Abhanga 1397
For today: the wet root pierces the rock; abhyāsa is complete task-accomplishment; nothing is impossible if kaivāḍa is up to it; the rope cuts the stone where the groove falls; by sustained sēvana, even poison falls; the bāḷa in the womb has room all-at-once.
The verse
ओलें मूळ भेदी खडकाचें अंग । आभ्यासासी सांग कार्यसिद्धि ॥१॥ नव्हे ऐसें कांहीं नाहीं अवघड । नाहीं कईवाड तोंच वरि ॥ध्रु.॥ दोरें चिरा कापे पडिला कांचणी । अभ्यासें सेवनीं विष पडे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे कैंचा बैसण्यासी ठाव । जठरीं बाळा वाव एकाएकीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: The wet mūḷa pierces the rock's anga — abhyāsa is sānga kārya-siddhi. There is nothing impossible — only until kaivāḍa is up to it. The rope cuts the cirā where the groove has fallen — by abhyāsa, viṣa falls in sēvana. Tuka says: what baisaṇa? — the bāḷa in the jaṭhara has vāva all-at-once.
मराठी: ओलें मूळ — भेदी — खडकाचें अंग; — अभ्यासासी — सांग — कार्य-सिद्धि. नव्हे ऐसें — कांहीं नाहीं — अवघड; — नाहीं — कईवाड — तों-च — वरि. दोरें — चिरा — कापे — पडिला — कांचणी; — अभ्यासें — सेवनीं — विष — पडे. Tukā म्हणे — कैंचा — बैसण्यासी — ठाव? — जठरीं — बाळा — वाव — एकाएकीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ओलें मूळ भेदी खडकाचें अंग | "the wet (ōlēm) mūḷa (root) — pierces (bhēdī) — the rock's anga (body)" |
| आभ्यासासी सांग कार्यसिद्धि | "to abhyāsa — sānga (complete) kārya-siddhi (task-accomplishment)" |
| नव्हे ऐसें कांहीं नाहीं अवघड | "there is no (kāmhīm-nāhīm) — avaghaḍa (impossible / un-doable) — that doesn't (eventually become possible)" |
| नाहीं कईवाड तोंच वरि | "(only) until — there is no kaivāḍa (= determination / protector / champion) — for it" |
| दोरें चिरा कापे पडिला कांचणी | "the rope (dōrē) — cuts (kāpē) — the cirā (stone-block) — where the kāncanī (= groove / line) has fallen" |
| अभ्यासें सेवनीं विष पडे | "by abhyāsa — in sēvana (use / consumption) — viṣa (poison) — falls (= becomes manageable)" |
| तुका म्हणे कैंचा बैसण्यासी ठाव | "Tuka says — what baisaṇa (sitting-place) — kaimcā (= what kind)?" |
| जठरीं बाळा वाव एकाएकीं | "in the jaṭhara (womb) — for the bāḷa (child) — vāva (gap / room) — ēkā-ēkīm (all-at-once)" |
What it means
THE classic power-of-abhyāsa abhang. Among Tukaram's most-quoted on the discipline-of-practice.
The opening image is famous: ōlēm mūḷa bhēdī khaḍakācē anga — abhyāsāsī sānga kārya-siddhi — the wet (ōlēm) mūḷa (root) — pierces (bhēdī) — the khaḍaka (rock)'s body; — abhyāsa — sānga (= the complete / with-all-limbs-intact) — kārya-siddhi (task-accomplishment). The wet root over time splits even the rock. Abhyāsa (sustained practice) is sānga-kārya-siddhi — the complete-task-accomplishing mode.
The principle: navhē aisē kāmhīm nāhīm avaghaḍa — nāhīm kaivāḍa tōm chi vari — there is no avaghaḍa (impossible) — that doesn't (eventually become possible) — only until kaivāḍa (= determination / champion / protector) is up to it. Kaivāḍa — the upholder / champion — must be up to it; once the determination is steady, no avaghaḍa remains avaghaḍa.
The second image: dōrē cirā kāpē paḍilā kāncanī — abhyāsē sēvanīm viṣa paḍē — the rope (dōrē) cuts the cirā (stone-block) — where the kāncanī (groove / line) has fallen; by abhyāsa — in sēvana (= use / consumption / repetition) — viṣa (poison) falls (= becomes manageable / is overcome). Two more images: (1) the rope-pulled-back-and-forth wears a groove in stone over time; (2) by repeated sēvana (small doses), viṣa itself can be tolerated. (The classical viṣa-paryāya practice — building tolerance to poison through measured doses.)
The closing image is unusual: kaimcā baisaṇyāsī ṭhāva — jaṭharīm bāḷā vāva ēkā-ēkīm — what baisaṇa (sitting-place)? — the bāḷa (child) in the jaṭhara (womb) — has vāva (gap / room) — ēkā-ēkīm (all-at-once). The bāḷa in the womb seems to have no sitting-place — yet there is room all-at-once. The seeming-impossible turns out to have room. This generalizes the abhyāsa-principle: where there seems no place to sit / no possibility, abhyāsa finds room.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the wet root pierces the rock; abhyāsa is complete task-accomplishment; nothing is impossible if kaivāḍa is up to it; the rope cuts the stone where the groove falls; by sustained sēvana, even poison falls; the bāḷa in the womb has room all-at-once.
Where this applies
- Wet-root-pierces-rock.* Ōlēm-mūḷa-bhēdī-khaḍaka.
- Abhyāsa-is-complete-task-accomplishment.* Abhyāsāsī-sānga-kārya-siddhi.
- Nothing-impossible-with-determination.* Kāmhīm-nāhīm-avaghaḍa-kaivāḍa.
- Rope-cuts-stone-by-repetition.* Dōrē-cirā-kāpē.
- Even-poison-falls-by-abhyāsa.* Abhyāsē-viṣa-paḍē.
- Womb-has-room-all-at-once.* Jaṭharīm-bāḷā-vāva-ēkā-ēkīm.