Abhanga 4507
When your heart truly holds the one you love, time itself changes shape, so being together makes even ages feel like moments, while separation leaves no real happiness at all.
The verse
केला पुढें हरि अस्तमाना दिसा । मागें त्यासरिसे थाट चाले ॥१॥
थाट चाले गाईं गोपाळांची धूम । पुढें कृष्ण राम तयां सोयी ॥२॥
सोयी लागलिया तयांची अनंती । न बोलवितां येती मागें तया ॥३॥
तयांचिये चित्ती बैसला अनंत । घेती नित्यनित्य तें चि सुख ॥४॥
सुख नाहीं कोणा हरिच्या वियोगें । तुका म्हणे जुगें घडी जाय ॥५॥
Literal translation
A 5-verse text on Krṣṇa leading the cowherds-and-cows home at sunset. Hari ahead at sunset; behind, the procession of gopāḷas-and-gāīm in dhūma; once-on-his-soya, the-infinite-come without-call. Ananta-in-chitti; nitya-nitya-sukha. No-sukha-without-Hari — yuga-passes-as-ghaḍī.
What it means
A canonical dusk-narrative. The yuga-passes-as-ghaḍī image is the canonical time-dilation of bhakti: with-Hari, a-cosmic-age-passes-like-a-moment.
For someone today
This verse pictures Krishna walking ahead at dusk while the cows and cowherds follow behind him in a joyful, noisy procession, drawn along without even being called, simply because their hearts are already set on him. Tukaram says that once someone truly holds the infinite in their heart, they experience that same quiet joy every single day, and time itself changes shape around it. When you are with the one you love, even a whole age can feel like it passes in a moment, but when you are separated from that presence, there is no real happiness at all, however long or short the time actually is.
मराठी: या अभंगात कृष्ण संध्याकाळी पुढे चालतो आणि गाई-गोपाळ त्याच्या मागे आनंदाने, गलबल्यात चालत येतात, न बोलावताही, कारण त्यांचे मन आधीच त्याच्याकडे लागलेले असते. तुकाराम म्हणतात की ज्याच्या चित्तात खरोखर अनंत वसतो, त्याला रोजच्या रोज हाच शांत आनंद मिळतो, आणि काळाचे रूपही त्याच्याभोवती बदलते. प्रिय व्यक्तीसोबत असताना संपूर्ण युगही एका क्षणासारखे सरून जाते, पण त्या उपस्थितीपासून वेगळे झाल्यावर वेळ कितीही लहान असो, त्यात खरे सुख नसते.
Where this applies
- When you are with someone you deeply love and time seems to disappear entirely
- When separation from someone or something dear makes even a short wait feel unbearable
- When you find yourself drawn toward what you love without needing any reminder or invitation
- When you seek the quiet, steady joy of daily closeness rather than occasional, dramatic moments