Abhanga 2980
Grief and worry feed on themselves and change nothing, so only a disciplined, patient mind reaches the treasure it seeks.
The verse
चरफडें चरफड शोकें शोक होये । कार्यमूळ आहे धीरापाशीं ॥१॥
कल्पतसे मज ऐसें हें पाहातां । करावी ते चिंता मिथ्या खोटी ॥ध्रु.॥
न चुके होणार सांडिल्या शूरत्वा । फुकट चि सत्वा होइल हानी ॥२॥
तुकयाबंधु म्हणे दिल्या बंद मना । वांचूनि निधाना न पवीजे ॥३॥
Literal translation
Charaphaḍe charaphaḍa śōke śōka hōye — strife on strife — grief on grief becomes; kārya-mūla āhe dhīrā-pāśī — thekārya-mūla(root-of-action) is atdhīra. Kalpatase maja aiśe he pāhātām — I amkalpatase(considering) — looking at this; karāvī te chintā mithyā khōṭī — thechintā(we) must do ismithyā khōṭī(false, vain). Na chuke hōṇāra sāṇḍiliyā śūratvā — what is to happen does not escape by abandoningśūratva(heroism); phukaṭa chi satvā hōīla hānī — free-of-cost, there will behānī(loss) ofsattva(essence). Tukyā-bandhu mhaṇe dilyā banda manā — Tukārām's-brother says: by giving (the)banda(bond) to the mind; vāñchūnī nidhānā na pavīje — without this, thenidhāna(treasure) is notpavīje(attained).
What it means
A 3-verse discipline-verse signed by Tukyā-bandhu (Kānhōbā). Part of the lament-cluster (2977-2987).
The discipline-claim: charaphaḍa-on-charaphaḍa, śōka-on-śōka — the root-of-action is at dhīra (patience). The opening recognition: grief-multiplies-grief; dhīra is what-yields-action.
Kalpatase maja aiśe he pāhātām — karāvī te chintā mithyā khōṭī — I'm-considering — looking — the chintā we-do is mithyā-false. The diagnostic: worry-itself is false-and-vain.
Na chuke hōṇāra sāṇḍiliyā śūratvā — phukaṭa chi satvā hōīla hānī — what's-to-happen doesn't-escape by abandoning-heroism — free-of-cost, sattva-loss. The two-fold-warning: abandoning-courage doesn't-prevent-the-inevitable; but it costs you-your-sattva-essence.
Close: Tukyā-bandhu mhaṇe dilyā banda manā — vāñchūnī nidhānā na pavīje — Tukārām's-brother says: by giving bond to mind — without this, nidhāna-(treasure)-not-attained. The operative-discipline: bond-the-mind-with-resolve; the treasure (= return of Tukārām, or the Lord's-grace) is-only-attained-thus.
For someone today
This is a verse of self-discipline written by Kānhōbā in the midst of grief. Strife feeds on strife, he says, and grief feeds on grief — but the root of any real action lies in patience and steadiness. Looking closely at this, he realizes that the worrying we do is essentially false and useless. What is destined to happen won't be avoided just because you set aside your courage — and giving up that courage only costs you your inner strength, for nothing in return. Tukārām's brother says: only by binding the mind with resolve can the treasure be attained — without that discipline, it stays out of reach. The teaching moves through several steps: grief multiplies on its own; patience is the true root of action; worry itself is empty; abandoning courage doesn't stop what's coming, it only wastes your strength; and only a disciplined, resolved mind can reach what it's truly after.
मराठी: हा दुःखाच्या काळात आत्मसंयम राखण्याविषयीचा कान्होबांचा अभंग आहे. ते म्हणतात, कलहावर कलह आणि शोकावर शोक वाढत जातो, पण खऱ्या कृतीचे मूळ धीरातच असते. हे नीट पाहिले तर लक्षात येते की आपण करत असलेली चिंता खरे तर खोटी आणि व्यर्थ असते. जे व्हायचे आहे ते धैर्य सोडून दिले तरी टळत नाही — उलट धैर्य सोडल्याने फुकटच सत्त्वाची हानी होते. तुकयाबंधू म्हणतात — मनाला बांधून, संयमित ठेवूनच निधान (खजिना) प्राप्त होतो, त्याशिवाय ते मिळत नाही. ही शिकवण टप्प्याटप्प्याने पुढे जाते — दुःख आपोआप वाढत जाते; धीर हाच खऱ्या कृतीचा मूळ आधार आहे; चिंता स्वतःच व्यर्थ असते; धैर्य सोडल्याने जे व्हायचे ते टळत नाही, उलट शक्तीचा अपव्यय होतो; आणि फक्त संयमित, दृढ मनानेच आपल्याला हवे ते साध्य होते.
Where this applies
- When you are so consumed by grief that you keep spiraling into more distress
- When you are worrying about something you cannot control and sense deep down that the worry itself is pointless
- When you feel tempted to give up your resolve during hardship, thinking it will make things easier
- When you need to find inner steadiness before you can move toward what truly matters