संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2587 of 4582

Abhanga 2587

For today: stabilize while jīva is alive — once entangled, exiled .

When you are tempted to make promises you don't actually intend to keep

When you keep postponing an important change, assuming there will always be a later

When you doubt whether a sincere intention or resolve you have made will really matter

The verse

वचनें चि व्हावें आपण उदार । होइल विश्वंभर संपुष्ट चि ॥१॥ सत्यसंकल्पाचीं फळें बीजाऐसीं । शुद्ध नाहीं नासी पावों येत ॥ध्रु.॥ वंचिलिया काया येतसे उपेगा । शरीर हें नरकाचें चि आळें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जीव जितां थारे लावा । पडिलिया गोवा देशधडी ॥३॥

Literal translation

By words become generous — Viśvambhara will be content. Satya-sankalpa's fruits like seeds — pure, can't be destroyed. Body deceived comes to use — body is hell's-vessel. Tuka says: stabilize while jīva is alive — once entangled, exiled.

What it means

THE STABILIZE-WHILE-JĪVA-LIVES ABHANG. Anti-postponement.

The closing: jīva jitām thārē lāvā — paḍiliyā gōvā dēśa-dhaḍī — stabilize while jīva is alive — once entangled, exiled. STABILIZE-while-jīva-is-alive; once-entangled, you'll-be-exiled (dēśa-dhaḍī = exiled-from-country). Urgency-of-now: don't-postpone bhakti, you-may-not-get-another-chance.

[T]

For someone today

For today: stabilize while jīva is alive — once entangled, exiled.

Where this applies

When you are tempted to make promises you don't actually intend to keep
When you doubt whether a sincere intention actually matters, wondering if it will really take hold
When you are using your time or body for indulgence rather than something meaningful
When you keep postponing a change you know you need to make, telling yourself there is always later

Bhakti