संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4005 of 4582

Abhanga 4005

Honestly admitting your own laziness and vices, rather than hiding them, is what allows you to ask sincerely to be pulled back close.

When you notice laziness or a bad habit pulling you away from what matters most.

When you feel ashamed to admit a weakness and want to hide it instead of asking for help.

When you need to keep asking for support rather than expecting one plea to be enough.

The verse

आळस आला अंगा । धांव घालीं पांडुरंगा ॥१॥ सोसूं शरीराचे भाव । पडती अवगुणाचे घाव ॥ध्रु.॥ करावीं व्यसनें । दुरी येउनि नारायणें ॥२॥ जवळील दुरी । जालों देवा धरीं करीं ॥३॥ म्हणउनि देवा । वेळोवेळां करीं धावा ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे पांडुरंगा । दुरी धरूं नका अंगा ॥५॥

Literal translation

Āḷasa-on-anga — come-running. Body-bhāva-bears — avaguṇa-ghāva-fall. Vyasanas-Nārāyaṇa-distant. Close-also-distant — take-by-hand. Time-after-time-dhāvā. Tukā: don't-keep-anga-far.

What it means

A 5-verse honest weakness-confession. Laziness has come into my body — come running, Pāṇḍurangā. As I suffer the body's tempos, defects' blows fall on me. By doing addictions, Nārāyaṇa has gone far. Even close ones have become distant — Deva, take me by the hand. Time and again, I cry out. Pāṇḍurangā, don't keep your body far from me. The honest confession of vyasana (addictions / bad habits) as the cause of distance from Lord — Tukārām's frank self-examination.

For someone today

Tukaram is remarkably honest here about his own failures. He admits laziness has taken hold of his body and begs Panduranga to come running to him anyway. He confesses that giving in to bad habits and vices is exactly what has made the divine feel distant, and that this distance has spread so far that even people close to him now feel far away. Rather than hiding this weakness, he cries out again and again, asking to be taken by the hand and pulled close. It is a model of admitting your own failings openly instead of pretending you have it together, and still asking for help.

मराठी: इथे तुकाराम आपल्या स्वतःच्या कमतरतांबद्दल विलक्षण प्रामाणिक आहेत. ते कबूल करतात की आळस अंगात भिनला आहे आणि तरीही पांडुरंगाला धावत यायची विनवणी करतात. ते सांगतात की वाईट सवयींना आणि व्यसनांना बळी पडणे हेच परमेश्वराला दूर ठेवण्याचे कारण आहे, आणि हे अंतर इतके वाढले आहे की जवळचे लोकही आता दूर वाटू लागले आहेत. ही कमजोरी लपवण्याऐवजी, ते वारंवार आर्त हाक मारतात, हाताला धरून जवळ ओढून घ्यायची विनंती करतात. स्वतःच्या चुका उघडपणे मान्य करण्याचा, सगळे ठीक असल्याचे न भासवण्याचा, आणि तरीही मदत मागण्याचा हा एक आदर्श आहे.

Where this applies

When you catch yourself sliding into laziness or a bad habit and feel ashamed to admit it
When an addiction or vice has quietly created distance between you and the people or things you care about
When you want to ask for help but feel you first need to pretend everything is fine
When you need permission to cry out for support again and again instead of just once