Abhanga 624

Silence from someone you depend on is not a reason to walk away; stay firm in your commitment and keep asking until you get a real answer.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A deva-silent-but-bhakta-won't-leave-without-uttara abhang. Five-verse firm-stand-with-deva register. Five claims:

1. न बोलसी तें ही कळलें देवा — opening-insight: that You don't speak — even that I've understood, deva; You feel lajjā for Your own nāva (name); I'm not putting You in a gōvā (entanglement); what bhīḍa, Keśava? Deva-silent-because-of-His-own-shame.

2. उतरीं आपुला हा पार — settle-pāra-by-uttara: settle pāra (the matter / situation) by speaking uttara (answer); if my angīkāra doesn't-happen, I'll decide. Demand-an-answer.

3. दात्या आणि मागत्यासी — dātā-māgatā-rule: between dātā and māgatā; dharma-nīti is spoken; according-to-strength-let-go; vinmukha hurts both. Mutual-rule: turning-away-hurts-both.

4. म्हणोनि करितों मी आस — firm-wait: therefore I āsa; wait Your vacana; dhīra with sāyāsa; won't move from my nēma. Firm-stand.

5. तुझें म्यां घेतल्या वांचून — won't-move-without-taking: without taking from You — won't move from-here-vacana; this is my nēma satya-jāṇa; Tuka says: yes-or-no. Won't-leave-without-answer.

[T]

For someone today

When someone you're pleading with, even God, stays silent, that silence isn't a reason to give up. This verse shows a devotee refusing to walk away just because he isn't getting an answer: he stays, insists gently but firmly, and reminds God that turning away someone who has come in good faith hurts both sides, not just the one asking. He commits to holding his ground, staying true to his own resolve, until he gets a real answer, yes or no. The lesson is that persistence and patience in a relationship, especially with God, matter more than getting an immediate response.

मराठी: तुम्ही ज्याच्यावर विश्वास ठेवून विनवणी करत आहात, तो जर काही बोलत नसेल, अगदी देवसुद्धा, तरी ते मौन म्हणजे सोडून द्यायचं कारण नाही. ही ओवी दाखवते की एक भक्त, उत्तर मिळत नाही म्हणून निघून न जाता, तिथेच थांबतो, नम्रपणे पण ठामपणे आग्रह धरतो, आणि आठवण करून देतो की चांगल्या भावनेने आलेल्या माणसाला परत पाठवणं दोघांनाही दुखावतं, फक्त मागणाऱ्यालाच नाही. तो आपला ठाम निश्चय सोडत नाही, खरं उत्तर, होकार किंवा नकार, मिळेपर्यंत जागचा हलत नाही. शिकवण अशी की नात्यात, विशेषतः देवाशी असलेल्या नात्यात, चिकाटी आणि धीर हे तात्काळ उत्तरापेक्षा जास्त महत्त्वाचे असतात.

Where this applies

• Deva silent — lajjā own-name. Insight.
• Vinmukhabothbādha. Mutual-stake.
• Won't-move nēma. Firm-stand.
• Yes-or-no. Final-demand.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2467 — What looks like your whole world, like a fig to the insect living inside it, is only a tin
• Abhanga 4481 — Tukaram promises that sincerely calling on the Lord's name, knowingly or unknowingly, with
• Abhanga 4482 — Tukaram teaches that no ritual equals sincerely speaking the Lord's name, that self-center
• Abhanga 4497 — Tukaram describes a life so soaked in devotion that Krishna's presence fills every ordinar