Abhanga 2241
Tukaram reveals that his cursing of God was really a child's loving tantrum, and between two people this intimate, words spoken out of closeness can never cause real harm.
The verse
प्रीतीचा कलहे पदरासी घाली पीळ । सरों नेदी बाळ मागें पुढें पित्यासी ॥१॥ काय लागे त्यासी बळ हेडावितां कोण काळ । गोवितें सबळ जाळीं स्नेहसूत्राचीं ॥ध्रु.॥ सलगी दिला लाड बोले तें तें वाटे गोड । करी बुझावोनि कोड हातीं देऊनि भातुकें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे बोल कोणा हें कां नेणां नारायणा । सलगीच्या वचना कैचें उपजे विषम ॥३॥ ॥४॥
Literal translation
Love-quarrel twists the hem of the dress — the child doesn't let go — going back-and-forth before the father. What strength does it take to harass — what time — the strong net of affection-threads enmeshes. Given intimacy, indulgence — whatever he says feels sweet — consoles him with fondness, giving treats in hand. Tuka says: to whom this speech — don't you know, Nārāyaṇa — from intimate-words how would adversity arise? ॥4॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| प्रीतीचा कलहे पदरासी घाली पीळ | "love-quarrel twists the hem of the dress" |
| सरों नेदी बाळ मागें पुढें पित्यासी | "the child doesn't let go — going back-and-forth before the father" |
| काय लागे त्यासी बळ हेडावितां कोण काळ | "what strength does it take to harass — what time" |
| गोवितें सबळ जाळीं स्नेहसूत्राचीं | "the strong net of affection-threads enmeshes" |
| सलगी दिला लाड बोले तें तें वाटे गोड | "given intimacy, indulgence — whatever he says feels sweet" |
| करी बुझावोनि कोड हातीं देऊनि भातुकें | "consoles him with fondness, giving treats in hand" |
| तुका म्हणे बोल कोणा हें कां नेणां नारायणा | "Tuka says — to whom this speech — don't you know, Nārāyaṇa" |
| सलगीच्या वचना कैचें उपजे विषम | "from intimate-words how would adversity arise" |
| ॥४॥ | colophon — closes the 4-abhang quarrel-cluster (2238-2241) |
What it means
Love-quarrel-child-tugs-father's-hem + from-intimate-words-no-adversity abhang. FOURTH AND FINAL abhang of the 4-abhang quarrel-cluster (2238-2241). Closes with ॥४॥. Reframes the entire bhāṇḍaṇa as prīti-kalaha (love-quarrel).
THE PRĪTI-KALAHA REFRAME: prīticā kalahē padarāsī ghālī pīḷa — sarōm nēdī bāḷa māgē puḍhē pityāsī — love-quarrel twists the hem of the dress — the child doesn't let go — going back-and-forth before the father. Prīti-kalaha = love-quarrel, lover's-quarrel. Padara = hem/end of the dress. Pīḷa = twist, fold. The love-quarrel twists-the-hem (= the child's-grasping-fingers twist-the-mother's-or-father's-hem); the-child won't-let-go, going-back-and-forth before-the-father. A complete reframing: the preceding three abhangs of cursing (nilājirā, chōraṭā, gāḍhava-kutarā) are-now-revealed-as a-child's-love-tantrum, twisting-the-parent's-clothes, demanding attention.
The net-of-affection: kāya lāgē tyāsī baḷa hēḍāvitām kōṇa kāḷa — gōvitē sabaḷa jāḷīm snēha-sūtrāñchīm — what strength does it take to harass — what time — the strong net of affection-threads enmeshes. Hēḍāvitām = harassing, troubling. Snēha-sūtra = affection-thread. Jāḷa = net. What-strength-does-it-take to-harass? What-time? The strong-net of-affection-threads enmeshes (the parent). The image: the parent-Lord is-entangled-in-the-net-of-his-own-affection for-the-child-bhakta; he-cannot-escape-the-child's-demands because-of-his-own-affection.
The indulgent-father: salagī dilā lāḍa bōlē tē tē vāṭē gōḍa — karī bujhāvōni kōḍa hātīm dē'uni bhātukē — given intimacy, indulgence — whatever he says feels sweet — consoles him with fondness, giving treats in hand. Salagī = intimacy, closeness. Lāḍa = fondling, indulgence. Bhātukē = toys, treats, food for the child. Given intimacy-and-indulgence, whatever-the-child-says-feels-sweet; the-father consoles-with-fondness, giving-treats in-hand. The mature reading of the bhāṇḍaṇa: the curses-(treats-in-reverse) are-received-as-sweet by-the-indulgent-Father-Lord, who-then-consoles-with-bhātukē.
The closing — intimate-words-no-adversity: Tukā mhaṇē bōla kōṇā hē kām nēṇām Nārāyaṇā — salagīchyā vachanā kaiñchē upajē viṣama — Tuka says: to whom this speech — don't you know, Nārāyaṇa — from intimate-words how would adversity arise. Viṣama = adversity, unevenness, displeasure. To-whom-(else)-is-this-speech-said — don't-you-know, Nārāyaṇa? From-intimate-words how-would viṣama (displeasure) arise? The complete-reconciliation: the curses-were-intimate-words; how-could-they-cause-adversity? You-know-this, Nārāyaṇa.
The ॥४॥ COLOPHON closes the 4-abhang quarrel-cluster (2238-2241): - 2238: bhāṇḍaṇāchē abhanga — Tukā curses Viṭhṭhal (shameless, no kula, thief, donkey-dog-bull, fickle) - 2239: continues curse + formless-recognition (neither-man-woman-nor-bhūta) - 2240: mercantile-accusations (you-drowned-my-rukā, household-debt-fastened) - 2241: prīti-kalaha reframe — the whole bhāṇḍaṇa was love-quarrel; child-tugs-father's-hem; intimate-words bear no-adversity
The cluster's-arc: from-cursing → to-the-revelation-that-the-cursing-itself-was-the-greatest-intimacy. The post-restoration mode shows-that-the-bhakta-and-the-Lord can-now-quarrel-like-child-and-father, with-no-fear-of-real-rupture.
[T]
For someone today
For today: love-quarrel twists the hem — the child doesn't let go — back-and-forth before father; what strength to harass — strong net of affection-threads; given intimacy and indulgence — sweet — consoles with treats in hand; Tuka says — from intimate-words no adversity arises, don't you know, Nārāyaṇa.
Where this applies
- When a child, or anyone very close to you, throws a tantrum and you realize it is really a plea for attention, not real anger.
- When you find yourself unable to stay upset with someone you love deeply, no matter how much they provoke you.
- When you look back at a fight with someone close and realize it was really an expression of how much you needed them.
- When you wonder whether blunt or harsh words could ever truly damage a relationship built on deep trust.