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 4567 of 4582

Abhanga 4567

The verse

दिनाचा कृपाळु दुष्टजना काळ । एकला सकळ व्यापक हा ॥१॥ हांसे बोले तैसा नव्हे हा अनंत । नये पराकृत म्हणों यासि ॥२॥ यासि कळावया एक भक्तिभाव । दुजा नाहीं ठाव धांडोळितां ॥३॥ धांडोळितां श्रुति राहिल्या निश्चित । तो करी संकेत गोपींसवें ॥४॥ गोपिकांची वाट पाहे द्रुमातळीं । मागुता न्याहाळी न देखतां ॥५॥ न देखतां त्यांसि उठे बैसे पाहे । वेडावला राहे वेळोवेळां ॥६॥ वेळोवेळां पंथ पाहे गोपिकांचा । तुका म्हणे वाचा नातुडे तो ॥७॥

Literal translation

★★ Dīna-krpāḷu — duṣṭa-jana-kāḷa — alone-vyāpaka. Not-prākrt — Anantā. Known-by-bhakti-bhāva — Vedas-stay-fixed. Makes-sankēta-with-gopīs. Watches-gopīs'-vāṭa-under-drumā — looks-without-seeing. Rises-sits-watches — vēḍāvalā-time-and-time-again. Watches-gopīs'-path — Tukā: vāchā-can't-touch-him.

What it means

★★ A 7-verse yamak-bandha — Lord-as-gopīs'-lover paradox. The doctrine-narrative-paradox: (a) the Lord-is-the-compassionate-of-destitute, Kāla-of-wicked, alone-and-all-pervading, not-prākrt (ordinary), known-only-by-bhakti-bhāva, even Vedas-can't-find-him in-search, (b) ★ YEThe-makes-samkēta (assignations) with-the-gopīswaits-for-them-under-a-treerises, sits, watches restlesslytime-and-time-again-bewildered (vēḍāvalā) for the gopīs' arrival. The Lord-of-Vedas pining-for-cowherd-women — the paradox-at-the-heart of bhakti. Vāchā cannot touch him (he is beyond speech). Pair with 4566 (preceding), 4555 (Indra-stuti).

For someone today

Tukārām: the-Lord-is-the-compassion-of-destitute-the-Time-of-wicked-alone-and-all-pervading-not-ordinary — known-only-by-devotion — yet-he-makes-assignations-with-the-cowgirls-and-waits-restlessly-for-them-under-a-tree — rising-sitting-bewildered-time-and-time-again — speech-cannot-touch-him.

Where this applies

Related verses