Abhanga 1376
Watch yourself moment by moment like your own witness, check your intentions before you speak, and let a past fear become the teacher of today's alertness.
The verse
क्षणक्षणां सांभाळितों । साक्षी होतों आपुला ॥१॥ न घडावी पायीं तुटी । मन मुठी घातलें ॥ध्रु.॥ विचारतों वचनां आधीं । धरूनि शुद्धी ठेविली ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मागें भ्यालों । तरीं जालों जागृत ॥३॥
Literal translation
Kṣaṇa-by-kṣaṇa, I take care — I become my own sākṣī. No tuṭī (break) at the feet should happen — I have placed the mind in (his) muṭhī. (I) deliberate before vacanas — having held the śuddhī. Tuka says: in the past, I was afraid — therefore (I) became jāgṛta.
मराठी: क्षण-क्षणाला — सांभाळतों — आपला साक्षी होतों. पायीं तुटी न घडावी — मन — मुठीं — घातलेलें. वचनांच्या आधीं — विचारतों — शुद्धी — धरूनि — ठेवली. Tukā म्हणे — मागें — भ्यालों — तरीं — जागृत झालों.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| क्षणक्षणां सांभाळितों | "kṣaṇa-by-kṣaṇa — I sāmbhāḷitō (take care / watch over)" |
| साक्षी होतों आपुला | "I become — my own sākṣī (witness)" |
| न घडावी पायीं तुटी | "no tuṭī (break) — at the feet — should happen" |
| मन मुठी घातलें | "(I have) placed (ghātalēm) the mind — in (his) muṭhī (fist / closed-hand)" |
| विचारतों वचनां आधीं | "(I) deliberate — before (the) vacanas" |
| धरूनि शुद्धी ठेविली | "having held (the) śuddhī (purity) — kept" |
| मागें भ्यालों | "in the past (māgēm) — I was afraid (bhyālōm)" |
| तरीं जालों जागृत | "therefore (tarīm) — (I) became — jāgṛta (alert / awake)" |
What it means
Moment-by-moment-self-witness abhang. The opening practice: kṣaṇa-kṣaṇām sāmbhāḷitōm — sākṣī hōtōm āpulā — kṣaṇa-by-kṣaṇa, I take care — I become my ownsākṣī(witness). The micro-vigilance: moment-by-moment self-watching. Sākṣī hōtōm āpulā — I become my own witness — not just aware but actively positioning the witness-position against the actor-position.
The reasoning: na ghaḍāvī pāyīm tuṭī — mana muṭhī ghātalēm — notuṭī(break) at the feet should happen — (I have) placed the mind in (his) muṭhī (closed fist). The bhakta has already given the mind to Hari (placed it in his fist); the moment-by-moment vigilance is to ensure no tuṭī (rupture) happens against this prior surrender.
Vicāratōm vacanām ādhīm — dharūnī śuddhī ṭhēvilī — Ideliberate(vicāratōm) before (= prior to) thevacanas(words spoken) — having held theśuddhī(purity) firm. Pre-speech deliberation. Don't speak before checking.
The closing personal-mark: Tukā mhaṇē māgēm bhyālōm — tarīm jālōm jāgṛta — Tuka says — in the past, I was afraid (bhyālōm) — therefore (I) becamejāgṛta(alert / wakeful). The previous fear-experience is the teacher of present alertness. Past-fear → present-jāgṛti. The bhakta credits fear-already-experienced as the disciplinary-source of his current vigilance.
[T]
For someone today
For today: kṣaṇa-by-kṣaṇa, become your own witness; place the mind in his fist so no tuṭī happens at the feet; deliberate before speech; past fear becomes present alertness.
Where this applies
- When you have made a commitment and want to check daily that you're not quietly breaking it
- When you catch yourself about to speak in anger and pause to check your intention first
- When you realize a past mistake or scare is exactly what keeps you careful today
- When you try to observe your own reactions as if watching from a small distance