Abhanga 243
Growing in knowledge can create distance from simple, direct closeness, but the longing to return to that intimacy, like a grown child crying to be held, is itself the way back.
The verse
धाकुटयाचे मुखीं घांस घाली माता । वरी करी सत्ता शाहाणियां ॥१॥ ऐसें जाणपणें पडिलें अंतर । वाढे तों तों थोर अंतराय ॥ध्रु.॥ दोन्ही उभयतां आपण चि व्याली । आवडीची चाली भिन्न भिन्न ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे अंगापासूनि निराळें । निवडिलें बळें रडतें स्तनीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
The mother puts a morsel into the youngest's mouth — uses authority over the wise. Such jāṇa-paṇa — the gap is created; the more it grows, the greater the obstacle. Both two — she gave-birth herself; (their) preference's gait is different-different. Tuka says: separate from the body — the forcefully-selected (one) cries at the breast.
मराठी: धाकुटयाचे मुखीं घांस घाली माता — वरी करी सत्ता शाहाणियां. ऐसें जाणपणें पडिलें अंतर — वाढे तों तों थोर अंतराय. दोन्ही उभयतां आपण चि व्याली — आवडीची चाली भिन्न भिन्न. तुकाराम म्हणतात — अंगापासूनि निराळें — निवडिलें बळें रडतें स्तनीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| धाकुटयाचे मुखीं घांस घाली माता | "the mother puts a ghāsa (morsel) into the dhākuṭyā (youngest)'s mouth" |
| वरी करी सत्ता शाहाणियां | "uses sattā (authority) over the śāhāṇiyā (wise)" |
| ऐसें जाणपणें पडिलें अंतर | "such jāṇa-paṇa (knowing-ness) — the antara (gap) is fallen / created" |
| वाढे तों तों थोर अंतराय | "the more it grows — the greater the antarāya (obstacle / impediment)" |
| दोन्ही उभयतां आपण चि व्याली | "both two — she herself vyālī (gave birth)" |
| आवडीची चाली भिन्न भिन्न | "the āvaḍī's cālī (preference's gait) is bhinna-bhinna (different-different)" |
| अंगापासूनि निराळें | "separate from the body" |
| निवडिलें बळें रडतें स्तनीं | "forcefully selected — cries at thestana(breast)" |
What it means
A profound abhang on jāṇa-paṇa creating distance. Four claims:
-
धाकुटयाचे मुखीं घांस घाली माता — वरी करी सत्ता शाहाणियां — the mother puts a morsel into the youngest's mouth — uses authority over the wise. The everyday observation: in a household, the mother feeds the youngest by putting morsels in the mouth; she commands the older-wise children by authority. The intimacy is for the youngest; authority is for the wise.
-
ऐसें जाणपणें पडिलें अंतर — वाढे तों तों थोर अंतराय — such jāṇa-paṇa — the gap is created; the more it grows, the greater the obstacle. The structural-claim. Jāṇa-paṇa — knowing-ness, becoming-old-enough-to-know — itself creates the antara (gap) between the wise-child and the mother. The more knowing-ness grows, the greater the antarāya (obstacle, impediment) between child and mother.
-
दोन्ही उभयतां आपण चि व्याली — आवडीची चाली भिन्न भिन्न — both two — she gave-birth herself — (their) preference's gait is different. The mother gave birth to both — they are both her own. But the āvaḍī's-gait (the form-of-preference, way-of-receiving) is different. The youngest receives by-mouth-feeding; the wise-one receives by-authority-direction. Same mother, different relational-modes.
-
तुका म्हणे अंगापासूनि निराळें — निवडिलें बळें रडतें स्तनीं — Tuka says: separate from the body — the forcefully-selected (one) cries at the breast. The closing-image. The forcefully-separated (= the jāṇa-paṇa-grown wise-child who has been separated-from-the-mother's-body) — cries at the breast. The cry-at-the-breast is the return-attempt. The jāṇa-paṇa-distanced one wants to return; the cry is the return-mode.
The bhakti-application: the jñāni (knower / wise-one) and the bhakta (youngest / direct-receiver) are both children of the same cosmic-mother. But the jāṇa-paṇa of the jñāni has created distance. The bhakta (youngest) is fed by mouth; the jñāni (wise) is commanded by authority. The jñāni longs to return but is forcefully-separated; the cry-at-the-breast is the return-attempt. (Compare 222's all-skilled begs for innocence; 233's wise distant, innocents close.)
[T]
For someone today
This abhang names a paradox about knowing. Growing wise doesn't bring you closer to the divine mother — it creates distance, and the more knowledge grows, the bigger the obstacle it puts in your way. A mother feeds her youngest child directly, mouth to mouth, but commands her older, wiser children through authority instead; both are her own children, but the way she relates to each is different. The one who has grown wise and been pushed into that distance still longs to return, and that longing shows itself as crying at the mother's breast — the wise child's way back to the intimacy it once had. So don't chase more knowledge as your path to closeness; instead, let yourself cry out for that direct, simple intimacy again, the way a child cries to be held.
मराठी: ही ओवी ज्ञानाच्या एका विरोधाभासाबद्दल सांगते. शहाणपण वाढल्याने आई-जवळीक कमी होते, अंतर वाढतं — आणि ज्ञान जितकं वाढेल, तितकाच मोठा अडथळा वाटेवर उभा राहतो. आई आपल्या धाकट्या मुलाला स्वतःच्या हाताने घास भरवते, पण मोठ्या, शहाण्या मुलांशी मात्र अधिकाराने वागते — दोघेही तिचीच मुलं आहेत, पण तिचा त्यांच्याशी वागण्याचा प्रकार वेगळा असतो. जो शहाणा होऊन या अंतरात ढकलला गेला आहे, त्यालाही परत तेच जवळीक हवी असते, आणि ती ओढ आईच्या स्तनाशी रडण्याच्या रूपात व्यक्त होते — शहाण्या मुलाचा पूर्वीच्या आपलेपणाकडे परतण्याचा मार्ग. म्हणून जवळीक मिळवण्यासाठी अधिकाधिक ज्ञान मिळवण्याच्या मागे लागू नका; उलट, लहान मूल ज्याप्रमाणे कुशीत घेतलं जावं म्हणून रडतं, तसं त्या साध्या, थेट जवळिकीसाठी मनापासून हाक द्या.
Where this applies
- Jāṇa-paṇacreates theantara. Not closeness.
- More knowing → greater obstacle. Counter-intuitive.
- Two relational modes — mouth-feeding vs commanded-by-authority.
- Cry-at-the-breast is the return-mode. निवडिलें बळें रडतें स्तनीं.