Abhanga 3548
Kāya vinavāve kōṇe tō nivāḍa — what to explain — who (gives) the nivāḍa; kele mājhyā kōḍa vachanāñce — (you) made my riddle of vachana.
The verse
काय विनवावें कोणें तो निवाड । केलें माझ्या कोड वचनाचें ॥१॥
आहो कृपनिधी गुणांच्या निधाना । माझ्या अनुमाना नये चि हें ॥ध्रु.॥
बहुत करुणा केलेंसे भासेन । एक ही वचन नाहीं आलें ॥२॥
माझी कांहीं सेवा होईंल पावली । निश्चिंती मानिली होती ऐसी ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे माझी उरली ते आटी । अभय कर कटी न देखें चि ॥४॥
Literal translation
Kāya vinavāve kōṇe tō nivāḍa — what to explain — who (gives) the nivāḍa; kele mājhyā kōḍa vachanāñce — (you) made my riddle of vachana. Āhō krpa-nidhī guṇāñcyā nidhānā — O krpā-nidhi, treasury of guṇas; mājhyā anumānā naye chi he — my anumāna doesn't reach this. Bahuta karuṇā kelese bhāsena — much karuṇā seemed-done; eka hī vachana nāhī āle — not one vachana has come. Mājhī kāmhī sevā hōīmla pāvalī — my sevā would-have-reached; niśchintī māniyelī hōtī aisī — (I) had-believed such niśchintī. Tukā mhaṇe mājhī uralī te āṭī — Tukā says: my āṭi remains; abhaya kara kaṭī na dekhe chi — abhaya-hand on kaṭi — I don't see.
What it means
A 5-verse protest-petition. Tukārām claims he had-given-niśchintī (assurance) to himself that-his-sevā-would-reach the Lord, yet not-a-single-vachana has come back. The closing — abhaya-kara-on-kaṭi-not-seen — refers to Viṭhṭhal's-standing-posture with hands-on-waist; the abhaya (fearlessness) that should radiate from-that-pose hasn't-reached the bhakta.
For someone today
Tukārām's complaint about silence in bhakti: I trusted my sevā would reach; you seemed-merciful but-no-vachana-arrived. The honest-bhakti-doubt.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's niśchintī-was-betrayed; no-vachana-came-back protest
- Companion to 3149 (Name-on-lips, yet-still-vipattī)