Abhanga 530
Naming someone's silence and neglect directly, even with biting irony, is a fair way to hold them accountable when a small word of comfort would have cost them nothing.
The verse
उचित तें काय जाणावें दुर्बळें । थोरिवेचें काळें तोंड देवा ॥१॥ देतों हाका कोणी नाइकती द्वारीं । ओस कोणी घरीं नाहीं ऐसें ॥ध्रु.॥ आलिया अतीता शब्द समाधान । करितां वचन कायवेंचे॥२॥ तुका म्हणे तुम्हां साजे हें श्रीहरी । आम्ही निलाजिरीं नाहीं ऐसीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
What ucita — does durbaḷa know? — deva's thōrivā-face is blackened. I call hāka — none listens at the door — ōsa — ghara — no-one. If atīta comes — śabda samādhāna — vacana — what does it cost? Tuka says: this suits You, Śrīharī — we are nilājirī, aren't we?
मराठी: उचित तें काय जाणावें दुर्बळें — थोरिवेचें काळें तोंड देवा. देतों हाका कोणी नाइकती द्वारीं — ओस कोणी घरीं नाहीं ऐसें. आलिया अतीता शब्द समाधान — करितां वचन कायवेंचे?. तुकाराम म्हणतां — तुम्हां साजे हें श्रीहरी — आम्ही निलाजिरीं नाहीं ऐसीं?
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| उचित तें काय जाणावें दुर्बळें | "what ucita — durbaḷa know?" |
| थोरिवेचें काळें तोंड देवा | "deva's thōrivā — kāḷē tōmḍa" |
| देतों हाका कोणी नाइकती द्वारीं | "hākā — none listens — at door" |
| ओस कोणी घरीं नाहीं ऐसें | "ōsa — ghara — no-one" |
| आलिया अतीता शब्द समाधान | "atīta — śabda samādhāna" |
| करितां वचन कायवेंचे | "vacana — kāya vēmcē (what cost)?" |
| तुम्हां साजे हें श्रीहरी | "this suits You, Śrīharī" |
| आम्ही निलाजिरीं नाहीं ऐसीं | "we nilājirī — aren't we?" |
What it means
A call-but-no-answer-deva's-greatness-face-blackened abhang. Continued strong-protest register. Four claims:
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उचित तें काय जाणावें दुर्बळें — थोरिवेचें काळें तोंड देवा — what ucita does durbaḷa know? — deva's thōrivā face blackened. The opening-protest: whatucita(fitting, proper) does thedurbaḷa(poor-one, weak-bhakta) know? (= I'm just a poor-one, I don't know what's-fitting; You should know better); but the deva'sthōrivā(greatness) — its face iskāḷē(blackened, blackened-by-shame). Greatness-shamed-by-non-response. The kāḷē tōmḍa idiom: a face-blackened-with-shame is a face-publicly-disgraced.
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देतों हाका कोणी नाइकती द्वारीं — ओस कोणी घरीं नाहीं ऐसें — I call hāka — none listens at door — ōsa — ghara — no-one. The deserted-house-claim: I am givinghākā(calls); none listens (nāikatī) at thedvāra(door); as if theghara(house) isōsa(deserted, abandoned), no-one (in it). The deva's-house seems empty. Devastating-image-of-no-response.
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आलिया अतीता शब्द समाधान — करितां वचन कायवेंचे — if atīta comes — śabda samādhāna — what does vacana cost? The cost-claim: if anatīta(guest, traveler-arrived) comes — aśabda(word) ofsamādhāna(comfort, settlement) is given; what does thevacana(word)vēmcē(cost, spend)? Even-a-cheap-courtesy-isn't-given. Words-cost-nothing-but-aren't-given.
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तुका म्हणे तुम्हां साजे हें श्रीहरी — आम्ही निलाजिरीं नाहीं ऐसीं — Tuka says: this suits You, Śrīharī — we are nilājirī, aren't we? The closing-biting-irony: Tuka says: thissājē(suits, befits) You,Śrīharī; we arenilājirī(shameless), aren't we? The biting-irony: the shameless-bhakta keeps-calling even when ignored; this-state-of-affairs suits-You. Bhakta-calls-Himself-shameless to mirror-back the deva's-no-response. (The implication: Your-non-response only confirms my shamelessness; we-make-a-pair.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram turns his protest into biting irony in this verse. He admits he is just a poor, ordinary devotee who may not know what is proper, but he points out that it is actually God's own greatness that looks bad by staying silent. He keeps calling at the door and no one answers, as though the house were completely empty and abandoned. He notes that even a simple word of comfort offered to a stranger who arrives at the door costs nothing, so why withhold even that much? Then, with sharp irony, he says this silence suits God perfectly, since he himself must be shameless for continuing to call out despite being ignored, so the two of them apparently make quite a pair. The lesson is that it is fair to name someone's neglect directly, even with a little cutting humor, instead of just quietly absorbing the hurt.
मराठी: तुकाराम या ओवीत आपला रोष तिखट उपरोधात बदलतात. ते कबूल करतात की आपण एक साधे, गरीब भक्त आहोत ज्याला योग्य काय हे कदाचित कळत नसेल, पण ते हेही सांगतात की गप्प राहिल्यामुळे प्रत्यक्षात देवाच्याच मोठेपणाला काळिमा लागतो. ते दारात हाका मारत राहतात, पण कोणीच उत्तर देत नाही, जणू ते घरच पूर्णपणे ओस पडलेले आणि निर्जन आहे. ते नमूद करतात की दारात आलेल्या एखाद्या अनोळखी व्यक्तीलाही एक सांत्वनाचा शब्द देणे काहीच खर्च करत नाही, मग तेवढेही का दिले जात नाही? शेवटी ते तिखट उपरोधाने म्हणतात की हे मौन तुम्हाला शोभते, कारण दुर्लक्ष होऊनही हाका मारत राहणारा मीच निर्लज्ज असणार, आणि आपण दोघेही जणू एक जोडी बनतो. यातून हा धडा मिळतो की एखाद्याचे दुर्लक्ष थेट, अगदी थोड्या तिखट विनोदाने का होईना, नावाने सांगणे रास्त आहे, ते फक्त शांतपणे सहन करण्याऐवजी.
Where this applies
- Thōrivā-face blackened. Reputation-charge.
- Ōsaghara. Deserted-image.
- Vacana costs nothing. Cost-nothing-charge.
- Suits-You — we shameless. Mutual-mockery.