Abhanga 1218
For today: fruit ripens on its stem; stay with the nāma; vyabhicāra-buddhi (wandering between practices) is the only thing that disrupts the ripening.
The verse
आलें फळ तेव्हां राहिलें पिकोन । जरी तें जतन होय देंठीं ॥१॥ नामें चि सिद्धी नामें चि सिद्धी । व्यभिचारबुद्धी न पवतां ॥ध्रु.॥ चालिला पंथ तो पावईल ठाया । जरि आड तया नये कांहीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मध्यें पडती आघात । तेणें होय घात हाणी लाभ ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: The fruit that comes — it ripens only if it stays preserved on the stem. Siddhi by nāma alone, siddhi by nāma alone — without falling into vyabhicāra-buddhi. The path being walked will reach its place — if nothing blocks the way. Tuka says: middle-blows that fall — by them, loss-of-gain.
मराठी: आलेलें फळ तेव्हां-च पिकतें — जर तें देंठावर जतन (जतन-राहिलें) असेल तर. नामानें-च सिद्धी, नामानें-च सिद्धी — व्यभिचार-बुद्धींत न पडतां. चाललेला पंथ ठायाला पावेल — जर त्याला कांहीं आड येणार नाहीं तर. Tukā म्हणे — मध्यें आघात पडतात — त्यानें-च घात — हानी-लाभ (उलटा होतो).
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आलें फळ तेव्हां राहिलें पिकोन | "the fruit that comes — only then does it ripen (pikōn)" |
| जरी तें जतन होय देंठीं | "if it stays jatana (preserved/intact) on the dēṇṭha (stem)" |
| नामें चि सिद्धी नामें चि सिद्धी | "by nāma alone — siddhi! by nāma alone — siddhi!" |
| व्यभिचारबुद्धी न पवतां | "not falling into vyabhicāra-buddhi (wandering/adulterous mind)" |
| चालिला पंथ तो पावईल ठाया | "the path being walked will reach its ṭhāya (place)" |
| जरि आड तया नये कांहीं | "if nothing comes (āḍa) in its way" |
| मध्यें पडती आघात | "middle-blows (āghāta) that fall (in the middle)" |
| तेणें होय घात हाणी लाभ | "by that, ghāta (loss of gain) — loss-and-gain (calculation reverses)" |
What it means
Stay-on-the-stem teaching with twice-said nāmēm chi siddhī. The fruit-on-the-stem image: fruit ripens only if it stays jatana on the dēṇṭha (preserved on its stem) — pluck it early and you get a green fruit forever. Bhakti is similarly a process that needs duration on its own stem.
The dhruva (refrain) nāmēm chi siddhī nāmēm chi siddhī is twice-said for absolute emphasis: siddhi from nāma alone, and the only danger is vyabhicāra-buddhi — the wandering-mind that goes from nāma to other practices and back. Vyabhicāra literally means adulterous; the bhakta-mind that flits from nāma to mantra to ritual to philosophy is vyabhicārī — unfaithful to the single sādhana.
The closing image: madhyē paḍatī āghāta — tēṇē hōya ghāta hānī lābha — middle-of-path blows reverse the loss-and-gain calculation; what looked like gain becomes loss. So: stay on the stem, walk through, take no middle-blows.
[T]
For someone today
For today: fruit ripens on its stem; stay with the nāma; vyabhicāra-buddhi (wandering between practices) is the only thing that disrupts the ripening.
Where this applies
- Fruit-on-stem.* Phaḷa-jatana-dēṇṭhīm.
- Nāma-alone-siddhi.* Nāmēm-chi-siddhī (×2).
- No-vyabhicāra-buddhi.* Anti-wandering-mind.
- No-middle-blows.* Madhyē-paḍatī-āghāta.