Abhanga 1836

Real contentment comes only when you courageously guard your own well-being and keep your desires reined in, instead of chasing small pleasures that lead to trouble.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

Anti-alpa-sukha + heroic-bhakta-among-people abhang.

The opening: kāḷōkhī khā'ūn kaivāḍa kēlā dhīra — āpuliyā hitē jālē janāmadhyē śūra — swallowing the dark, gathered courage — for their own welfare, became heroes among people. Kāḷōkhī khā'ūn = swallowing the dark (= enduring the night-of-samsāra-darkness without flinching); kaivāḍa = gathering / collecting; dhīra = courage. The bhaktas swallowed-the-dark, gathered-courage, and-became-heroes-among-people — for-their-own-welfare.

The repeated-warning: kām rē tumhī nēṇām kām rē tumhī nēṇām — alpa-sukhā-sāṭīm paḍaśī vipattīcē ghāṇām — why don't you know? — why don't you know? — for tiny-sukha, you will fall into calamity's mortar. Alpa-sukha = tiny-pleasure; vipattīcē ghāṇām = into calamity's mortar (= the mortar where one is pounded). For-the-sake-of-trivial-pleasure, you-will-be-pounded-in-calamity's-mortar.

The shame-line: nāhīm aisī lāja kāya tayāmpē āgaḷē — kāya navhē kēlē āpuliyā baḷē — no such shame — what's beyond them — what haven't they done by their own strength?. (The dark-swallowers / heroic-bhaktas) have no-such-shame; what hasn't-been-accomplished by-their-own-strength?. (= the bhaktas have-set-an-example of-courageous-determination.)

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē tarī sukha avaghē chi barē — jatana karūn hē āpulālīm ḍhōrē — Tuka says: only then is sukha wholly good — by guarding these, our own cattle. Ḍhōrē = cattle, livestock; jatana karūn = by guarding. Sukha-is-wholly-good only-when our-own-cattle (= our vāsanās / desires) are properly-guarded (= don't-let them stray-into-others'-fields).

The image: vāsanās as-cattle that-must-be-corralled-and-guarded; otherwise-they-stray-into-fields-of-alpa-sukha and you-fall-into-calamity's-mortar.

[T]

For someone today

For today: swallowing the dark, gathered courage — for their own welfare, became heroes among people; why don't you know? — why don't you know? — for tiny-sukha, (you) will fall into calamity's mortar; no such shame — what's beyond them — what haven't they done by their own strength?; Tuka says — only then is sukha wholly good — by guarding these our own cattle.

Where this applies

• When you're tempted to trade long-term well-being for a small, immediate pleasure
• When facing a hard situation makes you want to give up rather than push through with courage
• When your desires keep pulling you in directions that end up causing you trouble
• When you need reassurance that enduring difficulty for your own good is worth it

Related verses

• Abhanga 2374 — Rather than scattering devotion among many lesser deities who demand offerings, Tukaram sa
• Abhanga 2377 — This detailed meditation on Vitthal standing on a brick at Pandharpur, out of love for his
• Abhanga 2387 — Accept whatever life brings with reverence, and place the burden on God rather than carryi
• Abhanga 2402 — For today: happily take rebirths — IF among the Paṇḍharī-Vārkarīs ; Hari-dāsas' company is