Abhanga 136
What is not in the heart is not nearby — even though physically present. The cow walks away from her own calf by this very logic. Without bhāva, everything is bland — like food without salt.
The verse
चित्तीं नाहीं तें जवळीं असोनि काय । वत्स सांडी माय तेणें न्यायें ॥१॥ प्रीतीचा तो वायु गोड लागे मात । जरी जाय चित्त मिळोनियां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे अवघें फिकें भावाविण । मीठ नाहीं अन्न तेणें न्यायें ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: If it is not in the heart, what use being nearby? — by the same logic, the (cow-)mother leaves her own calf. Love's breath alone makes speech sweet — when the heart goes out and meets. Tuka says: everything is bland without bhāva — like food without salt.
मराठी: चित्तात नसेल तर जवळ असून काय? — तेणें न्यायें माता वत्स सांडते. प्रीतीचा वायू गोड वाटतो — चित्त जाऊन मिळालं तर. तुकाराम म्हणतात — भावाशिवाय सर्व फिकं — मीठ नसलेल्या अन्नासारखं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| चित्तीं नाहीं तें जवळीं असोनि काय | "if (it is) not in the heart — what use being nearby?" |
| वत्स सांडी माय तेणें न्यायें | "by the same logic, the mother (cow) leaves her calf" |
| प्रीतीचा तो वायु गोड लागे मात | "love's wind / breath — sweet feels the talk" |
| जरी जाय चित्त मिळोनियां | "if the heart goes (out) and meets" |
| अवघें फिकें भावाविण | "everything is bland without bhāva" |
| मीठ नाहीं अन्न तेणें न्यायें | "by the same logic — food without salt" |
What it means
A short heart-presence abhang. Three precise images: (1) physical-proximity without heart-engagement is empty — चित्तीं नाहीं तें जवळीं असोनि काय? (2) The cow-mother who abandons her own calf (a strange but real image — happens with traumatized or sick mother-animals) demonstrates that biological proximity does not require heart-presence. (3) Without bhāva, everything is food-without-salt. The salt-image is precise: a small amount of bhāva makes the whole meal taste; its absence makes everything bland regardless of what is on the plate. [T]
For someone today
This abhang is for the moment when you find yourself with people / practice / work but not really there in heart. Tukaram's claim: physical-presence-without-heart-presence is a kind of absence. The cure is not more proximity; it is bringing the heart back. The food-without-salt image is the diagnostic: if everything in your life feels bland regardless of input, the missing element is bhāva. Adding more food won't help; what's missing is the salt.
The honest harder reading: sometimes the heart has gone elsewhere for real reasons. The cure is not forced-return; it is recognizing where it has gone, and either accepting the absence or addressing the cause.
मराठी: ही ओवी अशा क्षणासाठी जेव्हा तुम्ही लोक / साधना / कामासोबत आहात पण हृदयाने खरंच नाही. तुकारामांचा दावा: physical-presence-without-heart-presence ही एक प्रकारची अनुपस्थिती आहे. उपाय अधिक proximity नाही — हृदय परत आणणं. food-without-salt image diagnostic: input कितीही असला तरी सर्व बेस वाटतंय — हरवलेलं element भाव. अधिक अन्न मदत करणार नाही; मीठच हरवलं आहे.
प्रामाणिक कठीण वाचन: कधी हृदय खरंच कारणामुळे दुसरीकडे गेलंय. उपाय forced-return नाही — कुठे गेलंय ते ओळखणं — एकतर अनुपस्थिती स्वीकारणं, किंवा कारण address करणं.
Where this applies
- Physically with, not heart-present. Recognize the absence-kind.
- Life feels bland. Salt = bhāva. Missing.
- Heart gone elsewhere. Recognize where; either accept or address.