संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2498 of 4582

Abhanga 2498

Do not build your life on what will sink or burn you, and do not wait until death is at the door to think it through.

When you are relying on something fragile to carry you through, the way a stone raft carries no one across a river.

When you feel drawn toward something that will clearly harm you, the way a moth is drawn to a flame.

When you keep delaying honest reflection on your life until a crisis forces you to face it in a panic.

The verse

थडियेसी निघतां पाषाणांच्या सांगडी । बुडतां मध्यभागीं तेथें कोण घाली उडी ॥१॥ न करी रे तैसें आपआपणा । पतंग जाय वांयां जीवें ज्योती घालूनियां ॥ध्रु.॥ सावधपणें सोमवल वाटी भरोनियां प्याला । मरणा अंतीं वैद्य बोलावितो गहिला ॥२॥ तुकाम्हणे करीं ठायींचा चि विचार । जंवें नाहीं पातला यमाचा किंकर ॥३॥ ॥९॥

Literal translation

Heading to shore with a stone-raft — drowning in mid-stream, who jumps in to save. Don't do that — moth wastes life jumping at flame. With care, fill the cup of sōmavala — at death, only the vaidya is called in panic. Tuka says: consider in advance — before Yama's-servant arrives. ॥9॥ (closing-colophon of 9-abhang sub-section).

What it means

THE STONE-RAFT + MOTH-AT-FLAME LIFE-WARNING ABHANG. Closes a 9-abhang sub-section.

The stone-raft: thaḍiyēsī nighatām pāṣāṇāñchyā sāngaḍī — heading to shore with a stone-raft. Setting-out-to-cross with-a-stone-raft (= heavy-with-attachments, will-sink) — drowning-mid-stream, who-jumps-in? Vivid metaphor for-life's-attachments.

The moth-at-flame: patanga jāya vāmyā jīvē jyōtī ghālūniyām — moth wastes life jumping at flame. Classical patanga-jyoti image of-self-destruction.

The advance-counsel: karīm ṭhāyīñchā chi vichāra — janvē nāhīm pātalā Yamāchā kinkara — consider in advance — before Yama's-servant arrives.

THE COLOPHON: ॥९॥ — closes another 9-abhang sub-section (cf. 2489's laḷatēm-9). Structural marker.

[T]

For someone today

For today: stone-raft drowns mid-stream; moth wastes life at flame; consider before Yama-servant arrives.

Where this applies

When you keep leaning on a plan or relationship you already know is unstable, hoping it will somehow hold
When a tempting habit or desire pulls at you even though you can see it will hurt you
When you keep putting off the hard, honest thinking about your life until some later, calmer day
When you only turn serious about death and meaning once illness or crisis has already arrived

Mortality / Vairāgya Bhakti