संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1697 of 4582

Abhanga 1697

English: Like a babbling-child before mother-father — thus I speak words with kavatuka.

When you'd describe Lord-as-cow-near-calf — babbling-child; prema-pānha-rasa-pour; cow-bellows-near-stake; under-wing-embrace; no-separation-known

The verse

मायबापापुढें लाटिकें लेंकरूं । तैसे बोल करूं कवतुकें ॥१॥ कृपावंता घालीं प्रेमपान्हारस । वोळली वोरसे पांडुरंग ॥ध्रु.॥ नाहीं धीर खुंटी जवळी हुंबरे । ठायीं च पाखर कवळिते ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मज होऊं नेदी सीण । कळों नेदी भिन्न आहे ऐसें ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Like a babbling-child before mother-father — thus I speak words with kavatuka. Kṛpāvantā, pour the prema-pānha-rasa — Pāṇḍuranga has poured overflowing. No patience — bellows near the stake — right at the place embraces under-wing. Tuka says: won't let me become weary — won't let it be known that there is separation.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
मायबापापुढें लाटिकें लेंकरूं "before mother-fatherbabbling-child"
तैसे बोल करूं कवतुकें "thusspeakwith kavatuka"
कृपावंता घालीं प्रेमपान्हारस "kṛpāvantāpourprema-pānha-rasa"
वोळली वोरसे पांडुरंग "poured-overflowing — Pāṇḍuranga"
नाहीं धीर खुंटी जवळी हुंबरे "no patiencenear the stakebellows"
ठायीं च पाखर कवळिते "right at placeunder-wingembraces"
तुका म्हणे मज होऊं नेदी सीण "Tuka says — mewon't letbecome weary"
कळों नेदी भिन्न आहे ऐसें "won't let knownseparateis so"

What it means

Cow-mother-near-calf + babbling-child-before-parents abhang.

The babbling-child: māya-bāpā-puḍhē lāṭikēm lēnkarūm — taisē bōla karūm kavatukēlike a babbling-child before mother-father — thus I speak words with kavatuka. Lāṭikēm = babbling, half-formed; kavatuka = delight / playful-charm. I speak my prayers like a child babbling-charmingly before parents.

The prema-pānha-rasa: kṛpāvantā ghālīm prēma-pānha-rasa — vōḷalī vōrasē Pāṇḍurangakṛpāvantā, pour the prema-pānha-rasa — Pāṇḍuranga has poured-overflowing. Pānha-rasa = the milk-let-down (when a mother's-milk flows-spontaneously from her breast in response to the child's-cry). Pāṇḍuranga has poured-overflowing the milk-of-prema.

The cow-mother-image: nāhīm dhīra khuṇṭī javaḷī humbarē — ṭhāyīm chi pākhara kavaḷitēno patience — near the stake bellows — right at the place embraces under-wing. The cow-and-calf image: the cow has no patience — bellows (humbarē) near the stake (where her calf is tied) — right-where-she-stands, takes the calf under her wing-pākhara and embraces (kavaḷitē). (Pākhara = wing / lap; the cow's-tongue-licking-the-calf image.) The cow's-impatient-love-for-its-calfPāṇḍuranga as the cow-mother.

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē maja hō'ūm nēdī sīṇa — kaḷōm nēdī bhinna āhē aisēmTuka says: won't let me become weary — won't let it be known that there is bhinna (separateness). The Lord won't let me become weary; won't let me feel any separateness from him.

[T]

For someone today

For today: like a babbling-child before its mother-and-father — thus I speak words with charming-playfulness; kṛpāvantā, pour the prema-milk-let-down — Pāṇḍuranga has poured-overflowing; without patience, the cow bellows near the stake — right at the place takes (the calf) under-her-wing and embraces; Tuka says — he won't let me become weary — won't let it be known that there is any separateness.

Where this applies

Related verses