संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4447 of 4582

Abhanga 4447

Time becomes truly worthwhile when speech, listening, and heart all engage together in sincere, constant devotion rather than performance.

When you want your time to feel meaningful instead of slipping past empty.

When you notice your words, attention, and feelings aren't actually aligned with each other.

When you choose consistent, sincere practice over occasional performance for others.

The verse

काळ सार्थक केला त्यांणी । धरिला मनीं विठ्ठल ॥१॥ नाम वाचे श्रवण कीर्ति । पाउलें चित्ति समान ॥ध्रु.॥ कीर्तनाचा समारंभ । निर्दंभ सर्वदा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे स्वरूपसिद्धि । नित्य समाधि हरिनामीं ॥३॥

Literal translation

Kāḷa-sārthaka — held-Viṭhṭhal-mana. Nāma-vāchē-śravaṇa-kīrti — pāulē-chitti-samāna. Kīrtana-samārambha — nirdamba-sarvadā. Tukā: svarūpa-siddhi — nitya-samādhi-Hari-nāmīm.

What it means

A 3-verse successful-time text. Those who held Viṭhṭhal in the mind — they made time fruitful. Name on the speech, his fame on the ear, his feet in the heart — all together. The kīrtana's commencement — without-hypocrisy, at all-times. Tukā says: own-form-attainment (is) — eternal-samādhi in the Hari-Name. The fourfold-engagement: (1) Name-on-speech, (2) kīrti-on-ear, (3) pāulē-in-chitti, (4) nirdamba-kīrtana — all-bring nitya-samādhi-in-Hari-Name.

For someone today

Tukārām says that time itself becomes worthwhile for those who keep Viṭṭhal held steadily in their minds, using it well rather than letting it slip past empty. He describes what a full, engaged devotion actually looks like, the Name on your tongue, God's praises reaching your ears, and his presence held in your heart, all working together rather than one without the others. He adds that this kind of singing and celebration should be done without hypocrisy, consistently, not just for show on special occasions. When all of this comes together, Tukārām says, you arrive at a settled, constant peace found simply in repeating and dwelling on the Name.

मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की जे लोक विठ्ठलाला आपल्या मनात स्थिरपणे धरतात, त्यांच्यासाठी वेळ सार्थकी लागतो, तो व्यर्थ न जाता चांगल्या प्रकारे वापरला जातो. पूर्ण, समरस भक्ती कशी असते हे ते सांगतात, जिभेवर नाम, कानांत देवाची कीर्ती, आणि हृदयात त्याचे अस्तित्व, हे सगळे एकत्र असायला हवे, एकटे नाही. हे गायन आणि उत्सव ढोंगाशिवाय, सतत केले पाहिजे, केवळ विशेष प्रसंगी दिखाव्यासाठी नाही, असेही ते सांगतात. हे सगळे एकत्र आले की, तुकाराम म्हणतात, नामाच्या स्मरणातच स्थिर आणि सतत राहणारी शांती मिळते.

Where this applies

When you feel like time is slipping away without meaning and want to make it count
When your devotion or focus feels scattered between speech, listening, and feeling instead of unified
When you catch yourself practicing something faithfully only for appearances rather than consistently
When you're looking for a steady, ongoing sense of peace rather than an occasional spiritual high