Abhanga 4504
Narayana is the true string puller behind all things, and effort or success that does not recognize him brings no real happiness, however clever or hardworking the person.
The verse
संचित उत्तम भूमि कसूनियां । जाऊं नेणे वांयां परि त्याचें ॥१॥
त्याचिया पिकासि आलिया घुमरी । आल्या गाईंवरी आणिक गाईं ॥२॥
गाईं दवडुनि घालिती बाहेरी । तंव म्हणे हरि बांधा त्या ही ॥३॥
त्याही तुम्ही बांधा तुमच्या सारिख्या । भोवंडा पारिख्या वाड्यातुनि ॥४॥
पारिख्या न येती कोणाचिया घरा । सूत्रधारी खरा नारायण ॥५॥
नारायण नांदे जयाचिये ठायीं । सहज तेथें नाहीं घालमेली ॥६॥
मेलीं हीं शाहाणीं करितां सायास । नाहीं सुखलेश तुका म्हणे ॥७॥
Literal translation
A 7-verse claim about the Nārāyaṇa-as-sūtra-dhārī (string-holder). Tilled-good-bhūmi yields-much; cows-keep-coming; they-drive-them-out, but Hari says: bind-them-too. The-real-string-holder is-Nārāyaṇa; where-he-dwells, no-disturbance. The-wise-without-this-understanding toil with-sāyāsa — no-drop-of-sukha.
What it means
A 7-verse claim that Nārāyaṇa is-the-true-string-holder; without recognizing-him, all effort yields-no-sukha.
For someone today
Tukaram describes a field so richly sown that its harvest keeps drawing in more and more cows, until the owners try to drive away the extra ones as strangers, but Hari tells them to tie up and keep those too, because nothing that comes near truly belongs to a stranger. The real string puller behind everything is Narayana, and wherever he quietly dwells, there is no restlessness or disturbance. Clever, hardworking people who strain and strive without recognizing this get no real happiness for all their effort, because success without that recognition stays hollow.
मराठी: तुकाराम अशा शेताचे वर्णन करतात की त्याचे पीक इतके समृद्ध असते की त्याकडे अधिकाधिक गायी ओढल्या जातात, आणि मालक त्या नवीन गायींना परक्या समजून हाकलू लागतात, पण हरी सांगतो की त्यांनाही बांधून घ्या, कारण जवळ आलेले खरे तर कोणीच परके नसते. सर्व गोष्टींमागचा खरा सूत्रधार नारायण आहे, आणि जिथे तो शांतपणे वास करतो तिथे कसलीही अस्वस्थता किंवा गोंधळ उरत नाही. जे हुशार, मेहनती लोक हे न ओळखता झटत राहतात, त्यांच्या श्रमातून त्यांना खरे सुख मिळत नाही, कारण ही ओळख नसलेले यश पोकळच राहते.
Where this applies
- When abundance or success starts coming your way and you are tempted to keep out anyone who feels unfamiliar
- When you work hard toward a goal but feel restless even after achieving it
- When you meet a stranger or newcomer and instinctively want to push them away rather than welcome them
- When you sense your efforts feel hollow because you have left God out of the picture