संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2146 of 4582

Abhanga 2146

For today: taught words, I speak — but no moisture as I speak; now Deva, no doubt — I've gone to waste somehow; solitude-dwelling — no destruction of sankalpa; Tuka says — buddhi not firm — patience only with words.

When you'd confess taught-words-no-moisture + solitude-but-sankalpas-remain — śikavilē-bōla-na-ōla; sandēha-na-vāmyām-gēlōm; ēkāntācā-vāsa-sankalpāchā-nāsa-na; buddhi-na-sthira-śabdā-dhīra

The verse

शिकविले बोल । बोलें तैसी नाहीं ओल ॥१॥ आतां देवा संदेह नाहीं । वांयां गेलों यासी कांहीं ॥ध्रु.॥ एकांताचा वास । नाहीं संकल्पाचा नास ॥२॥ बुद्धि नाहीं स्थिर । तुका म्हणे शब्दा धीर ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Taught words — I speak — but no moisture as I speak. Now Deva, no doubt — I've gone to waste somehow. Solitude-dwelling — no destruction of sankalpa. Tuka says: buddhi not firm — patience only with words.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
शिकविले बोल "taught words"
बोलें तैसी नाहीं ओल "I speak — but no moisture as I speak"
आतां देवा संदेह नाहीं "now Deva, no doubt"
वांयां गेलों यासी कांहीं "I've gone to waste somehow"
एकांताचा वास "solitude-dwelling"
नाहीं संकल्पाचा नास "no destruction of sankalpa"
बुद्धि नाहीं स्थिर "buddhi not firm"
तुका म्हणे शब्दा धीर "Tuka says — patience only with words"

What it means

Taught-words-no-moisture + solitude-but-sankalpas-remain + buddhi-not-firm abhang. HONEST SELF-AUDIT.

The opening — dry-words: śikavilē bōla — bōlē taisī nāhīm ōlataught words, I speak — but no moisture as I speak. Ōla = moisture, freshness, sap. I-speak-the-taught-words, but-without-inner-moisture (= dry, mechanical). The danger of-trained-repetition without-experience.

The doubt-removed: ātām Dēvā sandēha nāhīm — vāmyām gēlōm yāsī kāhīmnow Deva, no doubt — I've gone to waste somehow. No-doubt-now: I've-gone-to-waste somewhere.

The solitude-but-sankalpa-line: ēkāntācā vāsa — nāhīm sankalpāchā nāsasolitude-dwelling — no destruction of sankalpa. Living-in-solitude, but sankalpas (mental-resolutions / cravings) not-destroyed. The truth that-physical-isolation doesn't-end mental-activity.

The closing — buddhi-and-patience: buddhi nāhīm sthira — Tukā mhaṇē śabdā dhīrabuddhi not firm — patience only with words. Buddhi-not-firm; only the-words have-patience (i.e., the practice is purely verbal).

[T]

For someone today

For today: taught words, I speak — but no moisture as I speak; now Deva, no doubt — I've gone to waste somehow; solitude-dwelling — no destruction of sankalpa; Tuka says — buddhi not firm — patience only with words.

Where this applies

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