संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1025 of 4582

Abhanga 1025

Longing for the Divine feels as urgent as a fish out of water or a child torn from its mother, and no explanation is needed, only mercy.

When fish without water struggles — that's my jīva — and you have to recognize this register
When buried treasure not found — mind writhes like that — and you accept this image
When baby separated from mother — that anguish, know — and you allow this image

The verse

जीवनावांचूनि तळमळी मासा । प्रकार हा तैसा होतो जीवा ॥१॥ न संपडे जालें भूमिगत धन । चरफडी मन तयापरी ॥ध्रु.॥ मातेचा वियोग जालियां हो बाळा । तो कळवळा जाणा देवा ॥२॥ सांगावे ते किती तुम्हांसी प्रकार । सकळांचें सार पाय दावीं ॥३॥ ये चि चिंते माझा करपला भीतर । कां नेणों विसर पडिला माझा ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे तूं हें जाणसी सकळ । यावरि कृपाळ होई देवा ॥५॥

Literal translation

Jīvana-vāñcūni — taḷa-maḷa-ī — māsā — prakāra — jīva. Bhūmi-gata-dhana — not found — carapha-ḍī mana. Māta-viyōga — bāḷa — kaḷavaḷā — Dēva. How many prakāra — sāra — show feet. Chintē — karpalā — visara. Tuka says: you know all — krpāḷa — Dēva.

मराठी: जीवना-वांचूनि मासा तळमळी — हा-च प्रकार जीवा होतो. न-संपडे जालें भूमि-गत धन — तया-परी मन चरफडी. बाळा माते-चा वियोग जालियां — तो कळवळा जाणा, Dēvā. किती प्रकार तुम्हांसी सांगावे? — सकळांचें सार: पाय दावीं. ये-च चिंते माझा भीतर करपला — कां नेणों विसर पडिला माझा. Tuka म्हणे: तूं हें सकळ जाणसी — यावरि कृपाळ होई, Dēvā.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
जीवनावांचूनि तळमळी मासा "jīvana-vāñcūni — taḷa-maḷa-ī — māsā"
प्रकार हा तैसा होतो जीवा "prakāra — jīva"
न संपडे जालें भूमिगत धन "bhūmi-gata-dhana — not found"
चरफडी मन तयापरी "carapha-ḍī mana"
मातेचा वियोग जालियां हो बाळा "māta-viyōga — bāḷa"
तो कळवळा जाणा देवा "kaḷavaḷā"
सांगावे ते किती तुम्हांसी प्रकार "how many prakāra"
सकळांचें सार पाय दावीं "sāra — show feet"
ये चि चिंते माझा करपला भीतर "chintē — karpalā — bhītara"
कां नेणों विसर पडिला माझा "visara — fell"
तूं हें जाणसी सकळ "you know all"
यावरि कृपाळ होई देवा "krpāḷa — Dēva"

What it means

A fish-without-water-struggles-that's-my-jīva-buried-treasure-not-found-mind-writhes-like-that-baby-separated-from-mother-that-anguish-know-how-many-kinds-to-tell-show-the-feet-essence-of-all-anxiety-scorches-interior-don't-know-why-forgetting-fell-you-know-all-be-merciful abhang. You-know-all-be-merciful register. Six claims, three of which are similes-of-anguish:

  1. जीवन-वांचूनि-मासा-तळमळी — जीव-तसा. Fish-without-water-claim. Withoutjīvana (water-life), the māsā is taḷa-maḷa-ī;that's the prakāra my jīva is in.

  2. भूमि-गत-धन-न-सापडे — मन-चरफडी. Buried-treasure-not-found-claim. Whenbhūmi-gata (buried) dhana is not found;the mana carapha-ḍī (writhes), like that.

  3. बाळ-माते-वियोग — कळवळा. Baby-and-mother-claim. When thebāḷahasviyōga (separation) of māta;that is the kaḷavaḷā (anguish), know, Dēva.

  4. किती-प्रकार-सांगावे — सार-पाय-दावी. How-many-kinds-show-the-feet-claim. How manyprakārato tell you?; thesāraof all —show the pāya.

  5. चिंता-भीतर-करपला — विसर-नेणों. Anxiety-scorches-interior-claim. In thischintēmy interior iskarpalā (scorched);I don't know why the visara (forgetting — i.e. your forgetting of me) fell on me.

  6. Tuka: सकळ-जाणसी — कृपाळ-होई. You-know-all-be-merciful-claim. Tuka says: you know all this; bekrpāḷaupon (it), Dēva.

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram reaches for three images to describe real longing: a fish flailing out of water, a mind restlessly digging for buried treasure it cannot find, and a baby's raw anguish at being separated from its mother. That is exactly what his heart feels like without God, he says. He does not want a long explanation or a list of reasons; he just wants to be shown the feet, the one thing that matters beneath all the words. His inside feels scorched by this worry, and he does not even know why he has been forgotten. In the end he simply trusts that God already understands everything, and asks only for mercy.

मराठी: तुकाराम आपली तळमळ सांगण्यासाठी तीन प्रतिमा वापरतात, पाण्याबाहेर तडफडणारा मासा, जमिनीत गाडलेलं धन न सापडल्याने चरफडणारं मन, आणि आईपासून ताटातूट झालेल्या बाळाची व्याकुळता. देवाशिवाय आपलं मन नेमकं असंच होतं असं ते म्हणतात. त्यांना मोठं स्पष्टीकरण नको आहे, फक्त इतकंच हवं आहे की त्या चरणांचं दर्शन व्हावं, कारण तेच सगळ्याचं सार आहे. या चिंतेने आतून जीव करपून गेला आहे, आणि आपला विसर का पडला हेही कळत नाही. शेवटी तुकाराम फक्त इतकंच म्हणतात, तुला सगळं माहीत आहेच, आता फक्त कृपा कर.

Where this applies

Bhakti Mother / Family bond you-know-all-be-merciful

Related verses