Abhanga 3051
Jaise taise bāḷa māteṣī āvaḍe — as-is, the baby is loved by (its) mother; bōlatām bōbaḍe śabda gōḍa — the lisping words are sweet.
The verse
जैसें तैसें बाळ मातेसी आवडे । बोलतां बोबडे शब्द गोड ॥१॥
आपुले आवडी लेववी खाववी । पाहोनियां जीवीं सुख वाटे ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे काय देऊं परिहार । काय ते साचार जाणतसें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Jaise taise bāḷa māteṣī āvaḍe — as-is, the baby is loved by (its) mother; bōlatām bōbaḍe śabda gōḍa — the lisping words are sweet. Āpule āvaḍī levavī khāvavī — by her own āvaḍī, she clothes-and-feeds; pāhōnīyām jīvīm sukha vāṭe — seeing (the baby), she feels sukha in (her) jīva. Tukā mhaṇe kāya deūm parihāra — Tukā says: what parihāra can I give; kāya te sāchāra jāṇatasēm — I know that truly.
What it means
A short canonical mother-and-baby image by Tukārām.
The image: The mother loves the baby as-it-is; the baby's-lisping-words are-sweet-to-her; she clothes-and-feeds with-her-own-fondness; seeing-the-baby she-feels-sukha-in-jīva. The implication: the Lord-(or-his-mother-aspect)-loves-the-bhakta-as-the-mother-loves-the-baby — accepting-the-bhakta as-is, finding-even-imperfect-utterances-sweet.
The closing: what-parihāra-can-I-give? — I-know-this-truly. The bhakta has-no-explanation-or-defense but knows-this-relation-is-true.
Compare-Tukārām's-own 2597 (tūm-mājhī-māulī canonical mother-shade prayer), 2811 (hungry-baby-for-mother), 2842 (if-mother-cuts-throat).
For someone today
Tukārām's canonical mother-baby image. As-is, the baby is loved by (its) mother; even (its) lisping words are sweet. By her own fondness — she clothes (it) and feeds (it); seeing (the baby), she feels sukha in (her) jīva. What clearing-explanation can I give? — I know that truly. The verse permits the bhakta's-claim that-the-Lord-loves-as-is, like-mother-and-baby.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's as-I-am, Lord-loves-me-as-mother-loves-baby image
- Bobaḍe-śabda-gōḍa — even-imperfect-utterances-sweet
- Companion to 2597 (tūm-mājhī-māulī), 2811, 2842