Taatiche Abhang :Part 2

 

# Taatiche abhang

In the last post I gave an introduction about the context in which  Muktabai gave counseling to her aggrieved brother Dnyaaneshwar.

Here is one of the twelve abhangas( verses) that she delivered on that occasion.

योगी पावन मनाचा।साही अपराध जनाचा ॥१॥

विश्व रागें झाले वन्ही। संती सुखें व्हावें पाणी ॥२॥

शब्द शस्त्रं झालें क्लेश । संती मानावा उपदेश ॥३॥

विश्व पट ब्रह्म दोरा। ताटी उघडा ज्ञानेश्वरा ॥४॥

Just four lines yet infinite wisdom lies in them. Since each word deserves some discussion for better understanding I will divide this into four separate posts. That way it ensures that the reading doesn’t get too long and allows some space and time for reflection.

योगी पावन मनाचा।साही अपराध जनाचा ॥१॥

Yogi paawan manaachaa II

saahi aparaadh janaachaa II1II

Yogi= a follower on the path of yoga. 

Paawan= pure, pious, blessed

Manaachaa= of mind, at heart

Saahi= bears, tolerates, sustains, endures

Aparaadh= crime, atrocities, wrongdoing 

Janaacha = of the people, of others

योगी पावन मनाचा

In the opening line of this abhanga Muktabai addresses Dnyaaneshwar as Yogi with additional qualification of paawan manaachaa.

Who is a yogi? 

One who has disciplined his body and senses. Who reins in his desires and pleasures. Who has perfect control over his speech. Whose soul is in harmony with the universal soul. 

All the siblings were yogis and Dnyaaneshwar was no exception to this. 

There can be someone who has controlled his body and senses through practice but it does not guarantee purity of heart. 

There are many yogis who have acquired special powers through the practice of yoga but they use these for personal aggrandizement or other hidden motives. 

Once Vivekananda met a yogi who asked “ people talk so much about you, what powers have you acquired from your practice?” Vivekananda humbly said I have no magical powers. The yogi laughed and tried to belittle Vivekananda by walking two feet above the river from one shore to the other and back. Vivekananda then pointed to a boatman nearby and said ” this man can cross the river without any special yogic powers. That too not alone. He can row several people across.”. The yogi realized how worthless his powers were and was humbled and acknowledged the greatness and humility of Vivekananda.

In the lifetime of Dnyaaneshwar and his siblings there was a yogi by the name of Chaangdev who had lived 1400 years through practice of yoga. He was jealous of the following and praise acquired by these siblings. He came to meet them riding on a tiger to show them his powers. Dnyaaneshwar responded by approaching him on a brick wall on which he and his siblings were seated. Through yogic powers he could make that inanimate wall move from its place to where Chaangdev was waiting for them. Later Chaangdev sent an empty letter to them.  Muktabai is credited for taming his arrogance by saying that after 1400 years Chaangdev remained “empty” ( kora). In response to Chaangdev’s empty letter Dnyaaneshwar wrote 65 brilliant verses which are famously known as Chaangdev paashasti ( Changdev’s 65). Chaangdev surrendered and became a disciple of Dnyaaneshwar and after the latter’s samadhi, he became instrumental in setting the tradition of the annual wari to Pandharpur with Dnyaaneshwar’s palkhi from Alandi.

Muktabai was young when the moving wall incident happened. She was so excited about it that later she urged Dnyaaneshwar to have it as their vehicle to go around from place to place. At that time Dnyaaneshwar chided her and said that yogic powers are not meant to be used for personal convenience or show off to others. He has used it that one time simply to counter Chaangdev’s arrogance. To use it randomly would be misuse of the power.

Muktabai emphasizes in the abhanga that Dnyaaneshwar is not only a yogi but he is also Paawan manaachaa. One with a pure heart. He has humility and cares for others. He has not only gained control over his body and senses but also his mind. 

Many yogis succumb to their downfall because they fail to control their minds. Somewhere they get lured by power, fame, prestige or pleasures. Unless they have surrendered themselves to the service of the Almighty they do not reach the highest spiritual order.

With devotion to complement his austerity Dnyaaneshwar was a perfect yogi. A yogi of the highest order.

साही अपराध जनाचा ॥१॥

There is a famous line by Sant Tukaram :

ज्याचे अंगी मोठेपण। तया यातना कठीण।।

( one who has greatness gets much pain.)

A yogi of the highest order must endure the follies of the world. He must learn to tolerate and forgive people, no matter how unfair they are.

 The Bible mentions that Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”( when he was ordered to be crucified.)

There is a story from the life of Sant Tukaram. There was a priest named Mambaji who was jealous of Tukaram’s popularity and abhangas. He would abuse Tukaram verbally at every opportunity yet every evening come and attend Tukaram’s keertan at the temple. He would steal Tukaram’s words and claim them to be his own.

One day in a fit of jealousy and rage about the growing followers for Tukaram Mambaji beat up Tukaram mercilessly with a thorny stick. Tukaram was bleeding from all over but did not retaliate. That evening he still proceeded with his keertan. When he looked up Mambaji was not seen at his usual spot in the far corner. So Tukaram paused his keertan and went to Mambaji’s house to check on him. “ is your hand hurt from beating me?” he asked with genuine concern. Mambaji realized that Tukaram’s goodness was not a facade. The man was a true saint. Thereafter Mambaji apologized for all his actions and became a follower of Tukaram. He too is credited for carrying forward the tradition of palkhi each year from Dehu to honor the legacy of Sant Tukaram. 

Similarly here Muktabai, age 9, is reminding her older brother, that you are a yogi of the highest order. And you must therefore continue to forgive and forget the hurtful words of others and the wrongs they thrust upon you.

Saree is a repeat mul cotton with Ajrakh print. The scalloped design on pallu is same as on the recent mulberry silk saree I posted. The color scheme makes the difference.