Abhanga 2229

For today: nothing at the beginning or end — very hard; all powers spent — no upāya works; spoken word lost in the sky — descended, standing as before; Tuka says — nothing more can be done — stuck, wealth uselessly.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

All-powers-spent-words-lost-in-sky + nothing-more-to-do-stuck-uselessly abhang. Nineteenth abhang of the niḍrā-cluster — the absolute-bottom point.

The opening — nothing-at-the-ends: kāmhīm cha na lagē ādi avasāna — bahuta kaṭhīṇa disatasām — nothing at all is held at the beginning or the end — seems very hard. Nothing-holds at beginning-or-end (= no-resolution-anywhere); seems-very-hard.

The exhaustion-of-powers: avaghyācha mājhyā vēchaviliyā śaktī — na chalēsī yukti jālī puḍhē — all my powers have been spent — no upāya works ahead. All-my-powers spent; no yukti (technique) works-ahead.

The spoken-word-lost-in-sky image: bōlilē vachana hārapalē nabhīm — utaralōm tōm ubhīm āhōm taisīm — the spoken word was lost in the sky — we descended, we're standing as we were. Hārapalē = was lost. Nabha = sky. The spoken-word was-lost-in-the-sky (= went-up-and-disappeared); we-descended (came-down-from-the-effort) and-stand-as-before. An image of cosmic-prayer-disappearance — words-vanish-into-the-void.

The closing — stuck-with-wealth-useless: Tukā mhaṇē kāmhīm na karāvēmsē jālē — thakita chi ṭhēlē vitta ugē — Tuka says: nothing more can be done — I'm stuck, my wealth uselessly. Thakita = stuck, halted. Vitta = wealth (the bhakti-wealth). Nothing-more-can-be-done; I'm-stuck, my-wealth (lying)-uselessly.

The penultimate position: this is the absolute-bottom of-the-niḍrā-cluster. All-effort-exhausted, words-lost-to-the-sky, the bhakta-stuck. The very-next abhang (2230) will-contain the resolution.

[T]

For someone today

For today: nothing at the beginning or end — very hard; all powers spent — no upāya works; spoken word lost in the sky — descended, standing as before; Tuka says — nothing more can be done — stuck, wealth uselessly.

Where this applies

• When you've tried everything and genuinely feel stuck with nothing left to do
• When your best efforts seem to vanish into thin air without any visible result
• When you feel like you're right back where you started despite all your work
• When exhaustion makes even your devotion or effort feel wasted for now

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