Abhanga 882

Stop worrying over your livelihood and trivial fixes, keep your gaze on what ultimately matters, and let trust and devotion carry you rather than exhausting yourself by force.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A don't-worry-for-belly-apply-measure-to-samcita-gaze-at-paramārtha-trivial-upāyas-only-toil-nothing-to-take-don't-spend-life-in-mithyā-no-end-to-udvēga-back-and-forth-samsāra-wretched-boat-sitting-reaches-end-not-by-arm-strength-this-is-essence-do-business-like-this abhang. Mature-trader-claim register. Six claims (matching the abhang's six stanzas):

1. पोटा-चिंता-न-करावी — संचिता-माप. Samcita-measured-claim. Don't makecintāfor thepōṭa's sake—for the samcita, let-us apply māpa. Don't-worry-belly; samcita-already-measured.

2. दृष्टि-परमार्थ — क्षुल्लक-उपायीं-सिण. Gaze-at-paramārtha-claim. Thedṛṣṭiatparamārtha; trivialupāyas only-siṇa. Gaze-at-the-real; trivial-means-only-toil.

3. नाहीं-घेइजेसं-सवें — मिथ्या-वेचूं-नका. Nothing-to-take-with-claim. Here there is nothingghē-ijē-sē (to-be-taken-with-you-when-you-go);don't spend-of-jīva in mithyā. Can't-take-with-you; don't-spend-life-on-falsehood.

4. उद्वेग-वेर-झारी-खंडण-नाहीं — संसारीं-बापुडे. Samsāra-no-end-claim. Nokhaṇḍaṇēof theudvēgaandvēra-jhārī; wretched ones in samsāra always. No-end-to-samsāra-back-and-forth.

5. नावे-बैसनें-शेवटा — भुजा-बळें-कष्टी-कां. Boat-sitting-reaches-end-claim. Thenāvē-cē baisanē(sitting in the boat) takes (one) to theśēvaṭa; why bekaṣṭībybhujā-baḷē(arm-strength)? Sit-in-the-boat-don't-swim-with-arms. (The boat-image: just sit in the boat (= bhakti) and be-carried-to-the-end; don't swim-with-arms (try-to-cross-by-effort).)

6. Tuka: सकळांचं-सार — व्यापार-ऐसा. This-is-essence-do-business-like-this-claim. Tuka says: now (this) is the sāra of all; if avyāpārais to be done, let it be like-this. This-is-the-essence; do-business-like-this. (Closing-summary: Tuka the grocer-poet's recommendation: this is the vyāpāra (trade) to do.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the pattern of the seasoned trader's advice:

1. Don't worry over your livelihood; what is already destined has its own fixed measure. Your fate is already measured.

2. Keep your gaze fixed on what ultimately matters; chasing trivial fixes only wears you out. Keep your eyes on what matters.

3. There is nothing here you can carry away with you; don't spend your life on what is false. Nothing to take with you.

4. There is no end to the anxious back-and-forth of worldly life; we remain wretched in it forever. No end to the struggle.

5. Simply sitting in the boat carries you to the far shore; why wear yourself out swimming with your own arms? Sit in the boat rather than swim.

6. This is the essence of it all; if you must do business, do it this way. This is the essence of the matter.

For today: don't worry over your livelihood — what is already destined has its own fixed measure; keep your gaze fixed on what ultimately matters, since chasing trivial fixes only wears you out; there is nothing here you can carry away with you, so don't spend your life on what is false; there is no end to the anxious back-and-forth of worldly life, and we remain wretched in it forever; simply sitting in the boat carries you to the far shore, so why wear yourself out swimming with your own arms? This is the essence of it all — if you must do business, do it this way.

This abhang is one of Tukaram's most precise statements of mature, seasoned advice, framed in the language of trade. Compare 0824, where Tuka the shopkeeper sits and shows what he offers honestly by its price — the same shopkeeper's tone, but here it is worked out through the image of sitting in the boat rather than swimming, closing with direct advice on how business should be done. "If you must do business, do it this way" is the precise recommendation of this seasoned trader.

मराठी: ही ओवी अनुभवी व्यापाऱ्याच्या सल्ल्याचा नमुना सांगते:

1. पोटासाठी चिंता करू नये; जे नशिबात आहे त्याचे मोजमाप आधीच ठरलेले असते. नशीब आधीच मोजलेले आहे.

2. दृष्टी परमार्थावर ठेवावी; क्षुल्लक उपायांच्या मागे लागल्याने फक्त शीण येतो. डोळे महत्त्वाच्या गोष्टीवर ठेवा.

3. इथून सोबत नेण्यासारखे काहीच नाही; जीव मिथ्येवर वेचू नये. सोबत नेण्यासारखे काही नाही.

4. संसारातील उद्वेग आणि येरझाऱ्यांना अंत नाही; आपण त्यात सदैव बापुडे राहतो. झगड्याला अंत नाही.

5. नुसते नावेत बसणेच पैलतीरावर पोहोचवते; स्वतःच्या भुजबळाने पोहून का कष्टी व्हावे? पोहण्याऐवजी नावेत बसा.

6. हेच सर्वांचे सार आहे; व्यापार करायचाच असेल तर असाच करावा. हेच या सगळ्याचे सार आहे.

आजसाठी: पोटासाठी चिंता करू नये — जे नशिबात आहे त्याचे मोजमाप आधीच ठरलेले असते; दृष्टी परमार्थावर ठेवावी, कारण क्षुल्लक उपायांच्या मागे लागल्याने फक्त शीण येतो; इथून सोबत नेण्यासारखे काहीच नाही, म्हणून जीव मिथ्येवर वेचू नये; संसारातील उद्वेग आणि येरझाऱ्यांना अंत नाही, आपण त्यात सदैव बापुडे राहतो; नुसते नावेत बसणेच पैलतीरावर पोहोचवते, मग स्वतःच्या भुजबळाने पोहून कशाला कष्टी व्हावे? हेच सर्वांचे सार आहे — व्यापार करायचाच असेल तर असाच करावा.

व्यापाराच्या भाषेत मांडलेल्या तुकारामांच्या प्रगल्भ, अनुभवी सल्ल्याच्या सर्वात नेमक्या विधानांपैकी ही एक ओवी आहे. ओवी क्र. ०८२४ शी तुलना करता येईल — तिथे तुका दुकानदार बसून आपला माल प्रामाणिकपणे किमतीवरून दाखवतो — तोच दुकानदाराचा सूर, पण इथे तो पोहण्याऐवजी नावेत बसण्याच्या प्रतिमेतून मांडला आहे, आणि व्यापार कसा करावा याबद्दलच्या थेट सल्ल्याने संपतो. "व्यापार करायचाच असेल तर असाच करावा" हाच या अनुभवी व्यापाऱ्याचा नेमका सल्ला आहे.

Where this applies

• Samcita-measured. Already-fixed.
• Gaze-at-real. Paramārtha.
• Boat-sitting. Bhakti-rest.
• Essence-business. Recommendation.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2374 — Rather than scattering devotion among many lesser deities who demand offerings, Tukaram sa
• Abhanga 2377 — This detailed meditation on Vitthal standing on a brick at Pandharpur, out of love for his
• Abhanga 2387 — Accept whatever life brings with reverence, and place the burden on God rather than carryi
• Abhanga 2402 — For today: happily take rebirths — IF among the Paṇḍharī-Vārkarīs ; Hari-dāsas' company is