊ देत नाही, त्यामुळे लोभी लोकांना देवाचे वागणे सहनच होत नाही आणि ते दुःखी राहतात. जोपर्यंत तुमचे लक्ष एखाद्या इच्छेने पकडलेले असते, तोपर्यंत जवळच असलेल्या गोष्टीची खरी ओळख होऊ शकत नाही.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's bhāra-vāhī-don't-recognize-Anantā + Lord-engineers-bewilderment in-āśā-bound canonical