संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 3592 of 4582

Abhanga 3592

When despair unsteadies you, let the deep and steady presence of the divine comfort you, and hold to your word especially when it is being tested.

When you feel your resolve wobbling under despair and need something steady to hold onto

When old hurt over a loss or separation keeps flaring up inside you

When you are tired from fearing a hardship rather than facing it, and must decide whether to keep your word anyway

The verse

डगमगी मन निराशेच्या गुणें । हें तों नारायणें सांतवीजे ॥१॥ धीरें तूं गंभीर जीवनें जगाचें । जळो विभागाचें आत्रीतत्या ॥ध्रु.॥ भेईंल जीव हें देखोनि कठिण । केला जातो सीण तो तो वांयां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आवश्यक हें वचन । पाळावें चि वान समयो आहे ॥३॥

Literal translation

Mana-unsteady-from-nirāśā — Nārāyaṇa-should-comfort. Dhīra-gambhīra-jīvana-of-jagat — let-over-self-importance-of-vibhāga-burn. Jīva-fears-kaṭhiṇa — śīṇa-goes-vāyām. Tukā: this-vachana-necessary — keep-it, time-of-testing-here.

What it means

A 3-verse comfort-petition. My mana is unsteady from despair; you, deep-and-steady, water-of-the-jagat, comfort me; let the self-importance of separation burn; my jīva fears the hard — fatigue is in vain; keep the vachana — the test is upon us.

For someone today

When your mind wobbles with despair, this verse says: turn to Nārāyaṇa and let him steady you, because he himself is deep and calm like the water that sustains the whole world. Don't let wounded pride over separation keep burning inside you; let it burn away instead. Your heart may flinch when it sees something hard ahead, but the exhaustion that comes from bracing against it is wasted effort. Tukārām says the real work now is simply to keep your word, because this is the moment that tests it.

मराठी: जेव्हा तुझं मन निराशेने डळमळतं, तेव्हा नारायणाकडे वळ आणि त्याला तुला स्थिर करू दे, कारण तो स्वतः जगाला जगवणाऱ्या पाण्यासारखा खोल आणि शांत आहे. वियोगाच्या दुखावलेल्या अहंकाराला आत जळत ठेवू नकोस, तर तो जळून जाऊ दे. पुढे काही कठीण दिसलं की मन घाबरेल, पण त्याविरुद्ध ताणून राहण्याचा शीण वाया जातो. तुकाराम म्हणतात, आता खरं काम एवढंच आहे की दिलेला शब्द पाळणे, कारण हीच वेळ त्याची परीक्षा घेणारी आहे.

Where this applies

When your mind keeps wobbling because a hoped-for outcome fell apart
When you feel wounded pride over being separated from someone or something you love
When fear of a hard road ahead is draining you before you've even taken a step
When you're tempted to break a promise right when keeping it matters most

Autobiographical