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

Literal translation

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 Paradox 2: you-reside-everywhere, yet you-are-always-also-udāsa (= withdrawn / aloof).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

• When you keep demanding proof or explanations for something spiritual that simply will not resolve into neat logic
• When you feel restless because God seems both everywhere and nowhere in your life at once
• When you are tempted to argue or over-explain instead of simply living quietly and doing what is needed
• When someone keeps interrogating a mystery instead of accepting it and moving on with life

Related verses

• Abhanga 2374 — Rather than scattering devotion among many lesser deities who demand offerings, Tukaram sa
• Abhanga 2377 — This detailed meditation on Vitthal standing on a brick at Pandharpur, out of love for his
• Abhanga 2387 — Accept whatever life brings with reverence, and place the burden on God rather than carryi
• Abhanga 2402 — For today: happily take rebirths — IF among the Paṇḍharī-Vārkarīs ; Hari-dāsas' company is