Abhanga 4545
The verse
वाचाळ लटिके अक्त जे खळ । आपुलें तें बळ वाखाणीती ॥१॥
बळें हुंबरती सत्य त्यां न कळे । नुघडती डोळे अंधळ्यांचे ॥२॥
आसुडिल्या माना हात पाय नेटें । तंव भार बोटें उचलिला ॥३॥
लटिका चि आम्हीं सीण केला देवा । कळों आलें तेव्हां सकळांसि ॥४॥
आलें कळों तुका म्हणे अनुभवें । मग अहंभावें सांडवलीं ॥५॥
Literal translation
★ Vāchāḷa-laṭikē-akta-khaḷa — own-strength-vakhāṇitī. Strength-mooing — truth-not-known — blind-eyes-don't-open. Jerked-necks-hands-feet-strained — load-by-finger-lifted. We-made-laṭikā-sīṇa — Deva-realized-then-all. Came-to-know-by-anubhava — Tukā: aham-bhāva-cast-aside.
What it means
★ A 5-verse yamak-bandha — the Gopāḷas-realize-they-faked-the-strain. The diagnostic: vāchāḷas extol their own strength — they don't know the truth — blind-eyes-don't-open. They-jerked-necks-and-strained-bodies pretending-to-lift-the-mountain — meanwhile the actual lifting was by Lord's finger alone. The realization: 'we-made-a-false-exertion to-the-Deva' — the truth came-to-knowing through anubhava (direct-experience) — and the aham-bhāva was cast-aside. The lesson: realization-by-experience is-the-only-cure-for-vāchāḷa-pride. Pair with 4544 (preceding climax), 4546 (continuing prostration).
For someone today
Tukārām: the-vāchāḷa-extol-their-own-strength-while-the-Lord's-finger-actually-did-the-lifting — strain-in-the-body-but-truth-not-known-blind-eyes-don't-open — only-when-anubhava-came-they-realized-their-fake-exertion-and-cast-aside-the-I-feeling.
Where this applies
- ★ Tukārām's vāchāḷa-fake-strength + Lord's-finger-actually-lifted + anubhava-cast-aside-aham-bhāva canonical