Abhanga 1697
For today: like a babbling child before its mother and father, I speak my prayers with the same charming playfulness. Merciful one, pour out the milk of your love the way a mother's milk lets down for her crying child — Pāṇḍuranga has already poured it out, overflowing. Impatient with love, like a cow bellowing near the stake where her calf is tied, he rushes to take me under his wing and embrace me. Tuka says: he won't let me grow weary, and he won't let me feel that there is any separation between us.
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
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-father — babbling-child" |
| तैसे बोल करूं कवतुकें | "thus — speak — with kavatuka" |
| कृपावंता घालीं प्रेमपान्हारस | "kṛpāvantā — pour — prema-pānha-rasa" |
| वोळली वोरसे पांडुरंग | "poured-overflowing — Pāṇḍuranga" |
| नाहीं धीर खुंटी जवळी हुंबरे | "no patience — near the stake — bellows" |
| ठायीं च पाखर कवळिते | "right at place — under-wing — embraces" |
| तुका म्हणे मज होऊं नेदी सीण | "Tuka says — me — won't let — become weary" |
| कळों नेदी भिन्न आहे ऐसें | "won't let known — separate — is so" |
What it means
Cow-mother-near-calf + babbling-child-before-parents abhang.
The babbling-child: māya-bāpā-puḍhē lāṭikēm lēnkarūm — taisē bōla karūm kavatukē — like 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 Pāṇḍuranga — kṛpāvantā, 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 kavaḷitē — no 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-calf — Pāṇḍuranga as the cow-mother.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē maja hō'ūm nēdī sīṇa — kaḷōm nēdī bhinna āhē aisēm — Tuka 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, I speak my prayers with the same charming playfulness. Merciful one, pour out the milk of your love the way a mother's milk lets down for her crying child — Pāṇḍuranga has already poured it out, overflowing. Impatient with love, like a cow bellowing near the stake where her calf is tied, he rushes to take me under his wing and embrace me. Tuka says: he won't let me grow weary, and he won't let me feel that there is any separation between us.
मराठी: आजसाठी: आईवडिलांसमोर बोबडे बोलणाऱ्या लहान मुलासारखे, मी माझी प्रार्थना त्याच खेळकर लाडिकपणाने करतो. हे कृपावंता, आईचे दूध जसे रडणाऱ्या बाळासाठी आपोआप वाहू लागते तसे तुझ्या प्रेमाचे पान्हे ओत — पांडुरंगाने ते आधीच ओसंडून दिले आहे. खुंट्याजवळ बांधलेल्या वासराकडे धाव घेणाऱ्या गाईसारखा तो अधीर होऊन मला पंखाखाली घेतो आणि कवटाळतो. तुका म्हणतो: तो मला शिणू देत नाही, आणि आमच्यात कसलाही दुरावा आहे हे जाणवूही देत नाही.
Where this applies
- When you feel embarrassed that your prayers sound simple or childish
- When you're anxious and can't wait calmly for an answer to come
- When you doubt that God actually responds to you with real warmth
- When you feel tired or spiritually distant and need reassurance