Abhanga 3413
Once you've glimpsed what truly matters, let go of old talk and old reckonings, and pray only not to stumble now that you're close.
The verse
नका मजपाशीं । वदो प्रपंचाचे विशीं ॥१॥
आतां नाइकावी कानीं । मज देवाविण वाणी ॥ध्रु.॥
येऊनियां रूपा । कोण पाहे पुण्यपापा ॥२॥
मागे आजिवरी । जालें माप नेलें चोरी ॥३॥
सांडियेलीं पानें । पुढें पिका अवलोकन ॥४॥
पडों नेदी तुका । आड गुंपूं कांहीं चुका ॥५॥
Literal translation
Don't-talk-prapañcha-to-me. Ears-no-vāṇī-except-Deva's. Come-into-rūpa — who-looks-at-puṇya-pāpa. Past-māpa-stolen-by-thieves. Old-leaves-dropped — ahead-pikā-avalōkana. Tukā: don't-let-me-fall — no-chukā-entangle.
What it means
A 5-verse vairāgya-text. I won't hear about worldly affairs; the old leaves are gone, the ripe-fruit is in view; let no mistake entangle me.
For someone today
Tukaram asks people to stop talking to him about ordinary worldly matters, because his ears now want to hear nothing except what concerns God. Having come this far and glimpsed the divine, he says the old scorekeeping of merit and sin no longer matters, that reckoning has already slipped away like something stolen. He compares his past to old leaves that have finally dropped off, while ahead of him he can now see ripe fruit coming into view. His closing prayer is humble and urgent, having come this close, he asks not to stumble now, not to let any careless mistake trip him up before he reaches it.
मराठी: तुकाराम लोकांना विनवतात की माझ्याशी सांसारिक गोष्टींबद्दल बोलू नका, कारण आता माझ्या कानांना देवाशिवाय दुसरे काही ऐकायचे नाही. इतक्या दूरवर आल्यावर आणि दैवी झलक पाहिल्यावर, ते म्हणतात की पुण्य-पापाचा जुना हिशोब आता महत्त्वाचा राहिलेला नाही, तो हिशोब जणू चोरीला गेल्यासारखा निसटून गेला आहे. ते आपल्या भूतकाळाची तुलना अखेर गळून पडलेल्या जुन्या पानांशी करतात, तर पुढे त्यांना पिकलेले फळ दिसू लागले आहे. त्यांची शेवटची प्रार्थना नम्र आणि तातडीची आहे, इतके जवळ आल्यावर, आता अडखळू नये, कोणतीही निष्काळजी चूक पोहोचण्याआधी अडथळा आणू नये अशी ते विनंती करतात.
Where this applies
- When you're trying to focus on what truly matters and keep getting pulled into idle chatter
- When you're carrying old guilt over past mistakes long after they've stopped being relevant
- When you sense you're finally close to something meaningful after years of effort
- When you're worried a careless slip could undo progress you've worked hard to reach