संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 3771 of 4582

Abhanga 3771

Tukaram voices the honest ache of feeling detached from the world yet still unanswered and unrecognized, calling that unresolved distance a shameful, loveless way to live.

When you feel drawn to withdraw from the world but no clear call or sign comes to guide you.
When you go through the motions of devotion or duty while feeling the ache of separation underneath.
When you feel ashamed that your service or effort lacks the warmth and love you wish it had.

The verse

वैराग्याचा अंगीं जालासे संचार । इच्छी वनांतर सेवावया ॥१॥ कां जी याचें करूं नये समाधान । वियोगानें मन सिणतसे ॥ध्रु.॥ नये चि यावया पंढरीचें मूळ । न देवे चि माळ कंठींची ही ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जालें अप्रीतीचें जिणें । लाजिर हें वाणें सेवा करी ॥३॥

Literal translation

Vairāgyāchā angīm jālāse samchāra — vairāgya has entered the body; ichchhī vanāmtara sevāvayā — wishes to serve the forest-interior. Kām jī yāche karūm naye samādhāna — why do you not give satisfaction to this?; viyōgāne mana siṇatase — by separation the mind wearies. Naye chi yāvayā Pamḍharīche mūḷa — the original-call to come to Paṇḍharī doesn't come; na deve chi māḷa kamṭhīmchī hī — the kaṇṭha's māḷa is not being given. Tukā mhaṇe jāle aprītīche jiṇe — Tukā says: it has become a loveless life; lājira hem vāṇem sevā karī — I do service in this shameful manner.

What it means

A 3-verse longing-protest text. Vairāgya-entered-anga; wants-to-go-into-forest-interior; why-give-no-samādhāna?; viyōga-wearies-mana; the-Paṇḍharī-call-doesn't-come; the-māḷa-isn't-given; a-loveless-life — I-do-shameful-service. The kaṇṭhīmchī māḷa is the Vārkarī tulasī-mālā that marks formal initiation.

For someone today

Tukaram admits that a kind of detachment has taken hold of him, and part of him wants to withdraw into the forest and just be done with the world. But he is honest about the cost: separation from Vitthal wears his mind down, the call to come to Pandharpur has not come, and he has not even been given the sacred neck-garland that would mark him as truly initiated. He confesses that living without that love feels shameful, like going through the motions of devotion without the real connection. It is a moment of raw, unresolved longing rather than a peaceful resolution.

मराठी: तुकाराम कबूल करतात की त्यांच्या मनात एक प्रकारचा वैराग्यभाव निर्माण झाला आहे आणि त्यांचे मन जंगलात जाऊन सगळ्यापासून दूर व्हावे असे म्हणते. पण ते प्रामाणिकपणे सांगतात की विठ्ठलापासूनच्या वियोगाने त्यांचे मन थकून गेले आहे, पंढरीचा बोलावा अजून आलेला नाही आणि गळ्यातली माळही अजून मिळालेली नाही. ते कबूल करतात की या प्रेमाशिवाय जगणे लाजिरवाणे वाटते, जणू खरा संबंध नसताना नुसती सेवा करत राहणे. हा शांत निष्कर्ष नसून एक कच्ची, अनुत्तरित ओढ आहे.

Where this applies