Abhanga 2217

Sometimes the most honest act is to stop producing empty words altogether and let a hard, final resolve stand, even if it looks like giving everything up.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

I-won't-hold-the-pen + I'll-lick-the-dried-trough-at-the-end abhang — the explicit poetry-renunciation moment. Seventh abhang of the niḍrā-cluster (2211-2230).

The opening — the resolve at-the-pinnacle: ātām nēma jālā — yā cha kaḷasīm Viṭhṭhalā — now the resolve is made — at this very pinnacle, Viṭhṭhalā. Nēma = resolve, rule. Kaḷasa = pinnacle. Now the-resolve is-made — at-this-very-pinnacle, Viṭhṭhalā. Echoes 2211's bhaktīcā kaḷasa — there at the pinnacle came the dōṣas; here at the pinnacle comes the resolve.

THE EXPLICIT POETRY-RENUNCIATION: hātīm na dharīm lēkhaṇī — kāya bhuskaṭa tē vāṇī — I won't hold the pen — what's the use of this cracked speech. Lēkhaṇī = pen, reed-stylus. Bhuskaṭa = cracked, withered, useless. I-won't-hold the-pen any-more; what's-the-use of-this cracked-speech? The pen-down moment — Tukārām's-explicit-vow during-the-niḍrā to-stop-writing.

The time-passing: jāṇē tēṇē kāḷa — uralā sārīna sakaḷa — knowing that time — I'll spend the rest. Knowing-(this)-time, I'll-spend the-rest-(of-it-without-poetry).

The closing — lick-the-dried-trough: Tukā mhaṇē ghāṭī — chāṭūm kōraḍā śēvaṭīm — Tuka says: at the end — I'll lick the dried-trough. Ghāṭī = at the end, in the conclusion. Chāṭū = to lick. Kōraḍā = dried, dried-up. At-the-end, I'll-lick the-dried-(empty)-trough. Echoes 2216's jātī-ukhaḷē-chāṭūm (lick-the-millstone) — both images of-utter-poverty and-mortification, of reducing-oneself to-the-dried-out-essentials.

Historical position: this is one of-the-most-famous moments in-Tukārām's-corpus — the explicit poetry-renunciation-oath made during the niḍrā/vigil following the kavitvā-buḍavaṇē. The pen-down here is-the-climax of-the-renunciation-thread that-runs-through 2212 (forest-retreat), 2213 (day-of-decision), 2214 (staying-at-the-place), 2215 (master-discards), 2216 (lick-the-millstone).

[T]

For someone today

For today: now the resolve is made — at this pinnacle, Viṭhṭhalā; I won't hold the pen — what's the use of cracked speech; knowing that time — spend the rest; Tuka says — at the end — lick the dried-trough.

Where this applies

• When you decide to stop performing or producing just to be seen, even if it means an empty-looking future
• When you make a final, firm decision after a long inner struggle
• When you'd rather go without than keep offering something hollow
• When giving something up feels like a loss but also like the only honest choice

Related verses

• Abhanga 2448 — The easiest path to God is repeating divine names with love at home, right where you are,
• Abhanga 2464 — For today: Pāṇḍuranga is sukha-rūpa ; no wandering, no shaving, no sādhana-pressure ; Chan
• Abhanga 2477 — Like a child too absorbed in play to notice how tired he is, let go and trust the parent c
• Abhanga 2481 — Pandharpur surpasses even the greatest pilgrimage cities because people there set aside pr