Abhanga 2080
Effort that looks wasted is quietly storing its gain inside itself, so keep tending and watering your practice until the season brings its fruit.
The verse
बीज पेरे सेतीं । मग गाडेवरी वाहाती ॥१॥ वांयां गेलें ऐसें दिसे । लाभ त्याचे अंगीं वसे ॥ध्रु.॥ पाल्याची जतन । तरि प्रांतीं येती कण ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आळा । उदक देतां लाभे फळा ॥३॥
Literal translation
Sow seed in the field — then they cart-on-load. Seems to have gone in vain — the gain resides in its body. Caring for the leaves — then in the season, grains come. Tuka says: to the channel — giving water brings fruit.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| बीज पेरे सेतीं | "sow seed in the field" |
| मग गाडेवरी वाहाती | "then they cart-on-load" |
| वांयां गेलें ऐसें दिसे | "seems to have gone in vain" |
| लाभ त्याचे अंगीं वसे | "the gain resides in its body" |
| पाल्याची जतन | "caring for the leaves" |
| तरि प्रांतीं येती कण | "then in the season, grains come" |
| तुका म्हणे आळा | "Tuka says — to the channel" |
| उदक देतां लाभे फळा | "giving water brings fruit" |
What it means
Sowing-seed-is-not-loss + water-the-āḷā-brings-fruit abhang. OPENS 3-abhang sowing-and-care cluster (2080-2082).
The opening — farming-and-cart: bīja pērē sētīm — maga gāḍē-varī vāhātī — sow seed in the field — then they cart-on-load. First-sow-the-seed; then-(at harvest) they-cart-the-load. The farming-bhakti analogy.
The apparent-loss-real-gain: vāmyām gēlē aisē disē — lābha tyāchē angīm vasē — seems to have gone in vain — the gain resides in its body. The seed-thrown-in-the-soil seems-lost; but-the-gain is-inside-the-seed-itself. Bhakti is-like-this: what-seems-given-up-is-actually-stored.
The leaf-care: pālyāchī jatana — tari prāntīm yētī kaṇa — caring for the leaves — then in the season, grains come. Caring-for-the-leaves yields-grains in-due-season.
The āḷā-water: Tukā mhaṇē āḷā — udaka dētām lābhē phaḷā — Tuka says: to the channel — giving water brings fruit. Āḷā = irrigation-channel. Water-the-channel — the-fruit comes. Bhakti as continuous-care + structural-channel.
[T]
For someone today
For today: sow seed in the field — then they cart-on-load; seems to have gone in vain — the gain resides in its body; caring for the leaves — then in the season, grains come; Tuka says — to the channel — giving water brings fruit.
Where this applies
- When your daily practice feels pointless because you see no results yet
- When you have put in effort and worry it has all gone to waste
- When you are tending something slowly, like a habit, a relationship, or a skill, and progress feels invisible
- When you want to quit right before the season that would have brought the harvest