संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 388 of 4582

Abhanga 388

Playful closeness and being caught in mischief can dissolve distance and reveal tenderness rather than being something to resent.

When Daśavanti the mother runs and embraces the caught child — and you accept this image
When the gōpī's exasperation and lāja co-exist — and you receive this complex affect

The verse

मेळवुनी पोरें तेथें रिघे एकसरें । वेगीं आणोनी सामोरें तेथें लोणी खाय ॥१॥ आम्हां सांपडतां उरी तुज मज नाहीं ॥ध्रु.॥ आम्ही जाऊं तुजवरी पोरें चाळविल्या पोरी । काय सांगों भांडखोरी लाज वाटे आम्हां ॥२॥ थोर आणिला कांटाळा घरीं दारीं लोकपाळां । डेरा रिघोनी गुसळा तेथें लोणी खाय ॥३॥ बरा सांपडलासी हरी आजिच्यानें करिसिल चोरी । डोळे घालुनियां येरी येरीकडे हांसे ॥४॥ उठिला गजर दसवंती नव्हे धीर । धांवे तुकयाचा दातार आळंगिला वेगीं ॥५॥

Literal translation

Gathering boys — enters at once — quickly bringing forward — eats lōṇī. We caught (Him) — no urī between you and me. We will go for you — the boys teased the girls — what to say of bhāṇḍa-khōrīlāja for us. Great kānṭāḷa brought — in homes, on doors — to lōka-pāḷa — entered the ḍērā by the churn — eats lōṇī. Well caught are You, Hari — today You will do cōrī — rolling eyes at one another, laughs. Uproar arose — Daśavanti — can't bear — Tukya's dātāra runs — embraced quickly.

मराठी: मेळवुनी पोरें तेथें रिघे एकसरें — वेगीं आणोनी सामोरें तेथें लोणी खाय. आम्हां सांपडतां उरी तुज मज नाहीं. आम्ही जाऊं तुजवरी पोरें चाळविल्या पोरी — काय सांगों भांडखोरी लाज वाटे. थोर आणिला कांटाळा घरीं दारीं लोकपाळां — डेरा रिघोनी गुसळा तेथें लोणी खाय. बरा सांपडलासी हरी आजिच्यानें करिसिल चोरी — डोळे घालुनियां येरी येरीकडे हांसे. तुकाराम म्हणतां — उठिला गजर दसवंती नव्हे धीर — धांवे तुकयाचा दातार आळंगिला वेगीं.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
मेळवुनी पोरें तेथें रिघे एकसरें "gathering boys — enters at once"
वेगीं आणोनी सामोरें तेथें लोणी खाय "quickly — brought forward — eats lōṇī"
आम्हां सांपडतां उरी तुज मज नाहीं "we caught (Him) — no remnant between you and me"
आम्ही जाऊं तुजवरी पोरें चाळविल्या पोरी "we will go for you — the boys teased the girls"
काय सांगों भांडखोरी लाज वाटे आम्हां "what to say of bhāṇḍa-khōrī — we feel lāja"
थोर आणिला कांटाळा घरीं दारीं लोकपाळां "great kānṭāḷa brought — in homes, on doors — to lōka-pāḷa"
डेरा रिघोनी गुसळा तेथें लोणी खाय "entered the ḍērā — eats lōṇī"
बरा सांपडलासी हरी आजिच्यानें करिसिल चोरी "well caught are You, Hari — today You will do cōrī"
डोळे घालुनियां येरी येरीकडे हांसे "rolling eyes at one another, laughs"
उठिला गजर दसवंती नव्हे धीर "uproar arose — Daśavanti — can't bear"
धांवे तुकयाचा दातार आळंगिला वेगीं "Tukya's dātāra runs — embraced quickly"

What it means

A butter-thief Krishna caught and embraced abhang. Five claims:

  1. मेळवुनी पोरें तेथें रिघे एकसरें — वेगीं आणोनी सामोरें तेथें लोणी खायgathering boys, enters at once — quickly bringing forward, eats butter. The opening-image: Krishna gathers thegopa-bāla-friends; enters the gōpī's house; quickly brings the butter forward and eats it. The standard butter-thief image.

  2. आम्हां सांपडतां उरी तुज मज नाहींwe caught — no remnant between you and me. The gōpī's-claim: we have caught Him; nourī(remnant, distance) between you and me now. The catching makes the relationship intimate-no-remnant.

  3. आम्ही जाऊं तुजवरी पोरें चाळविल्या पोरी — काय सांगों भांडखोरी लाज वाटे आम्हांwe will go for you — boys teased girls — what to say of bhāṇḍa-khōrī, lāja for us. The complaint-and-shame: we will accuse You; the boys teased the girls; thebhāṇḍa-khōrī(quarreling) is shameful for us to repeat.

  4. थोर आणिला कांटाळा घरीं दारीं लोकपाळां — डेरा रिघोनी गुसळा तेथें लोणी खायgreat kānṭāḷa in homes-doors-on lōka-pāḷa — entered ḍērā by churn, eats butter. The kānṭāḷa-claim: Krishna's mischief brings annoyance in every home, even to thelōka-pāḷa(gods/keepers); He enters the ḍērā (churn-pot) and eats the butter.

  5. बरा सांपडलासी हरी आजिच्यानें करिसिल चोरी — डोळे घालुनियां येरी येरीकडे हांसेwell-caught You, Hari — today You will do cōrī — rolling eyes at one another, laughs. The teasing-Krishna: well caught You, today You will do (more) theft, won't You?He rolls eyes at one gōpī after another, laughs. The caught-Krishna laughs at the gōpīs; everyone laughs together.

  6. उठिला गजर दसवंती नव्हे धीर — धांवे तुकयाचा दातार आळंगिला वेगींuproar arose — Daśavanti can't bear — Tukya's dātāra runs — embraced quickly. The closing-image: uproar arose;Daśavanti(one of the gōpī-mothers, possibly Yaśodā) can't bear it; Tukya'sdātāra(giver, the deva) — runs (to her) — embraced quickly. The deva runs to the mother and is embraced.

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For someone today

This abhang names the butter-thief Krishna register:

  1. Krishna's mischief is vātsalya-bhāva-revealing. Mēḷavūnī pōrē — lōṇī khāya. The mischief (entering homes, eating butter) reveals thevātsalya-bhāvabetween Krishna and the gōpīs / mothers. Don't read it as transgression; it is intimacy-revealing.

  2. Catching Him removes urī. Sāmpaḍatām urī tuja maja nāhīm. Once caught, no distance remains. The catching is the closeness-making.

  3. Lājaandbhāṇḍa-khōrī coexist with affection. Lāja vāṭē āmhām. The gōpīs feel both shame and affection; the complaint and the laughter coexist.

  4. Daśavanti runs and embraces. Dhāmvē dātāra āḷangilā vēgīm. The mother runs to the deva-child and embraces. The vātsalya-embrace is the closing-act.

For today: recognize thevātsalya-bhāvain the deva-and-bhakta closeness; let the catching make the closeness; letlājaand affection coexist; receive thevātsalya-embraceof the deva.

This abhang is gōpī-vātsalya register: the butter-stealing-mischief, the catching, the laughter, the embrace. Compare 0387 bhāva-cause and 0389-0394 gōpī-Krishna confrontations in the same register.

मराठी: ही ओवी butter-thief Krishna register नाव सांगते:

  1. Krishna ची mischief vātsalya-bhāva-revealing. मेळवुनी पोरें — लोणी खाय. Mischief (घरांमध्ये entering, butter eating) Krishna आणि गोपी / mothers मधलंvātsalya-bhāvareveal करते. Transgression म्हणून वाचू नका; Intimacy-revealing.

  2. Catching ने urī नष्ट होतं. सांपडतां उरी तुज मज नाहीं. Caught झालं की distance नाही. Catching closeness-making.

  3. Lājaआणिbhāṇḍa-khōrī affection सोबत coexist. लाज वाटे आम्हां. गोपींना shame आणि affection दोन्ही; Complaint आणि laughter coexist.

  4. Daśavanti धावते आणि embrace करते. धांवे दातार आळंगिला वेगीं. आई deva-child कडे धावते आणि embrace करते. Vātsalya-embrace closing-act.

आज: Deva-and-bhakta closeness मधलंvātsalya-bhāvaओळखा; Catching ने closeness बनू द्या; Lāja आणि affection coexist होऊ द्या; Deva चंvātsalya-embracereceive करा.

Gōpī-vātsalya register: Butter-stealing-mischief, catching, laughter, embrace. 0387 bhāva-cause आणि 0389-0394 gōpī-Krishna confrontations same register.

Where this applies

Related verses