Abhanga 1807
For today: no place, no foundation — yet you make houses spread out everywhere; in any place, your residence — yet always otherwise udāsa; not awake, not asleep — not full, not hungry; not asking is better — Tuka says — speak only-when-questioned.
The verse
ठाव नाहीं बुड । घरें वसविसी कुड ॥१॥ भलते ठायीं तुझा वास । सदा एरवी उदास ॥ध्रु.॥ जागा ना निजेला । धाला ना भुकेला ॥२॥ न पुसतां भलें । तुका म्हणे बुझें बोलें ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: No place, no foundation — (yet) you make houses spread-out everywhere. In any place, your residence — yet always otherwise udāsa. Not awake, not asleep — not full, not hungry. Not asking is better — Tuka says — speak only-when-questioned.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ठाव नाहीं बुड | "no place — no foundation (buḍa)" |
| घरें वसविसी कुड | "(you) make houses — spread-out (kūḍa = scattered / on-the-side)" |
| भलते ठायीं तुझा वास | "in any place — your residence" |
| सदा एरवी उदास | "always — otherwise — udāsa (indifferent / withdrawn)" |
| जागा ना निजेला | "not awake — not asleep" |
| धाला ना भुकेला | "not full — not hungry" |
| न पुसतां भलें | "not asking — (is) better (bhalēm)" |
| तुका म्हणे बुझें बोलें | "Tuka says — bujhē bōlē (= speak only-when-questioned)" |
What it means
Lord-as-everywhere-and-nowhere-paradox abhang. Closes the 1801-1807 mocking-cluster with a philosophical-paradox register.
The opening: ṭhāva nāhīm buḍa — gharēm vasavisī kūḍa — no place, no foundation — (yet) you make houses spread-out everywhere. Ṭhāva = place / abode; buḍa = foundation / bottom; kūḍa = spread-out / scattered. Paradox 1: the Lord has no-fixed-place-or-foundation, yet builds-houses-scattered-everywhere.
The residence-line: bhalatē ṭhāyīm tujhā vāsa — sadā ēravī udāsa — in any place, your residence — yet always otherwise udāsa. Paradox 2: you-reside-everywhere, yet you-are-always-also-udāsa (= withdrawn / aloof). (= omnipresent-yet-detached.)
The neither-this-nor-that paradoxes: jāgā nā nijēlā — dhālā nā bhukēlā — not awake, not asleep — not full, not hungry. Paradox 3: neither-awake-nor-asleep; neither-full-nor-hungry. (Echoes Upaniṣadic neti-neti + turīya state — the Lord is in-the-fourth-state beyond-the-three.)
The closing-counsel: na pusatām bhalēm — Tukā mhaṇē bujhē bōlē — not asking is better — Tuka says — speak only-when-questioned (bujhē bōlē). Bujhē bōlē = the wise-one speaks only-when-questioned (= bujha = wise, bōlē = speaks). The wise-bhakta doesn't pursue-paradoxes; speaks only-when-asked, lives quietly.
The implicit-message of the closing: given-that-the-Lord-is everywhere-yet-nowhere, awake-yet-asleep, etc. — the wise-bhakta doesn't try-to-pin-down-the-Lord with-questions; he-lives quietly-and-speaks-only-when-asked. (= don't-try-to-resolve-the-paradox; live-with-it.)
This abhang closes the 1801-1807 mocking-cluster by reframing the bhakta's-cluster-of-mock-complaints: yes, the Lord is paradoxical (everywhere-and-nowhere, etc.) — but the wise-bhakta lives-with-the-paradox quietly, not-asking-too-many-questions.
[T]
For someone today
For today: no place, no foundation — yet you make houses spread out everywhere; in any place, your residence — yet always otherwise udāsa; not awake, not asleep — not full, not hungry; not asking is better — Tuka says — speak only-when-questioned.
Where this applies
- No-place-no-foundation-houses-everywhere.* Ṭhāva-na-buḍa-gharē-kūḍa.
- Reside-everywhere-yet-udāsa.* Bhalatē-ṭhāyī-vāsa-udāsa.
- Not-awake-not-asleep-not-full-not-hungry.* Jāgā-na-nijēlā-dhālā-na-bhukēlā.
- Not-asking-better-speak-only-when-asked.* Na-pusatām-bhalēm-bujhē-bōlē.