Abhanga 1913
Tukaram notes that a word costs nothing to give, and asks why it is being withheld when it would mean so much to the one waiting.
The verse
निरोपासी वेचे । काय बोलतां फुकाचें ॥१॥ परी हें नेघेवे चि यश । भेओं नको सुखी आस ॥ध्रु.॥ सुख समाधानें । कोण पाहे देणें घेणें ॥२॥ न लगे निरोपासी मोल । तुका म्हणे वेचे बोल ॥३॥
Literal translation
What expense in a message — speaking is free. But you don't take this fame — don't fear, be in sukha-āsa. With sukha-samādhāna — who looks at give-and-take? No price for the message — Tuka says: speech is the expense.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| निरोपासी वेचे | "what expense in a message" |
| काय बोलतां फुकाचें | "speaking is free" |
| परी हें नेघेवे चि यश | "but you don't take this fame" |
| भेओं नको सुखी आस | "don't fear, be in sukha-āsa" |
| सुख समाधानें | "with sukha-samādhāna" |
| कोण पाहे देणें घेणें | "who looks at give-and-take" |
| न लगे निरोपासी मोल | "no price for the message" |
| तुका म्हणे वेचे बोल | "Tuka says — speech is the expense" |
What it means
Just-send-a-word-it's-free abhang. Letter-sent-with-saints cluster.
The opening: niropāsī vēcē — kāya bōlatām phukāce — what expense in a message — speaking is free. Sending-a-word-costs-nothing.
The fame-line: parī hē nēghēvē chi yaśa — bhē'ōm nakō sukhī āsa — but you don't take this fame — don't fear, be in sukha-āsa. Why-aren't-you-grabbing-this-easy-fame? — don't-fear, be-in-sukha-āsa (the comfort-of-attachment).
The samādhāna-line: sukha samādhānē — kōṇa pāhē dēṇē-ghēṇē — with sukha-samādhāna — who looks at give-and-take?. In-comfort-and-fulfillment, who-cares-about-the-balance-of-debits-and-credits?.
The closing: na lagē niropāsī mōla — Tukā mhaṇē vēcē bōla — no price for the message — Tuka says — speech is the expense. The-only-expense is-the-words-themselves; no-other-cost.
The implicit-message: the Lord-doesn't-respond, but a response would-cost-nothing; please-just-speak-a-word.
[T]
For someone today
For today: what expense in a message — speaking is free; but you don't take this fame — don't fear, be in sukha-āsa; with sukha-samādhāna — who looks at give-and-take?; no price for the message — Tuka says — speech is the expense.
Where this applies
- When someone you care about has gone quiet and you're waiting for even a single word from them.
- When you keep putting off a short reply because it feels like too small a thing to bother with.
- When a relationship starts to feel like a ledger of who owes whom instead of easy comfort.
- When you realize a brief kind word could cost you nothing but would mean everything to someone waiting.