संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2990 of 4582

Abhanga 2990

Avaghīm tuja bāḷe sārikhīm nāhī te — all your bāḷe (children) are not alike; navala vāṭate Pāṇḍurangā — (this) feels (like a) navala (wonder), Pāṇḍurangā.

Part of Kānhōbā's extended-lament-cluster (2977-2997+)
NON-Tukārām composition — signed by Tukyā-bandhu
Striking Lord-as-unequal-parent; why-give-birth-to-not-liked protest

The verse

अवघीं तुज बाळें सारिखीं नाहीं तें । नवल वाटतें पांडुरंगा ॥१॥ म्हणतां लाज नाहीं सकळांची माउली । जवळी धरिलीं एकें दुरी ॥ध्रु.॥ एकां सुख द्यावें घेऊनि वोसंगा । एक दारीं गळा श्रमविती ॥२॥ एकां नवनीत पाजावें दाटून । एकें अन्न अन्नें करितील ॥३॥ एकें वाटतील न वजावीं दुरी । एकांचा मत्सर जवळी येतां ॥४॥ तुकयाबंधु म्हणे नावडतीं त्यांस । कासया व्यालास नारायणा ॥५॥

Literal translation

Avaghīm tuja bāḷe sārikhīm nāhī teall your bāḷe (children) are not alike; navala vāṭate Pāṇḍurangā(this) feels (like a) navala (wonder), Pāṇḍurangā. Mhaṇatām lāja nāhī sakaḷāmñcī māulī(you) have no shame saying you-are māulī of all; javaḷī dharilī eke durī(yet) (you) have-held-close some, kept-far others. Ekām sukha dyāve gheūnī vōsangāto some, you give sukha, taking (them) on (your) vōsangā (lap); eka dārī gaḷā śramavitīsome (you make) śramavitī (strain, suffer) (their) throat at the door. Ekām navanīta pājāve dāṭūnato some, you feed navanīta (cream, butter) forcefully; eke anna anne karitīlasome — (their) anna (food) becomes anna (mere-food, dry). Eke vāṭatīla na vajāvī durīsome you want (and) don't (let) go-far; ekāñcā matsara javaḷī yetāmsome — matsara (jealousy) (comes) when-they-come-near. Tukyā-bandhu mhaṇe nāvaḍatī tyāmsTukārām's-brother says: those you don't-like; kāsayā vyālāsa Nārāyaṇāwhy did you give-birth (to them), Nārāyaṇa?

What it means

A striking 5-verse Lord-as-unequal-parent protest verse by Tukyā-bandhu. NON-Tukārām — part of the extended-Kānhōbā-cluster.

The bhakta-brother makes-a-radical-protest: the Lord-claims-to-be-the-māulī-of-all but actually-shows-favoritism. The five-fold-list of-disparities: 1. Close-vs-far 2. Lap-sukha vs door-strain 3. Cream-by-force vs dry-anna 4. Want-close vs mātsarya-when-coming-near

The closing-question: why did you give-birth-to-those-you-don't-like? The bhakta accuses-the-Lord-of-cosmic-injustice in-favoritism.

For someone today

A striking 5-verse Kānhōbā-protest against Lord's-favoritism. All your children are not alike — (this) feels (like a) wonder, Pāṇḍurangā. (You) have no shame saying you are the mother of all — (yet) you have held-close some, kept-far others. To some you give sukha, taking on (your) lap; some you make strain throat at the door. To some you feed cream forcefully; some — (their) food becomes mere-food. Some you want, (and) don't (let) go-far; some — jealousy (comes) when-they-come-near. Those you don't like — why did you give-birth-to-them, Nārāyaṇa? The verse permits the strongest-protest against Lord's-apparent-favoritism.

Where this applies