संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4105 of 4582

Abhanga 4105

There is a right way to work at something, and over-driving the same effort past its natural point spoils the very essence you were trying to draw out.

When you notice a good habit or practice starting to feel forced or stale from overdoing it

When you push yourself past the point of usefulness on a task instead of stopping at the right moment

When you decide to handle your real needs first and treat extra comforts as secondary

The verse

मथनासाटीं धर्माधर्म । त्याचें वर्म नवनीत ॥१॥ तें चि तें घाटूं नये । आलें जाय नासूनि ॥ध्रु.॥ सांभाळावें वरावर । वर्म दूर न वजावें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे घालें पोट । मग बोटचांचणी ॥३॥

Literal translation

Mathana-dharmādharma — varma-navanīta. Don't-keep-churning-same — spoils. Safeguard-surface — varma-not-far. Tukā: fill-pōṭa-then-bōta-chānchaṇī.

What it means

A 3-verse churning-discipline text. In churning, there is a right-and-wrong way; the essence-product is butter. Don't keep over-churning the same thing — it spoils and goes. Safeguard on the surface; the essence shouldn't go far. Fill the belly — then there is the finger-licking of leftovers. The image is from butter-making: churning is delicate — over-churning spoils the cream. Suggests bhakti-practice should not be over-driven.

For someone today

Tukaram uses the everyday craft of churning butter to teach a lesson about restraint. There is a right way and a wrong way to churn, and the whole point is to draw out the essence, the fresh butter, without ruining it by over-churning the same thing again and again. He says to tend to things gently, keeping the essence close rather than driving it away through excess, and reminds us to first take care of real needs properly before indulging in small extras. The message is that spiritual practice and daily effort both need a light, disciplined touch, not relentless force.

मराठी: तुकाराम रोजच्या लोणी घुसळण्याच्या कामाचा वापर करून संयमाचा धडा शिकवतात. घुसळण्याची एक योग्य पद्धत आणि एक चुकीची पद्धत असते, आणि खरा उद्देश म्हणजे सार, ताजे लोणी, बाहेर काढणे, तेच तेच पुन्हा पुन्हा घुसळून ते खराब न करता. ते म्हणतात की गोष्टी हळुवारपणे सांभाळाव्यात, सार जवळ ठेवावे आणि अतिरेकाने ते दूर जाऊ देऊ नये, आणि आधी खऱ्या गरजा नीट भागवाव्यात मगच लहानसहान चोचल्यांचा आनंद घ्यावा असे ते सांगतात. आध्यात्मिक साधना आणि रोजचे कष्ट या दोन्हींना हलका आणि शिस्तबद्ध स्पर्श हवा, सतत जबरदस्ती नको हाच यातील संदेश आहे.

Where this applies

Tukārām's churning-discipline; don't-over-do canonical

Autobiographical