Abhanga 1149
This playful verse teases baby Krishna the way a village friend might: caught stealing butter again, showing off his little tricks of divine power. Tukaram's voice, here signed as Tukayā's brother, a mark of these Hindi verses, reminds Krishna that his real greatness needs no showing off, since this same all-powerful child once let himself be tied to a grinding mortar by his own mother, of his own will. Now he wanders the forests herding cows with a stick in hand, utterly ordinary and unguarded. The teasing carries a real point: true power doesn't need to boast, and it isn't afraid to look small and human.
The verse
चुराचुराकर माखन खाया । गौळणीका नंद कुमर कन्हया ॥१॥ काहे बडाईं दिखावत मोहि । जाणत हुं प्रभुपणा तेरा खव हि ॥ध्रु.॥ और बात सुन उखळसुं गळा । बांधलिया आपना तूं गोपाळा ॥२॥ फेरत वनबन गाऊ धरावतें । कहे तुकयाबंधु लकरी लेले हात ॥३॥
Literal translation
Curā-curā mākhana — Gauḷaṇī Nanda-kumāra Kanhaiyā. Baḍāī dikhāvata — prabhu-paṇa khava. Ukhaḷa gaḷā āpana bāndhaliyā — Gōpāḷa. Vana-bana gā'u — Tukayā-bandhu — lakaḍī.
मराठी: चुरा-चुरा-कर मक्खन खाद्यलें — Gauḷaṇi-च्या Nanda-कुमार Kanhaiyā-नें. कां बडाई दाखवित मला? — मी जाणतों, तुझा प्रभु-पणा खव-सारिखा. आणीक एक बात सुन — उखळ-सुं गळा — आपण-च बांधिलें, तूं Gōpāḷā. वन-बनीं गाई धरावित फिरतोस — Tukayā-बंधु म्हणे: हातीं लकडी ल्यावी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi/Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| चुराचुराकर माखन खाया | "curā-curā mākhana" |
| गौळणीका नंद कुमर कन्हया | "Gauḷaṇī Nanda-kumāra Kanhaiyā" |
| काहे बडाईं दिखावत मोहि | "baḍāī dikhāvata" |
| जाणत हुं प्रभुपणा तेरा खव हि | "prabhu-paṇa khava" |
| उखळसुं गळा बांधलिया आपना | "ukhaḷa gaḷā āpana bāndhaliyā" |
| तूं गोपाळा | "Gōpāḷa" |
| फेरत वनबन गाऊ धरावतें | "vana-bana gā'u" |
| कहे तुकयाबंधु लकरी लेले हात | "Tukayā-bandhu — lakaḍī" |
What it means
Hindi abhang in teasing register — Krishna-bāḷa-līlā addressed familiarly. The signature Tukayā-bandhu (Tuka's brother) is sometimes used in Hindi abhangs.
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For someone today
This playful verse teases baby Krishna the way a village friend might: caught stealing butter again, showing off his little tricks of divine power. Tukaram's voice, here signed as Tukayā's brother, a mark of these Hindi verses, reminds Krishna that his real greatness needs no showing off, since this same all-powerful child once let himself be tied to a grinding mortar by his own mother, of his own will. Now he wanders the forests herding cows with a stick in hand, utterly ordinary and unguarded. The teasing carries a real point: true power doesn't need to boast, and it isn't afraid to look small and human.
मराठी: हा खेळकर अभंग बाळकृष्णाची अशी छेड काढतो जशी गावातला मित्रच काढेल - पुन्हा लोणी चोरताना पकडलेला, आपली दैवी करामत दाखवणारा. तुकारामांचा आवाज, इथे तुकयाबंधू या स्वाक्षरीने ओळखला जाणारा आणि हिंदी अभंगांचं वैशिष्ट्य असलेला, कृष्णाला आठवण करून देतो की त्याच्या खऱ्या मोठेपणाला दाखवण्याची गरज नाही - याच सर्वशक्तिमान बाळाने स्वतःहून आपल्या आईकडून उखळाला बांधून घेतलं होतं. आता तो जंगलात हातात काठी घेऊन गुरं राखत, अगदी सामान्य आणि निःशस्त्र फिरतो आहे. या छेडछाडीत खरा मुद्दा आहे - खरी शक्ती दाखवण्याची गरज भासत नाही, आणि लहान व माणूसपणाने दिसायला ती घाबरत नाही.
Where this applies
- Stealing. Mākhana.
- Mastery-dust. Khava.
- Bound-self. Ukhaḷa.
- Stick. Lakaḍī.