Abhanga 514

English: If we speak āruṣa words — don't hold in mind.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A famous Viṭhā-bāī-as-mother-prema-bhātukēm abhang. The Viṭhā-bāī (the deity-as-feminine, bāī = mother / lady) is a Tukaram-distinctive recoding of Pāṇḍuranga as mother-figure. Four claims:

1. आरुष शब्द बोलों मनीं न धरावें कांहीं — लडिवाळ बाळकें तूं चि आमुचि आई — speak āruṣa words — don't hold in mind — laḍivāḷa-bāḷaka — You alone our āī. The opening-claim: if we speak āruṣa (rough, crude, ill-formed) words — don't hold anything in mana; we are laḍivāḷa-bāḷaka (pampered, spoiled-children); You alone are our āī (mother). Pampered-child-speech-license. Mothers-don't-hold-rough-words-against-pampered-children.

2. देई गे विठाबाई प्रेमभातुकें — अवघियां कवतुकें लहानां थोरां सकळां — give, dear Viṭhā-bāī — prema-bhātukēm — to all by kavatuka — lahānā-thōrā all. The prema-bhātukēm-petition: give, dear Viṭhā-bāī — prema-bhātukēm (the love-snack, the snack-of-love); to all by kavatuka (delight, fondness); lahānā-thōrā (small-and-big) all. Mother-give-the-snack-of-love-to-all-the-children. The bhātukēm* image: small-snacks-given-to-children-by-mother is the perfect icon of casual-everyday-love.

3. असो नसो भाव आलों तुझिया ठाया — पाहे कृपादृष्टी आतां पंढरीराया — bhāva or not — came to Your ṭhāya — see kṛpā-dṛṣṭi now, Pandharī-rāyā. The bhāva-or-not-claim: whether bhāva (sentiment, devotion) is present or not — we have come to Your ṭhāya (place); see (pāhē) us with kṛpā-dṛṣṭi (compassionate-glance) now, Pandharī-rāyā. Don't-test-our-bhāva; just-look-with-kṛpā. The bhakta confesses uncertain-bhāva and asks for kṛpā-dṛṣṭi anyway.

4. तुका म्हणे आम्ही तुझीं वेडीं वांकुडीं — नामें भवपाश आतां आपुलिया तोडीं — Tuka says: we are Your veḍī-vānkuḍī — by nāma — break the bhava-pāśa Yourself. The closing-confession-and-delegation: Tuka says: we are Your veḍī-vānkuḍī (foolish-and-crooked, mad-and-twisted); by nāma — break the bhava-pāśa (samsāra-binding) — āpulīyā (Yourself). We-are-Your-foolish-crooked-children; You-Yourself-break-our-bhava-pāśa-by-Your-nāma. Self-bondage-broken-by-deva's-own-name*.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the Viṭhā-bāī-prema-bhātukēm register:

1. Pampered children get speech-license; Viṭhā-bāī* is our mother. Āruṣa śabda — na dharāvē manī — laḍivāḷa-bāḷaka — āī. Don't speak carefully as if to a stranger-deva; speak as a pampered-child to a mother. Crude-words-don't-stick-to-mothers*.

2. Ask Viṭhā-bāī for prema-bhātukēm* — for all, small-and-big. Dēī gē Viṭhā-bāī — prema-bhātukēm — sakaḷām. The casual-everyday-love is the bhātukēm (small-snack) given by mother; ask for it for all the children. Universal-prema-petition*.

3. Whether bhāva is present or not, kṛpā-dṛṣṭi* is asked. Asō-nasō bhāva — ṭhāyā ālōm — kṛpā-dṛṣṭi. The bhakti-relationship doesn't require certified-bhāva; the kṛpā-dṛṣṭi is asked even with uncertain-bhāva. Don't-self-disqualify-for-uncertain-bhāva*.

4. We are Your veḍī-vānkuḍī; You break the bhava-pāśa by Your nāma* Yourself. Veḍī-vānkuḍī — nāmē bhava-pāśa āpulīyā tōḍī. We confess our crooked-foolishness; the binding-of-samsāra is broken by the deva's-own-name; the deva does it Himself. Self-effort-not-needed; the-nāma-and-the-deva-do-it*.

For today: speak as a pampered-child to Viṭhā-bāī; ask for prema-bhātukēm for all; come even with uncertain-bhāva and ask for kṛpā-dṛṣṭi; confess your crooked-foolishness and let the deva break the bhava-pāśa by His-own-name.

This abhang is Tukaram's Viṭhā-bāī-as-mother register — the deity-as-feminine recoding. Tukaram-distinctive: Viṭhā-bāī is rare; the deva is normally male in the Vārkarī tradition. Compare 0498 bhōḷā rājā*; same accessible-deva register but here in the maternal-feminine voice.

मराठी: ही ओवी Viṭhā-bāī-prema-bhātukēm register नाव सांगते:

1. Pampered-children ला speech-license; Viṭhā-bāī* आपली आई. आरुष शब्द — न धरावें मनी — लडिवाळ-बाळका — आई. Stranger-देवाला बोलल्यासारखं carefully नका; Mother-ला pampered-child म्हणून बोला. Crude-words mothers ला stick होत नाहीत*.

2. Viṭhā-bāī कडे prema-bhātukēm मागा — सर्वांसाठी, lahānā-thōrā. देई विठाबाई — प्रेमभातुकें — सकळां. Casual-everyday-love mother च्या bhātukēm (small-snack) सारखं; सर्व children साठी मागा. Universal-prema-petition*.

3. Bhāva असो नसो, kṛpā-dṛṣṭi मागा. असो नसो भाव — ठाया आलों — कृपादृष्टी. Bhakti-relationship ला certified-bhāva लागत नाही; Uncertain-bhāva सुद्धा kṛpā-dṛṣṭi मागा. Uncertain-bhāva-self-disqualify नका*.

4. आम्ही Your veḍī-vānkuḍī; bhava-pāśa Your-स्वतःच्या nāma* ने तोडा. वेडीं वांकुडीं — नामें भवपाश आपुलिया तोडीं. आपली crooked-foolishness कबूल करा; Samsāra-binding देवाच्या-स्वतःच्या-name ने तुटतं; देव स्वतः करतो. Self-effort-needed-नाही; नाम-आणि-देव-करतात*.

आज: Viṭhā-bāī ला pampered-child म्हणून बोला; सर्वांसाठी prema-bhātukēm मागा; Uncertain-bhāva सोबत सुद्धा kṛpā-dṛṣṭi मागा; आपली crooked-foolishness कबूल करा आणि देवाला His-own-name ने bhava-pāśa तोडायला द्या.

Tukaram च-Viṭhā-bāī-as-mother-register — Deity-as-feminine recoding. Tukaram-distinctive: Viṭhā-bāī rare; देव सहसा Vārkarī tradition मध्ये male. 0498 bhōḷā rājā compare; तीच accessible-देव register पण इथे maternal-feminine voice मध्ये.

Where this applies

• Laḍivāḷa-bāḷaka — Viṭhā-bāī. Pampered-child-speech.
• Prema-bhātukēm for all. Universal-mother-snack.
• Bhāva uncertain — kṛpā-dṛṣṭi. Don't-self-disqualify.
• Veḍī-vānkuḍī — nāma breaks bhava-pāśa. Deva-Himself.

Related verses

• Abhanga 4481
• Abhanga 4482
• Abhanga 4497
• Abhanga 2401 — English: Taking sugar's name knows the sweetness — such is our association with Vaiṣṇavas.