Abhanga 2876
Commit fully to what you honor or never start it at all, because steadfastness is the whole value, and a broken commitment turns what was once honored into something shamed.
The verse
वंदिलें वंदावें जीवाचिये साटीं । किंवा बरी तुटी आरंभीं च ॥१॥
स्वहिताची चाड ते ऐका हे बोल । अवघें चि मोल धीरा अंगीं ॥ध्रु.॥
सिंपिलें तें रोंप वरीवरी बरें । वाळलिया वरी कोंभ नये ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे टाकीघायें देवपण । फुटलिया जन कुला पुसी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Vandilē vandāve jīvāñciye sāṭīm — (what is)vandilē(saluted, vandanā-d) — (it) should bevandāve(continuously honored, repeatedly-saluted) at the cost ofjīva; kimvā barī tuṭī ārambhī chi — or better —tuṭī(a break) at theārambha(beginning) itself. Sva-hitāñcī chāḍa te aikā he bōla — those who desiresva-hita— listen this counsel; avaghe chi mōla dhīrā angī — the wholemōla(value) is indhīra(steadfastness) inanga(body, being). Simpilē te rōmpa varīvarī barē — (a)rōmpa(sprout)simpilē(watered, sprinkled) — superficially appears good; vāḷaliyā varī kōmbha nye — once dried-up, thekōmbha(shoot, new-sprout) doesn't come. Tukā says: ṭākī-ghāye Devapaṇa — by theṭākī-ghāya(blow of the chisel, sculptor's-strike), theDevapaṇa(Deva-status) (becomes-an-idol); phuṭaliyā jana kulā pusī — once (it) cracks,jana kulā pusī(people wipe-their-bottom-on-it — use-it-as-privy-stone).
What it means
A 4-verse canonical sant-uvāca-discipline verse. The verse names a strict-discipline about sant-vandanā (saluting/respecting a sant) and commitment-to-discipline-in-general.
Verse 1: Vandilē vandāve jīvāñciye sāṭīm — kimvā barī tuṭī ārambhī chi — what is saluted should be continuously-saluted at-the-cost-of-life — or better — break (from) the very beginning. The strict rule: don't half-respect a sant; either commit-fully-even-at-life-cost, or don't-start. The intermediate-state (formal-respect-without-commitment) is the worst.
Dhrūpada: Sva-hitāñcī chāḍa te aikā he bōla — avaghe chi mōla dhīrā angī — those who desire one's-own welfare, listen — the whole value is indhīra(steadfastness) in (one's) being. The key-criterion: dhīra (firmness, steadfastness) is the whole-value. Without dhīra, nothing-counts.
Verse 2 (image): Simpilē te rōmpa varīvarī barē — vāḷaliyā varī kōmbha nye — a sprout watered (only) superficially seems fine on the outside — once dried, no shoot comes. The image: a half-watered seedling looks-fine while-watered, but once-dried no-new-shoot can-emerge. The application: superficial sant-vandanā looks-fine but yields-no-fruit when tested by adversity.
Verse 3 (close — striking image): Tukā mhaṇe ṭākī-ghāye Devapaṇa — phuṭaliyā jana kulā pusī — by the blow of the chisel (sculptor's-strike), Deva-status (emerges) — once (it) cracks, people wipe-their-bottom-on-it. The striking-image: the very-same-stone that the sculptor-makes-Deva of (by chiseling) — once-it-cracks, people use-it-as-a-privy-stone. The application: the very-same-thing that was honored as Deva, once broken, becomes the most-debased. The transition is brutal-and-instant. So-with-broken-sant-vandanā: what-was-honored becomes-debased.
For someone today
Tukārām lays down a strict rule about honoring a teacher or a practice: whatever you salute, you must keep saluting even at the cost of your life — or better to break it off right at the start than to half-commit. Those who care for their own welfare should listen: the whole value lies in steadfastness of being, in dhīra. A sprout that is only watered on the surface looks fine for a while, but once it dries out, no new shoot comes from it. And by the sculptor's chisel-strokes a stone becomes a god, yet once that stone cracks, people use it as a stepping-stone to wipe their feet on. So either commit fully or don't start at all, because half-hearted devotion is worse than none, and something once honored, once broken, falls all the way down to being despised.
मराठी: जे वंदावें ते जिवाच्या मोबदल्यातही सतत वंदावें, नाहीतर सुरुवातीलाच सोडून द्यावे — तुकाराम हा कठोर नियम मांडतात. ज्यांना स्वतःचे हित हवे असेल त्यांनी हे ऐकावे : सगळे मोल धीरात, स्थिरतेत आहे. वरवर पाणी घातलेले रोपटे काही काळ बरे दिसते, पण एकदा वाळले की त्याला पुन्हा कोंब फुटत नाही. आणि टाकीच्या घावांनी दगडाला देवपण येते, पण तोच दगड फुटला की लोक त्याचा पायपुसणीसारखा वापर करतात. म्हणून एकतर पूर्ण मनाने वचनबद्ध व्हावे किंवा सुरुवातच करू नये, कारण अर्धवट भक्ती न केलेल्या भक्तीपेक्षाही वाईट असते, आणि जे एकेकाळी पूज्य मानले गेले, ते तुटल्यावर सर्वात हीन बनते.
Where this applies
- When you're considering committing to a teacher, mentor, or spiritual practice and wondering whether to go all in.
- When you notice yourself keeping up appearances of devotion or respect without real follow-through underneath.
- When a promise or vow you made starts feeling difficult and you're tempted to quietly let it fade.
- When you see someone once deeply respected fall from grace and wonder what caused the collapse.