Abhanga 4277
Chasing bodily pleasure never satisfies, like fuel that never cools a fire, so step back from the mirage and trust that God's presence still fills every heart.
The verse
येऊनि संसारा काय हित केलें । आयुष्य नासिलें शिश्नोदरा ॥१॥
विषय सेवितां कोण तृप्त जाला । इंधनीं निवाला अग्नि कोठें ॥ध्रु.॥
देखोनी मृगजळ भांबावलीं वेडीं । विचाराची थडी न टाकिती ॥२॥
ऐसियां जीवांसी सोय न लाविसी । निष्ठ कां होसी कृपाळुवा ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे देवा अगाध पैं थोरी । सर्वांचे अंतरीं पुरलासी ॥४॥
Literal translation
Came-to-samsāra — what-hita — āyuṣya-wasted-belly-genitals. Viṣaya-serving — no-trpti — fire-fuel-doesn't-cool. Mrgajaḷa-deceives — fools-no-vichāra-thaḍī. Why-niṣṭhura-krpāḷu — for-such-jīvas. Tukā: deva-agādha-thōrī — sarva-antarīm-pūralāsi.
What it means
A 4-verse viṣaya-warning + universal-pervasion petition. Coming to samsāra, what good have we done — we've wasted life on belly-and-genitals. Serving pleasures — who was ever satisfied? — where has fire cooled by fuel? Seeing mirage-water, fools become bewildered — they don't keep to the bank of reflection. You don't lay a path for such souls — why are you hard, gracious-one? Tukā says: Deva, your greatness is unfathomable — you have pervaded everyone's heart. Pair: 4277 ends the fire-batch with a viṣaya-warning + universal-pervasion-praise structure.
For someone today
Tukaram warns that a life spent chasing bodily pleasure and appetite wastes the gift of being alive, because feeding those cravings never actually satisfies them, just as fire never cools down no matter how much fuel you add to it. Chasing pleasure is like chasing a mirage: the more you run after it, the more lost and bewildered you become, instead of stepping back to reflect from safe ground. He then turns and questions God directly, asking why such confused people are left without guidance if God is truly compassionate. He ends by trusting that God's greatness is beyond understanding and is quietly present in every heart, even the most lost one.
मराठी: तुकाराम सांगतात की शरीरसुख आणि भूक भागवण्यातच आयुष्य घालवणे म्हणजे जीवनाची फुकट वाया घालवणी होय, कारण त्या वासना कितीही भागवल्या तरी कधीच तृप्त होत नाहीत — जसे इंधन घातले तरी अग्नि थंड होत नाही. सुखांच्या मागे धावणे म्हणजे मृगजळामागे धावण्यासारखे आहे — जितके धावाल तितके अधिक गोंधळून जाल, त्याऐवजी थांबून विचाराच्या काठावर उभे राहायला हवे. मग ते थेट देवालाच विचारतात — तू इतका कृपाळू असूनही अशा गोंधळलेल्या जीवांना मार्ग का दाखवत नाहीस? शेवटी ते विश्वास ठेवतात की देवाची थोरवी अगाध आहे आणि तो प्रत्येकाच्या अंतःकरणात, अगदी सर्वात हरवलेल्या जीवातही, नक्कीच वसलेला आहे.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's viṣaya-no-trpti + universal-pervasion canonical