Abhanga 386
You cannot force steadiness of mind or catch the divine through sheer effort; real stillness comes only through surrender, and holding to one true commitment matters more than chasing many.
The verse
परपरता तूं पळोनि जासी दुरी । अनावर या लौकिका बाहेरी वो ॥१॥ न पुरे अवसरु हें चि नित्यानित्य । तूं चि सोडवीं करूनि स्थिर चित्त ॥ध्रु.॥ करितां लाग न येसी च पळभरी । नाहीं सायासाची उरों दिली उरी वो ॥२॥ न लगे जोडी हे तुजविण आतां । तुकयास्वामी कान्होबा गुणभरिता वो ॥३॥
Literal translation
Para-paratā — You flee far — anāvara — beyond the laukika. Not enough avasaru — this is nitya-anitya — You yourself release — making citta sthira. Following — You don't come for a moment — no remnant of sāyāsa has been left. No other jōḍī without You now — Tukya-svāmī Kānhōbā — guṇa-bharitā.
मराठी: परपरता तूं पळोनि जासी दुरी — अनावर या लौकिका बाहेरी. न पुरे अवसरु हें चि नित्यानित्य — तूं चि सोडवीं करूनि स्थिर चित्त. करितां लाग न येसी च पळभरी — नाहीं सायासाची उरों दिली उरी. न लगे जोडी हे तुजविण आतां. तुकाराम म्हणतां — तुकयास्वामी कान्होबा गुणभरिता.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| परपरता तूं पळोनि जासी दुरी | "para-paratā — You flee far" |
| अनावर या लौकिका बाहेरी | "anāvara — beyond the laukika" |
| न पुरे अवसरु हें चि नित्यानित्य | "not enough — avasaru — this is nitya-anitya" |
| तूं चि सोडवीं करूनि स्थिर चित्त | "You yourself release — making citta sthira" |
| करितां लाग न येसी च पळभरी | "following — You don't come for a moment" |
| नाहीं सायासाची उरों दिली उरी | "no remnant — of sāyāsa — has been left" |
| न लगे जोडी हे तुजविण आतां | "no other jōḍī — without You — now" |
| तुकयास्वामी कान्होबा गुणभरिता | "Tukya-svāmī Kānhōbā — guṇa-bharitā" |
What it means
A deva-flees-beyond-the-beyond abhang. Closes the Krishna-bhakti viraha cluster (377-386). Four claims:
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परपरता तूं पळोनि जासी दुरी — अनावर या लौकिका बाहेरी — para-paratā — You flee far — anāvara — beyond the laukika. The opening-claim: You —para-paratā(beyond-the-beyond) — flee far; uncontainable (anāvara) — beyond thelaukika(worldly). The deva is uncatchable.
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न पुरे अवसरु हें चि नित्यानित्य — तूं चि सोडवीं करूनि स्थिर चित्त — not enough avasaru — this is nitya-anitya — You yourself release, making citta sthira. The no-opportunity-claim: no opportunity is enough; this (life) is itself nitya-anitya (eternal-and-non-eternal mixed). You yourself must release (me) — by making thecitta sthira. Only the deva can stabilize the citta; the bhakta cannot do it alone.
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करितां लाग न येसी च पळभरी — नाहीं सायासाची उरों दिली उरी — following, You don't come for a moment — no remnant of sāyāsa left. The exhausted-effort-claim: I follow — but You don't come for a moment; no remnant of sāyāsa (effort) has been left. All effort is exhausted with no result.
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न लगे जोडी हे तुजविण आतां — तुकयास्वामी कान्होबा गुणभरिता — no other jōḍī without You now — Tukya-svāmī Kānhōbā guṇa-bharitā. The closing-exclusivity-claim: no otherjōḍī(alliance / partnership) is needed without You; Tukya-svāmī Kānhōbā isguṇa-bharitā(full-of-guṇa). Only Krishna; no other join.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram admits here that he cannot catch God through sheer effort or chasing; God stays just beyond reach, uncontainable by ordinary means. He also admits that no future moment or opportunity will ever feel like enough, because life itself is a shifting mix of what lasts and what doesn't, so waiting for the right time is a trap. Real steadiness of mind is not something he can force on himself; only surrender and grace bring it. When his own persistent effort leaves him exhausted with nothing to show for it, he does not despair; instead he lets go of every other attachment and commits fully to the one relationship that truly matters to him.
मराठी: तुकाराम इथे कबूल करतात की स्वतःच्या प्रयत्नांनी किंवा धडपडीने देवाला पकडता येत नाही, तो नेहमी आवाक्याबाहेरच राहतो. तसेच कोणताही भविष्यातील क्षण किंवा संधी पुरेशी वाटणार नाही, कारण हे जीवनच नित्य आणि अनित्य यांचे मिश्रण आहे; योग्य वेळेची वाट पाहणे हा एक सापळा आहे. मनाची खरी स्थिरता स्वतःच्या बळावर मिळवता येत नाही, ती फक्त शरणागती आणि कृपेतूनच येते. सतत प्रयत्न करूनही हाती काही न लागता थकवा येतो, तेव्हा ते निराश न होता इतर सर्व आसक्ती सोडून एकाच खऱ्या नात्याला घट्ट धरून राहतात.
Where this applies
- Para-paratā — uncatchable. Don't try to catch.
- No opportunity is enough. Nitya-anitya.
- Only deva makes citta sthira. Dependence.
- No other jōḍī; Kānhōbā guṇa-bharitā. Closing-exclusivity.