Abhanga 889
Meaning to sing or meaning to listen does not feed you; only the actual doing, like actual eating, brings real satisfaction.
The verse
गावे म्हणउनि गीत । धरुनि राहे तैसें चत्ति ॥१॥ हें चि थोर अवघड आहे । अन्न देखोनि भूक राहे ॥ध्रु.॥ ऐकावी म्हूण कथा । राहे तैसें धरुनि चित्ता ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे धणी । नव्हे जेविल्यावांचुनि ॥३॥
Literal translation
Gāvē — gīta — citta — held. Thōra avaghaḍa — anna — bhūkā — remains. Aikāvī — kathā — citta — held. Tuka says: dhaṇī — jēvilyā-vāñcuni — not.
मराठी: "गावें" म्हणउनि गीत — चत्ति तैसें धरुनि राहे. हें-च थोर अवघड — अन्न देखोनि भूक राहे. "ऐकावी" म्हणून कथा — चित्त तैसें धरुनि राहे. Tuka म्हणे: धणी — जेविल्या-वांचुनि नव्हे.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| गावे म्हणउनि गीत | "gāvē — gīta" |
| धरुनि राहे तैसें चत्ति | "holds — taisē — citta" |
| हें चि थोर अवघड आहे | "this — thōra avaghaḍa" |
| अन्न देखोनि भूक राहे | "anna — bhūkā — remains" |
| ऐकावी म्हूण कथा | "aikāvī — kathā" |
| राहे तैसें धरुनि चित्ता | "citta — held" |
| धणी | "dhaṇī" |
| नव्हे जेविल्यावांचुनि | "not — jēvilyā-vāñcuni" |
What it means
A just-saying-sing-holding-citta-thus-this-difficult-food-seen-but-hunger-remains-just-saying-listen-not-listening-no-dhaṇī-without-actually-eating abhang. Saying-isn't-doing register. Three claims:
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गावें-म्हणउनि-गीत — चत्ति-तैसें-धरुनि — हें-थोर-अवघड — अन्न-देखोनि-भूक-राहे. Saying-sing-but-actually-not-singing-claim. One says, 'gāvēthegīta'; (but) thecittadharuni rāhētaisē (just-with-the-resolve, not-with-the-act);this is thōra avaghaḍa; seeing theanna, thebhūkāstillrāhē. Saying-but-not-doing; food-in-sight-but-hunger-remains.
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ऐकावी-म्हण-कथा — चित्त-तैसें-धरुनि. Saying-listen-but-not-listening-claim. One says, 'aikāvīthekathā'; (but the)cittarāhētaisē—dharuni. Saying-listen-but-only-as-resolve.
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Tuka: धणी — जेविल्या-वांचुनि-नव्हे. No-dhaṇī-without-actually-eating-claim. Tuka says: dhaṇī (full-satisfaction)—doesn't come jēvilyā-vāñcuni (without actually eating).Must-actually-eat-to-be-fed. (Closing-pith: the analogy ofintending to eat(vs.eating) — only theeating fills.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram points out that just saying you will sing, or just intending to listen, is not the same as actually doing it. You can hold the resolve in your mind while food sits right in front of you, but the hunger doesn't go away just because you looked at it — only eating actually satisfies it. In the same way, real satisfaction comes only from the actual doing, whether singing devotion or hearing the sacred story, not from merely meaning to.
मराठी: तुकाराम सांगतात की केवळ 'मी गाईन' म्हणणे किंवा 'मी ऐकेन' असा फक्त संकल्प करणे म्हणजे प्रत्यक्ष कृती नव्हे. मनात नुसता निश्चय धरून अन्न समोर असतानाही भूक तशीच राहते - केवळ पाहून भूक भागत नाही, तर प्रत्यक्ष जेवल्यानेच ती भागते. त्याचप्रमाणे खरे समाधान प्रत्यक्ष कृतीतूनच मिळते - मग ते भजन गाणे असो वा कथा ऐकणे असो - केवळ तसे करण्याचा विचार केल्याने नव्हे.
Where this applies
- When you keep telling yourself you will start meditating or praying but never actually sit down to do it
- When you listen to a talk or read a teaching and feel you have absorbed it, without ever practicing what it says
- When you notice you feel informed about something good yet still restless, because you never actually did it
- When you catch yourself confusing the intention to change with the change itself