Abhanga 2886
Idle talk without the Name slides into gossip, bad company, and mockery, while Yama is already waiting, so remember Narayana now, before there is no one left who can save you.
The verse
नामाविण काय वाउगी चावट । वांयां वटवट हरीविण ॥१॥
फुकट चि सांगे लोकाचिया गोष्टी । राम जगजेठी वाचे नये ॥ध्रु.॥
मेळवूनि चाट करी सुरापान । विषयांच्या गुणें माततसे ॥२॥
बैसोनि टवाळी करी दुजयाची । नाहीं गोविंदाची आठवण ॥३॥
बळें यम दांत खाय तयावरी । जंव भरे दोरी आयुष्याची ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे तुला सोडवील कोण । नाहीं नारायण आठविला ॥५॥
Literal translation
Nāmāviṇa kāya vāugī chāvaṭa — without Nāma — whatvāugī chāvaṭa(useless chatter, vain-jabbering); vāmyām vaṭa-vaṭa Harī-viṇa — vainvaṭa-vaṭa(prattle, idle-words) without Hari. Phukaṭa chi sānge lōkāñciyā gōṣṭī — (he) freely tells thegōṣṭī(stories) of (other)lōka(people); Rāma jagajeṭhī vāche nye — Rāmajagajeṭhī(world-conqueror) doesn't come to (his) speech. Meḷavūni chāṭa karī surā-pāna — gatheringchāṭa(loafer-friends), (he) doessurā-pāna(alcohol-drinking); viṣayāñcyā guṇe mātatase — by theguṇaofviṣaya(sense-objects), (he is)mātatasē(intoxicated). Baisōnī ṭavāḷī karī dujayāñcī — sitting, (he) doesṭavāḷī(mockery) of others; nāhī Govindāñcī āṭhavaṇa — there is noāṭhavaṇa(remembrance) of Govinda. Baḷe yama dāmta khāya tayāvarī — mightyyamagrinds (his) teeth at him; jamva bhare dōrī āyuṣyāñcī — until thedōrī(rope) ofāyuṣyafills. Tukā says: tulā sōḍavīla kōṇa — who will release you?; nāhī Nārāyaṇa āṭhavilā — (you have) not remembered Nārāyaṇa.
What it means
A canonical 5-verse anti-vain-prattle Nāma-supremacy verse. The verse-portrait is precise: the Nāma-less person engages in useless-chatter, gossip, intoxication, mockery — and Yama is already-grinding-teeth at him.
Verse 1 (the diagnostic): Nāmāviṇa kāya vāugī chāvaṭa — vāmyām vaṭa-vaṭa Harī-viṇa — without Nāma — vain-chatter; vain-prattle without Hari. The opening-diagnostic: speech-without-Nāma is mere-chatter.
Verse 2 (gossip): Phukaṭa chi sānge lōkāñciyā gōṣṭī — Rāma jagajeṭhī vāche nye — freely tells others'-stories — Rāma-jagajeṭhī doesn't come to speech. The diagnostic of gossiping-about-others.
Verse 3 (intoxication): Meḷavūni chāṭa karī surā-pāna — viṣayāñcyā guṇe mātatase — gathers loafer-friends, drinks alcohol — intoxicated by viṣaya-guṇa. The downward-trajectory: gossip leads to alcohol; viṣaya-intoxication follows.
Verse 4 (mockery): Baisōnī ṭavāḷī karī dujayāñcī — nāhī Govindāñcī āṭhavaṇa — sitting, mocks others — no remembrance of Govinda. The final social-action: mockery-of-others while Govinda-remembrance is absent.
Verse 5 (death-clock): Baḷe yama dāmta khāya tayāvarī — jamva bhare dōrī āyuṣyāñcī — Yama grinds teeth at him — until the rope of āyuṣya fills. The mortality-image: Yama's teeth are already-grinding; the āyuṣya-rope is filling up. (When-it-fills, time-is-up.)
Close: Tukā mhaṇe tulā sōḍavīla kōṇa — nāhī Nārāyaṇa āṭhavilā — who will release you? — (you have) not remembered Nārāyaṇa. The closing question: no-Nārāyaṇa-remembrance now → no-one-to-release-at-death. (Pairs with 2855 Hari-mhaṇatām kāḷa-yama-becomes-śaraṇa.)
For someone today
THE canonical anti-vain-prattle text. Without Nāma — what useless chatter; vain prattle without Hari. Freely tells others' stories — Rāma doesn't come to (his) speech. Gathers loafer-friends and drinks alcohol — intoxicated by viṣaya-guṇa. Sitting, mocks others — no remembrance of Govinda. Mighty Yama grinds teeth at him — until the āyuṣya-rope fills. Who will release you? — Nārāyaṇa (you have) not remembered. The five-fold downward-trajectory: (1) Nāma-less chatter; (2) gossip about others; (3) alcohol + viṣaya-intoxication; (4) mockery; (5) Yama already-grinding-teeth. The diagnostic-question: am I speaking-Nāma or vaṭa-vaṭa? The verse extends 2884's mortality-warning (the māpārī) with the specific-social-failures of the non-remembrer.
Where this applies
- When you catch yourself in idle gossip or chatter that has nothing to do with anything meaningful
- When you find yourself mocking or ridiculing someone just to fit in with a group
- When you notice a habit, like drinking with a certain crowd, is quietly pulling you further from any real practice
- When you realize weeks or months have passed without once actually remembering God amid the daily noise