Abhanga 1957
It is all right to long not just for the divine but to be longed for in return, and to ask, out loud, whether that love is mutual.
The verse
काय पाठविलें । सांगा भातुकें विठ्ठलें ॥१॥ आसे लागलासे जीव । काय केली माझी कींव ॥ध्रु.॥ फेडिलें मुडतर । किंवा कांहीं जरजर ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे सांगा । कैसें आर्त पांडुरंगा ॥३॥
Literal translation
What did he send — tell — bhātukē by Viṭhṭhal? Hope is fixed in jīva — what kīmva did he do for me? Was the muḍatara redeemed — or some jarajara? Tuka says: tell — what is the longing of Pāṇḍuranga?
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| काय पाठविलें | "what did he send" |
| सांगा भातुकें विठ्ठलें | "tell — bhātukē by Viṭhṭhal" |
| आसे लागलासे जीव | "hope is fixed in jīva" |
| काय केली माझी कींव | "what kīmva did he do for me" |
| फेडिलें मुडतर | "was the muḍatara redeemed" |
| किंवा कांहीं जरजर | "or some jarajara" |
| तुका म्हणे सांगा | "Tuka says — tell" |
| कैसें आर्त पांडुरंगा | "what is the longing of Pāṇḍuranga" |
What it means
What-bhātukē-did-Viṭhṭhal-send + is-Pāṇḍuranga-longing-too abhang.
The opening: kāya pāṭhavilē — sāngā bhātukē Viṭhṭhalē — what did he send — tell — bhātukē by Viṭhṭhal?. Bhātukē = small-gift, especially-edible-prasāda or-token-from-a-meal (= what-the-māhēra-sends-back to-the-married-daughter). Did-Viṭhṭhal-send-anything-for-me?.
The kīmva-question: āsē lāgalāsē jīva — kāya kēlī mājhī kīmva — hope is fixed in jīva — what kīmva did he do for me?. Kīmva = mercy, compassion. Did-he-show-mercy?.
The muḍatara-jarajara: phēḍilē muḍatara — kimvā kāhīm jarajara — was the muḍatara redeemed — or some jarajara?. Muḍatara = that-which-is-stuck/-old-debt; jarajara = worn/decrepit (something). Did-he-clear-old-debts (= karma) — or-just-some-old-worn-thing?.
The reciprocal-longing question (closing): Tukā mhaṇē sāngā — kaisē ārta Pāṇḍurangā — Tuka says: tell — what is the longing of Pāṇḍuranga?. The bhakta's-tender-question: does-Pāṇḍuranga-also-long for-me? — is-the-love-mutual?. This is one of the most-tender Vārkarī questions — the bhakta needs-to-know the-Lord-is-also-pining.
[T]
For someone today
For today: what did he send — tell — bhātukē by Viṭhṭhal?; hope is fixed in jīva — what kīmva did he do for me?; was the muḍatara redeemed — or some jarajara?; Tuka says — tell — what is the longing of Pāṇḍuranga?
Where this applies
- When you keep giving love or devotion to someone and quietly wonder if they think of you back
- When you are far from home and wait for even a small sign or gift that says you are remembered
- When you feel like your prayers go out but you are unsure anything is coming back to you
- When you carry an old emotional debt or hurt and hope it has finally been resolved