संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 3776 of 4582

Abhanga 3776

Real help comes only from genuine love, like a seed that cannot sprout without warmth, so Tukaram disciplines himself and asks God to meet that honest effort.

When you notice you are chasing help from many places instead of trusting the one source that truly matters.

When you feel like a seed that has not yet found the warmth or love needed to grow.

When you commit to real self-discipline and effort instead of waiting passively for change.

The verse

आपण चि व्हाल साहे । कसियाला हे धांवणी ॥१॥ भाकिली ते उरली कींव । आहे जीव जीवपणें ॥ध्रु.॥ आहाच कैंचा बीजा मोड । प्रीति कोड वांचूनि ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे दंडिन काया । याल तया धांवणिया ॥३॥

Literal translation

Āpaṇa chi vhāla sāhe — you yourself will be the help; kasiyālā he dhāvaṇī — what is this running for?. Bhākilī te uralī kīmva — the pity I begged is still left over; āhe jīva jīvapaṇe — jīva is (alive) in its aliveness. Āhāca kaimchā bījā mōḍa — how can a (bare) seed sprout?; prīti kōḍa vāmchūni — without the desire/play of prīti. Tukā mhaṇe damḍina kāyā — Tukā says: I will discipline the body; yāla tayā dhāvaṇiyā — you come for such a runner.

What it means

A 3-verse compressed petition. You-yourself-must-be-my-help — what-other-running?; the-pity-I-begged remains-(unanswered); jīva-still-clings-to-its-aliveness; the-seed-needs-prīti's-koḍa-to-sprout; I-will-discipline-my-body — come-for-such-a-runner.

For someone today

Tukaram says the only real help he needs is God, so why keep running around begging everyone else? The plea he has already made still stands unanswered, and his own life still clings stubbornly to being alive. He compares it to a seed: a bare seed cannot sprout by itself, it needs the warmth and pull of real love to break open and grow. So he commits to disciplining his own body and effort, and asks God to come running for someone who is willing to do that inner work.

मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की खरी मदत फक्त देवाकडूनच मिळते, मग इतरांकडे धावाधाव कशासाठी करायची? त्यांनी आधी केलेली विनंती अजूनही अनुत्तरित आहे आणि त्यांचा जीव अजूनही जगण्याच्या ओढीला घट्ट धरून आहे. ते याची तुलना बीजाशी करतात: कोरडे बीज स्वतःहून उगवू शकत नाही, त्याला उगवण्यासाठी खऱ्या प्रेमाची ऊब आणि ओढ लागते. म्हणून ते स्वतःच्या शरीराला आणि प्रयत्नांना शिस्त लावण्याचे वचन देतात आणि अशा प्रयत्न करणाऱ्या व्यक्तीसाठी देवाने धावत यावे अशी विनंती करतात.

Where this applies

When you keep seeking help from everyone except the one source that could actually give it
When a prayer or request feels unanswered and you are tempted to give up hope
When you feel stuck in place, like a seed that will not sprout without real warmth and love
When you decide to discipline yourself and put in real effort instead of just waiting for things to change