Abhanga 1534

For today: mother, look at me — fill your eyes with me; I have become himpuṣṭī, starving-yet-fed; my jīva wants breast-feeding — this isn't figurative speech; my word-care is for truth, not acquired-rhetoric; my compassion-yearning-cry — the jīva is worn-out by duty.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

Mother-Hari-give-the-breast abhang. A mother-Hari-mode abhang in the bhakta-as-infant register. The opening: pāhē maja-kaḍē bharōniyām dṛṣṭi — bahuta himpuṣṭī jālōm mātē — look toward me — filling-the-eyes; — much —himpuṣṭī— I have become,mātā(mother). Himpuṣṭī — fed-up-but-still-hungry / stunted-from-deprivation; — I'm starving even after eating. Mātā, fill your eyes with looking-at-me.

The frank-request: karāvēmsē vāṭē jīvā stana-pāna — navhē hēm vacana śṛngārika — itseems-to-the-jīva-it-should-be—stana-pāna(= breast-feeding); —this vacana— isnot—śṛngārika(= decorative / erotic / merely-figurative). I literally want to do breast-feeding-from-mother-Hari; this is not figurative speech. (Striking-disclaimer: the request is literal-bhakta-bhāva, not poetic-decoration. Compare 1484's bhātukēm-kavataka-mother-feeds-bāḷa — same theme, here from the bhakta-infant's side requesting it.)

The discrimination-stand: satyā-sāṭīm mājhī śabda-vivancanā — jōḍiliyā vacanācēm tēm navhē — forsatya's sake — myśabda-vivancanā(= word-discrimination); — ofjōḍilī(= acquired)vacana—that— is not (this). My word-care is for the truth's sake, not for acquired-rhetorical-flourish. (Tuka defends his literal-bhāva as truth-discrimination, distinguishing it from rhetorical-bhakti-poetics.)

The closing-state: kaḷavaḷyācī kīmva — bhāgalāsē jīva kartavyānēm — my —kaḷavaḷyācī kīmva(= the cry of compassionate-yearning); —jīva— has becomeexhausted— bykartavya(= duty / what-must-be-done). My compassion-yearning-cry: the jīva is worn-out by duty (samsāra-obligations). (= the infant-bhakta-jīva is exhausted from doing things and just wants the breast.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: mother, look at me — fill your eyes with me; I have become himpuṣṭī, starving-yet-fed; my jīva wants breast-feeding — this isn't figurative speech; my word-care is for truth, not acquired-rhetoric; my compassion-yearning-cry — the jīva is worn-out by duty.

Where this applies

• When you feel worn out from carrying responsibilities and just want someone to look after you for once
• When you catch yourself saying you are fine while actually feeling hungry for real comfort
• When you need to tell someone plainly that you mean what you say, not just speaking in pretty or exaggerated language
• When duty after duty has left you emotionally depleted and you long to simply be cared for like a child

Related verses

• Abhanga 2425 — Surrender every part of your life completely to what you trust most, and let go of the res
• Abhanga 2477 — Like a child too absorbed in play to notice how tired he is, let go and trust the parent c
• Abhanga 2484 — Real devotion can include anger and demand, not just sweetness, because a devotee who trul
• Abhanga 2540 — Even the smallest, most helpless creature that cries out to God in danger is sheltered and