संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1535 of 4582

Abhanga 1535

For today: they call you the ocean of grace — why this delay?; still, why doesn't your compassion come — what are you watching for?; I cry like a fawn for its mother-deer, tormented in the forest by thirst and hunger; mother Viṭhāī, run with the love-rasa-milk gushing; only you, Pāṇḍurangā, can remove my suffering.

When you'd cry like a fawn for mother-Hari — grace-ocean delays; I cry tormented in forest; give milk-of-love-rasa, Viṭhāī run-having-gushed

The verse

तुज म्हणतील कृपेचा सागर । तरि कां केला धीर पांडुरंगा ॥१॥ आझुनि कां नये तुज माझी दया । काय देवराया पाहातोसि ॥ध्रु.॥ आळवितों जैसें पाडस कुरंगिणी । पीडिलिया वनीं तानभूक ॥२॥ प्रेमरसपान्हा पाजीं माझे आई । धांवें वो विठाईं वोरसोनि ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे माझें कोण हरी दुःख । तुजविण एक पांडुरंगा ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: They call you kṛpā-sāgara — then why dhīra, Pāṇḍurangā? Still, why doesn't my dayā come to you — Devarāyā, what are you watching for? I cry like fawn for kurangiṇī — tormented in vana, thirst-and-hunger. Prēma-rasa-pānhā, give to me, my āī — run, Viṭhāī, vōrasōnī. Tuka says: my duḥkha, who removes? — except you alone, Pāṇḍurangā.

मराठी: तुज — म्हणतील — कृपेचा — सागर; — तरि — कां — केला — धीर — पांडुरंगा? आझुनि — कां — नये — तुज — माझी — दया? — काय — देवराया — पाहातोसि? आळवितों — जैसें — पाडस — कुरंगिणी; — पीडिलिया — वनीं — तान-भूक. प्रेम-रस-पान्हा — पाजीं — माझे — आई; — धांवें — वो — विठाईं — वोरसोनि. Tukā म्हणे — माझें — कोण — हरी — दुःख? — तुज-विण — एक — पांडुरंगा.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
तुज म्हणतील कृपेचा सागर "you — they call (mhaṇatīla) — kṛpā-sāgara (ocean of grace)"
तरि कां केला धीर पांडुरंगा "then — why — have made — dhīra (= delay / patience) — Pāṇḍurangā?"
आझुनि कां नये तुज माझी दया "still (āzhuni) — why — to you — mydayā — does not come (na yē)?"
काय देवराया पाहातोसि "what — Devarāyā — are you watching for (pāhātōsi)?"
आळवितों जैसें पाडस कुरंगिणी "I cry-out (āḷavitōm) — likefawn (pāḍasa) — kurangiṇī (mother-deer)"
पीडिलिया वनीं तानभूक "tormented — in forest (vana) — thirst-and-hunger"
प्रेमरसपान्हा पाजीं माझे आई "prēma-rasa-pānhā (milk-of-love-rasa) — give-to-drink (pājīm) — my mother (āī)"
धांवें वो विठाईं वोरसोनि "runViṭhāīvōrasōnī (= having gushed / flowed-out)"
तुका म्हणे माझें कोण हरी दुःख "Tuka says — my — whoremoves (harī) — duḥkha?"
तुजविण एक पांडुरंगा "except you alonePāṇḍurangā"

What it means

Cry-like-fawn-for-mother-deer abhang. Continues 1534's mother-Hari register with the fawn-and-doe image. The opening protest: tuja mhaṇatīla kṛpēcā sāgara — tarī kām kēlā dhīra Pāṇḍurangāthey call you kṛpā-sāgara (ocean of grace); — then why this dhīra (= delay / patience-keeping)? The classical-protest: if you're the ocean-of-grace, why are you keeping me waiting?

The fawn-image: āḷavitōm jaisēm pāḍasa kurangiṇī — pīḍiliyā vanīm tāna-bhūkaI cry-out — like — a fawn — for its kurangiṇī (= mother-deer); — tormented — in the forest — by thirst-and-hunger. Beautiful image: fawn lost-in-the-forest, thirsty-and-hungry, crying for the mother-doe. (Compare Bhāgavata-Purāṇagopa*-lost-from-Kṛṣṇa imagery; same intensity.)

The mother-prayer: prēma-rasa-pānhā pājīm mājhē āī — dhāvēm vō Viṭhāī'm vōrasōnīthe milk-let-down of prēma-rasa (love-juice) — give to drinkmy mother; — run, O Viṭhāīhaving gushed (vōrasōnī). Pānhā — the milk-let-down of a nursing-mother (when she sees/hears her child); Viṭhāī's pānhā should let-down at her child's cry. Vōrasōnīgushed-out / overflowed; come running, with the milk gushing out*. (Strong-mother-image.)

The closing-claim: Tukā mhaṇē mājhēm kōṇa harī duḥkha — tuja-vīṇa ēka PāṇḍurangāTuka says — my duḥkhawho removes?; — except you alonePāṇḍurangā*. Only you can remove my duḥkha.

[T]

For someone today

For today: they call you the ocean of grace — why this delay?; still, why doesn't your compassion come — what are you watching for?; I cry like a fawn for its mother-deer, tormented in the forest by thirst and hunger; mother Viṭhāī, run with the love-rasa-milk gushing; only you, Pāṇḍurangā, can remove my suffering.

Where this applies

Related verses