Abhanga 1944
Do not judge or speak against someone until you truly know the situation, and trust that patience will let things end well.
The verse
तोंवरी म्यां त्यास कैसें निषेधावें । जों नाहीं बरवें कळों आलें ॥१॥ कोणाचिया मुखें तट नाहीं मागें । वचन वाउगें बोलों नये ॥ध्रु.॥ दिसे हानि परी निरास न घडे । हे तंव रोकडे अनुभव ॥२॥ आपुलिया भोगें होईंल उशीर । तोंवरी कां धीर केला नाहीं ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे गोड करील सेवट । पाहिली ते वाट ठायीं आहे ॥४॥
Literal translation
Till then how can I deny him? — until something good comes to be known. No boundary by anyone's mouth — shouldn't speak useless words. Harm appears, but despair won't happen — this is direct experience. By my own karma, delay will be — till then, why no patience? Tuka says: (he) will make the end sweet — the path watched is in (its) place.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तोंवरी म्यां त्यास कैसें निषेधावें | "till then — how can I deny him" |
| जों नाहीं बरवें कळों आलें | "until something good comes to be known" |
| कोणाचिया मुखें तट नाहीं मागें | "no boundary by anyone's mouth — behind" |
| वचन वाउगें बोलों नये | "shouldn't speak useless words" |
| दिसे हानि परी निरास न घडे | "harm appears but — despair won't happen" |
| हे तंव रोकडे अनुभव | "this is direct experience (rōkaḍa anubhava)" |
| आपुलिया भोगें होईंल उशीर | "by my own karma — delay will be" |
| तोंवरी कां धीर केला नाहीं | "till then — why no patience" |
| तुका म्हणे गोड करील सेवट | "Tuka says — (he) will make the end sweet" |
| पाहिली ते वाट ठायीं आहे | "the path watched — is in (its) place" |
What it means
Trust + Lord-will-make-end-sweet abhang.
The opening: tōmvarī myām tyāsa kaisē niṣēdhāvē — jōm nāhīm baravē kaḷōm ālē — till then how can I deny him? — until something good comes to be known. The bhakta refrains-from-denying-the-Lord — until-the-good-news-arrives.
The no-useless-speech: kōṇāciyā mukhē taṭa nāhīm māgē — vacana vā'ugē bōlōm nayē — no boundary by anyone's mouth — shouldn't speak useless words. Should-keep-silent until-confirmed-news.
The trust: disē hāni parī nirāsa na ghaḍē — hē tamva rōkaḍē anubhava — harm appears, but despair won't happen — this is direct experience. The bhakta's-direct-experience: harm-appears-but-despair-doesn't-take-hold.
The own-karma reasoning: āpuliyā bhōgē hō'īla uśīra — tōmvarī kām dhīra kēlā nāhīm — by my own karma, delay will be — till then, why no patience?. The delay-is-from-my-own-karma; I-should-be-patient.
The trust-resolution: Tukā mhaṇē gōḍa karīla sēvaṭa — pāhilī tē vāṭa ṭhāyī āhē — Tuka says: (he) will make the end sweet — the path watched is in (its) place. The Lord will-sweeten-the-end; the-path-is-fixed.
[T]
For someone today
For today: till then how can I deny him? — until something good comes to be known; no boundary by anyone's mouth — shouldn't speak useless words; harm appears but despair won't happen — direct experience; by my own karma, delay — till then why no patience?; Tuka says — (he) will make the end sweet — the path watched is in place.
Where this applies
- When something looks bad but you do not yet have the full picture, so you hold your tongue
- When you are tempted to give up on someone or something because results are slow to come
- When a setback happens and your first instinct is despair, but you choose patience instead
- When you are waiting for good news and have to resist speaking rashly in the meantime