Abhanga 1982
For today: I spoke some childish-mumblings before mother-father — with friendship-affection-fondness — pardon me; how to know your mahimā, Puruṣōttama? — by love, boundary — I let go from my hand; disrespect happens through-friendship — children shouldn't fear father — you know; Tuka says — Lord — don't abandon prēma-lōbha — the cherished should be cherished further — fondness even more.
The verse
कांहीं बोलिलों बोबडें । मायबापा तुम्हांपुढें । सलगी लाडें कोडें । मज क्षमा करावी ॥१॥ काय जाणावा महिमा । तुमचा म्यां पुरुषोत्तमा । आवडीनें सीमा । सांडविली मज हातीं ॥ध्रु.॥ घडे अवज्ञा सख्यत्वें । बाळें बापासी न भ्यावें । काय म्यां सांगावें । आहे ठावें तुम्हासी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देवा । प्रेम लोभ न संडावा । पाळिला पाळावा । लळा पुढती आगळा ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: I spoke some childish-mumblings before mother-father — with friendship-affection-fondness — pardon me. How to know your mahimā, Puruṣōttama? — by love — boundary — I let go from my hand. Disrespect happens through-friendship — children shouldn't fear father — what should I tell — you know. Tuka says: Lord — don't abandon prēma-lōbha — the cherished should be cherished further — fondness even more.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कांहीं बोलिलों बोबडें | "I spoke some childish-mumblings" |
| मायबापा तुम्हांपुढें | "before mother-father" |
| सलगी लाडें कोडें | "with friendship-affection-fondness" |
| मज क्षमा करावी | "pardon me" |
| काय जाणावा महिमा | "how to know your mahimā" |
| तुमचा म्यां पुरुषोत्तमा | "Puruṣōttama" |
| आवडीनें सीमा | "by love — boundary" |
| सांडविली मज हातीं | "I let go from my hand" |
| घडे अवज्ञा सख्यत्वें | "disrespect happens through-friendship" |
| बाळें बापासी न भ्यावें | "children shouldn't fear father" |
| काय म्यां सांगावें | "what should I tell" |
| आहे ठावें तुम्हासी | "you know" |
| तुका म्हणे देवा | "Tuka says — Lord" |
| प्रेम लोभ न संडावा | "don't abandon prēma-lōbha" |
| पाळिला पाळावा | "the cherished should be cherished further" |
| लळा पुढती आगळा | "fondness even more" |
What it means
Bhakta-confession-of-childish-mumblings-pardon-me abhang.
The opening: kāhīm bōlilōm bōbaḍē — māyabāpā tumhāmpuḍhē — salagī lāḍē kōḍē — maja kṣamā karāvī — I spoke some childish-mumblings before mother-father — with friendship-affection-fondness — pardon me. Bōbaḍē = childish-mumbling; salagī = friendship-familiarity; lāḍē-kōḍē = affection-and-fondness. The bhakta-confesses to bāp-māy (Viṭhṭhal-Rakhumāī): I spoke childish-mumblings out-of-friendship-affection-fondness — pardon-me. A tender child-to-parent confession.
The boundary-loss: kāya jāṇāvā mahimā — tumachā myām Puruṣōttamā — āvaḍīnē sīmā — sāṇḍavilī maja hātīm — how to know your mahimā, Puruṣōttama? — by love, boundary — I let go from my hand. By-love I-let-go-of-the-boundary (sīmā = limit).
The principle: ghaḍē avajñā sakhyatvē — bāḷē bāpāsī na bhyāvē — disrespect happens through-friendship — children shouldn't fear father. Disrespect-arises-through-intimacy (= the closer-the-relationship, the more-casual the speech); children-shouldn't-fear-the-father (= the bhakta-and-Lord-relationship is-parent-child, not-formal). Beautiful articulation of bhakti-intimacy-overrides-formality.
The closing-plea: Tukā mhaṇē Dēvā — prēma lōbha na sāṇḍāvā — pāḷilā pāḷāvā — laḷā puḍhatī āgaḷā — Tuka says: Lord — don't abandon prēma-lōbha — the cherished should be cherished further — fondness even more. Don't-abandon prēma-lōbha (love-greed); the-already-cherished should-be-cherished-further (pāḷilā-pāḷāvā); fondness-even-more (laḷā-āgaḷā).
[T]
For someone today
For today: I spoke some childish-mumblings before mother-father — with friendship-affection-fondness — pardon me; how to know your mahimā, Puruṣōttama? — by love, boundary — I let go from my hand; disrespect happens through-friendship — children shouldn't fear father — you know; Tuka says — Lord — don't abandon prēma-lōbha — the cherished should be cherished further — fondness even more.
Where this applies
- Childish-mumblings-before-mother-father-pardon.* Bōbaḍē-māyabāpā-salagī-kṣamā.
- How-to-know-mahimā-by-love-boundary-let-go.* Jāṇāvā-mahimā-Puruṣōttamā-sīmā-sāṇḍavilī.
- Disrespect-through-friendship-children-shouldn't-fear-father.* Avajñā-sakhyatvē-bāḷē-bāpāsī-na-bhyāvē.
- Don't-abandon-prema-lōbha-cherished-cherished-further.* Prēma-lōbha-na-sāṇḍāvā-pāḷilā-pāḷāvā-laḷā.