Abhanga 1285
Few efforts actually reach the ripened end, and the hardest struggles come right near the finish, so trust the one who actually arrives.
The verse
महुरा ऐसीं फळें नाहीं । आलीं कांहीं गळती ॥१॥ पक्वदशे येती थोडीं । नास आढी वेचे तो ॥ध्रु.॥ विरुळा पावे विरुळा पावे । अवघड गोवे सेवटाचे ॥२॥ उंच निंच परिवार देवी । धन्या ठावी चाकरी ॥३॥ झळके तेथें पावे आणी । ऐसे क्षणी बहु थोडे ॥४॥ पावेल तो पैल थडी । म्हणों गडी आपुला ॥५॥ तुका म्हणे उभार्यानें । कोण खरें मानितसे ॥६॥
Literal translation
Fruits aren't (all) mahurā — some come (and) fall. To pakva-daśā come few — the nāśa of the āḍhī wastes (the rest). Viraḷā attains — viraḷā attains — the difficult entanglements at the end. Umca-nīnca parivāra of the Devī — the dhanyā knows the cākarī. Wherever it flashes, (it) reaches there again — such kṣaṇas are very few. The one who reaches the far shore — call him our friend. Tuka says: by raised-up-talk — who takes (anything) as true?
मराठी: फळें — सगळींच मधुर / गुच्छ-धरून — नाहींत — कांहीं गळून पडतात. पक्व-दशेला येतात थोडीं — आढीचा (पक्वतेसाठीं ठेवलेल्या ढिगाचा) नास उरलेला वेचून-च टाकतो. विरुळा-च पावतो — विरुळा-च पावतो — अवघडे गोवे सेवटाचे (शेवटीं). उंच-निंच परिवार देवीचा — धन्याला (मालकाला) चाकरी ठावी. जिथें झळकतें (दिसतें) — तिथेंच पुन्हां पावतें — असे क्षणी बहु थोडे. पैल-थडी जो पावेल — त्याला आपला गडी म्हणूं. Tukā म्हणे — उभार्यानें (वरून-दिसणारीं) — कोण खरें मानेल?
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| महुरा ऐसीं फळें नाहीं | "fruits aren't (all) such mahurā (rich-cluster)" |
| आलीं कांहीं गळती | "some come (and) fall (gaḷatī)" |
| पक्वदशे येती थोडीं | "to pakva-daśā (ripening-state) — come few" |
| नास आढी वेचे तो | "the nāśa (loss) of the āḍhī (ripening-pile) — wastes (vēcē) (the rest)" |
| विरुळा पावे विरुळा पावे | "viraḷā (rare-one) attains — viraḷā attains" |
| अवघड गोवे सेवटाचे | "the avaghaḍa (difficult) entanglements (gōvē) at the end (sēvaṭācē)" |
| उंच निंच परिवार देवी | "umca (high), nīnca (low) — the parivāra of the Devī" |
| धन्या ठावी चाकरी | "the dhanyā (lord) knows the cākarī (service)" |
| झळके तेथें पावे आणी | "wherever it flashes (jhaḷakē) — reaches there once more" |
| ऐसे क्षणी बहु थोडे | "such kṣaṇa (moments) — very few" |
| पावेल तो पैल थडी | "the one who reaches the paila thaḍī (far shore)" |
| म्हणों गडी आपुला | "we'd call him our gaḍī (friend / mate)" |
| उभार्यानें कोण खरें मानितसे | "who really takes the ubhāryā (raised-up-talk) as kharē (true)?" |
What it means
Few-fruits-ripen abhang. The orchard-image is precise: - Mahurā aisīm phaḷē nāhīm — fruits aren't all rich-clustering. Some emerge but gaḷatī — fall before ripening. - Pakva-daśē yētī thōḍīm — to ripening-state come few. Of the many that come into being, few ripen. - Nāsa āḍhī vēcē tō — even of the āḍhī (the pile gathered for ripening), the loss-of-some wastes the rest.
The closing two lines: viraḷā pāvē — viraḷā pāvē (twice-said for emphasis) — the rare one attains. The line avaghaḍa gōvē sēvaṭācē — the difficult entanglements come at the end — is the precise warning: as you near the far-shore, the entanglements get harder, not easier. The last 1% is harder than the first 99%.
The verse on umca-nīnca parivāra Devī — dhanyā ṭhāvī cākarī — high-and-low parivāra of the Devī (= here perhaps the dhanyā's Devī = the wife/companion) — the dhanyā knows (each one's) cākarī. The lord knows who's serving and how.
The closing — ubhāryā — kōṇa kharē mānitasē? — raised-up-talk — who takes that as true? The ubhāryā is the raising-up display (a play on ubha = stand-up). External display isn't taken as true.
[T]
For someone today
For today: not all fruits ripen — few reach pakva; the last entanglements are the hardest; the one who reaches the paila thaḍī is the one to call gaḍī.
Where this applies
- When you start a difficult practice with enthusiasm but find the final stretch is the hardest part
- When you're tempted to judge someone's seriousness by early promise rather than how far they actually go
- When you feel discouraged watching many efforts around you fade before completion
- When you want to know who your real companions are on a long, difficult journey