Abhanga 2888
Once the harvest is ready, stop bargaining and hold steady patience, because your own hesitation is the only real obstacle standing between you and receiving it.
The verse
जालें भांडवल । अवघा पिकला विठ्ठल ॥१॥
आतां वाणी काशासाटीं । धीर धरावा च पोटीं ॥ध्रु.॥
आपुल्या संकोचें । म्हणऊनि तेथें टांचे ॥२॥
घेतों खर्या मापें । तुका देखोनियां सोपें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Jāle bhāṇḍavala — thebhāṇḍavala(capital, working-stock) has come about; avaghā pikalā Viṭhṭhala — all of Viṭṭhal haspikalā(ripened, become ready). Ātām vāṇī kāśāsāṭī — now why (engage in)vāṇī(trading-talk, bargaining)?; dhīra dharāvā cha pōṭī — holddhīra(patience, steadiness) in (your) belly. Āpulyā sankochē — by (one's) ownsankocha(constriction, hesitation); mhaṇaūnī tēthē ṭāmche — therefore,tāmche(obstacle, stumble) there. Tukā says: ghētōm kharyā māpe — I take (it) with a truemāpa(measure); dekhōnīyām sōpe — seeing (it)sōpe(easy).
What it means
A short bhakti-merchant-and-harvest image verse. Jāle bhāṇḍavala — avaghā pikalā Viṭhṭhala — the capital has come about — all Viṭṭhal has ripened. The Viṭṭhal-as-the-ripened-crop image: the harvest is ready; the bhakta-merchant has-capital.
Ātām vāṇī kāśāsāṭī — dhīra dharāvā cha pōṭī — now why bargaining? — hold dhīra in the belly. With Viṭṭhal-ripe and capital-ready, no vāṇī (bargaining, anxious-trading-talk) is needed. Just hold dhīra.
Āpulyā sankochē — mhaṇaūnī tēthē ṭāmche — by one's own sankocha — therefore, obstacle there. The diagnostic: the only-obstacle is one's-own-sankocha (hesitation, false-modesty).
The close: ghētōm kharyā māpe — Tukā dekhōnīyām sōpe — I take with true-measure — seeing (it) easy. The bhakta's-claim: the measure is true (śuddha, not deceptive); the harvest is easy. (Pairs with 2857 ranga-lūṭā mājhe bāpa — śuddha-bhāva khare māpa.)
For someone today
A short bhakti-harvest claim. The capital has come about — all of Viṭṭhal has ripened. Now why bargaining? — hold dhīra in (your) belly. By one's own sankocha — obstacle there. I take with true-measure — seeing (it) easy. The verse claims: (1) the bhakti-harvest is ready; (2) no anxious-bargaining needed; (3) only one's-own-sankocha holds-one-back; (4) the measure is true; the harvest is easy. The diagnostic-key: what is preventing my harvest? — my own sankocha.
Where this applies
- When you hold yourself back from something good because of hesitation or false modesty rather than any real obstacle
- When you have already done the work and just need patience instead of anxious second-guessing
- When you overthink or bargain with yourself about whether you deserve grace or good things
- When you realize the only thing stopping you from moving forward is your own self-doubt