Abhanga 364
Don't feed sorrow with more sorrow, don't hide behind false helplessness, don't wait on others who won't actually help, and know that even a small sustained effort is enough.
The verse
शोकें शोक वाढे । हिमतीचे धीर गाढे ॥१॥ येथें केले नव्हे काई । लंडीपण खोटें भाई ॥ध्रु.॥ करिती होया होय । परी नव्हे कोणी साह्य ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे घडी । साधिलिया एक थोडी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Sorrow grows by sorrow — those of himmata, dhīra — are gāḍha. Have you done nothing here? — laṇḍī-paṇa is khōṭa, brother. (People) say hōyā-hōya — but none is actual sāhya. Tuka says: a ghaḍī — when sādhilīyā — is enough, even small.
मराठी: शोकें शोक वाढे — हिमतीचे धीर गाढे. येथें केले नव्हे काई — लंडीपण खोटें भाई. करिती होया होय — परी नव्हे कोणी साह्य. तुकाराम म्हणतां — घडी — साधिलिया एक थोडी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| शोकें शोक वाढे | "śōka (sorrow) — by sorrow — grows" |
| हिमतीचे धीर गाढे | "of himmata — dhīra — gāḍha (firm)" |
| येथें केले नव्हे काई | "have you done nothing here?" |
| लंडीपण खोटें भाई | "laṇḍī-paṇa (cowardice) is khōṭa (false), brother" |
| करिती होया होय | "(people) say hōyā-hōya (yes-yes)" |
| परी नव्हे कोणी साह्य | "but no one is actual sāhya (helper)" |
| घडी साधिलिया एक थोडी | "a ghaḍī — when sādhilīyā — is enough, even small" |
What it means
A short courage-against-self-pity abhang. Three claims:
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शोकें शोक वाढे — हिमतीचे धीर गाढे — sorrow grows by sorrow — those of himmata are gāḍha. The opening-rule: self-sorrow grows on itself; the firm-of-himmata-and-dhīra are gāḍha (steady). The anti-self-pity claim: don't feed sorrow with more sorrow.
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येथें केले नव्हे काई — लंडीपण खोटें भाई — have you done nothing here? — laṇḍī-paṇa (cowardice) is khōṭa, brother. The direct-challenge: have you really done nothing? — that's a coward's-false-claim, brother. Self-pity often hides asI-can-do-nothing; that helplessness-claim is khōṭa.
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करिती होया होय — परी नव्हे कोणी साह्य — (people) say yes-yes — but no one is actual helper. The honest-social-fact: people sayyes-yes but none is the actual sāhya (helper). Don't expect external help; don't be paralyzed by its absence.
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तुका म्हणे घडी — साधिलिया एक थोडी — Tuka says: a ghaḍī — when achieved — is enough, even small. The closing-claim: one ghaḍī (a small unit of time, ~24 minutes) — when sādhilīyā (achieved) — is enough — even small. The small-achievement-is-sufficient claim. Don't despise the small ghaḍī of achievement; it is enough.
[T]
For someone today
When you're sad, wallowing in it only makes the sadness bigger; real strength comes from staying steady instead of feeding the sorrow. Tukaram calls out a common trick people play on themselves: saying I can't do anything is often just cowardice dressed up as helplessness, and he challenges you to test whether that's actually true. He's also blunt about other people: they'll say yes, yes, I'll help but rarely actually show up, so don't wait around for outside support before you act. And the encouragement at the end is generous: even a small stretch of real effort, sustained for just a short while, is enough to count as genuine progress.
मराठी: जेव्हा तुम्ही दुःखी असता, तेव्हा त्यातच रेंगाळत राहिलं की दुःख आणखी वाढतं; खरी ताकद स्वतःला शोकात बुडवण्याऐवजी स्थिर राहण्यात असते. तुकाराम एक सामान्य युक्ती उघड करतात जी लोक स्वतःशीच खेळतात, मला काहीच करता येत नाही असं म्हणणं हे बरेचदा भित्रेपणच असतं, फक्त असहायतेचा बुरखा घातलेलं; हे खरंच खरं आहे का, ते तपासून पाहा असं ते आव्हान देतात. इतर लोकांबद्दलही ते स्पष्ट बोलतात, लोक हो हो म्हणतात, पण प्रत्यक्षात मदतीला क्वचितच येतात, त्यामुळे बाहेरच्या मदतीची वाट पाहत बसू नका, कृती करा. आणि शेवटी एक उदार प्रोत्साहन आहे, थोडा वेळ टिकवलेला खराखुरा प्रयत्नसुद्धा, अगदी छोटा असला तरी, खरी प्रगती म्हणून पुरेसा असतो.
Where this applies
- Sorrow grows on sorrow. Anti-self-pity.
- Cowardice masks as helplessness. Test the claim.
- No actual social helper. Don't paralyze.
- One ghaḍī of achievement is enough. Small-is-sufficient.