संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 3284 of 4582

Abhanga 3284

Build up your inner devotion quietly now, like storing capital, because when death finally corners you, it will be too late to start.

When you keep talking about starting a spiritual practice instead of quietly building it up day by day.

When you realize you're overthinking or negotiating instead of simply doing the needed inner work.

When you notice people scrambling for meaning only once death or crisis is already at the door.

The verse

आम्हां कांहीं आम्हां कांहीं । आतां नाहीं या बोलें ॥१॥ मोल सांगा मोल सांगा । घेणें तिंहीं गा पुसावें ॥ध्रु.॥ कैसें घडे कैसें घडे । बडबड तुज मज ॥२॥ मुदलें साटी मुदलें साटी । लाभ पोटीं त्या च मधीं ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे साटवूं घरीं । आडल्या काळें पुसती तरी ॥४॥

Literal translation

We-have-some, no-more by-words. Tell-mōla, take-asks-them. How-does-it-fit? — chatter. Capital-for-storage; profit-with-capital. Tukā: store-at-home — pressed-by-time-will-ask.

What it means

A 4-verse market-image text. Bhakti-as-stored-capital; pressed-by-death, the-uninvited-ask for-(it).

For someone today

Tukaram uses the language of a marketplace to make a point about real spiritual preparation. He says there is no use in endless talk and haggling, just state what is needed and act, rather than going back and forth in chatter. He compares devotion to capital that you store away quietly now, explaining that the real profit sits together with that stored capital itself, not in talking about it. His closing point is practical and a little wry: keep building this reserve at home, because when death finally corners someone, that is exactly when they will come asking for it, and by then it is too late to start.

मराठी: तुकाराम बाजाराच्या भाषेत खऱ्या आध्यात्मिक तयारीविषयी सांगतात. ते म्हणतात, नुसती बडबड आणि घासाघीस करण्यात अर्थ नाही, जे हवे ते नीट सांगा आणि करा, इकडून-तिकडून बोलत बसू नका. भक्तीची तुलना ते भांडवलाशी करतात, जे तुम्ही आताच शांतपणे साठवता, आणि खरा नफा त्या साठवलेल्या भांडवलातच असतो, नुसत्या बोलण्यात नसतो, असे ते स्पष्ट करतात. त्यांचा शेवटचा मुद्दा व्यवहारी आणि थोडासा खोचक आहे: हा साठा घरीच वाढवत राहा, कारण मृत्यू जेव्हा शेवटी गाठतो, तेव्हाच लोक तो साठा मागायला येतात, आणि तोपर्यंत सुरुवात करायला उशीर झालेला असतो.

Where this applies

When you keep talking about starting a spiritual practice instead of actually building it up quietly, day by day.
When you realize you're negotiating or overthinking instead of simply doing the necessary inner work.
When a crisis makes you wish you had built up some reserve of faith or peace beforehand.
When you notice people scrambling for meaning only once death or disaster is already at the door.