Abhanga 4325
The very things we gather to protect ourselves can become the trap that destroys us, and only the guidance of the wise reveals the way out.
The verse
ढालतलवारे गुंतले हे कर । म्हणे जुंझणार कैसा जुंझे ॥१॥
पेटी पडदळे सिले टोप ओझें । हें तों जालें दुजें मरणमूळ ॥ध्रु.॥
बैसविलें मला येणें अश्वावरी । धावूं पळूं तरी कैसा आतां ॥२॥
असोनि उपाय म्हणे हे अपाय । म्हणे हायहाय काय करूं ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे हा तों स्वयें परब्रम्ह । मूर्ख नेणे वर्म संतचरण ॥४॥
Literal translation
V1: ḍhāla-talavāre gumtale he kara, mhaṇe jumjhaṇāra kaisā jumjhe — shield-sword entangled the hands; the warrior says: how shall (I) fight? V2: armor-parts and helmet are burden; have become second maraṇa-mūḷa V3: mounted on horse — how run-or-flee V4: the upāya itself is apāya; hāya-hāya, what to do? V5: Tukā: he himself is para-brahma; mūrkha doesn't know the varma — sant-charaṇa do
What it means
A striking armor-of-attachments image. The means-of-protection (armor, sword, horse) become-bondage and-second-cause-of-death. Sant-charaṇa alone-knows-the-varma (secret).
For someone today
Tukaram paints a vivid picture of a soldier so weighed down by his own shield, sword, armor, and helmet that his hands are tangled and he cannot fight, run, or flee. His protection has turned into a second cause of death. This mirrors how the very things we gather to defend and secure our lives can end up trapping us instead of saving us. He says the remedy has become the danger, and the soldier cries out in despair not knowing what to do. Only guidance found at the feet of the wise, the sant-charana, knows the real secret to escaping this trap, since a fool cannot see it alone.
मराठी: तुकाराम एक ठळक चित्र उभे करतात - एक योद्धा ढाल-तलवारीने इतका जखडला आहे की त्याचे हातच अडकून पडतात, तो लढू शकत नाही, धावूही शकत नाही, पळूही शकत नाही. त्याचे रक्षणाचे साधनच त्याच्या मृत्यूचे दुसरे कारण बनते. हेच आपल्या आयुष्याला - आपण सुरक्षेसाठी जमवलेल्या गोष्टीच आपल्याला अडकवून टाकतात. उपायच अपाय बनतो आणि तो हायहाय करत काय करावे हे न कळून हतबल होतो. फक्त संतांच्या चरणी मिळणारे मार्गदर्शनच या पेचातून सुटण्याचे खरे वर्म जाणते, कारण मूर्खाला ते स्वतःहून कळत नाही.
Where this applies
- When you feel so weighed down by things meant to protect you that you can't move freely
- When a strategy or possession you relied on for safety has become the thing trapping you
- When you cry out in despair because your own defenses seem to be failing you
- When you need to seek guidance from someone wiser rather than trying to solve it alone