Abhanga 3071
Bāḷapaṇe aisīm varuṣe gelīm bārā — such 12 years passed in bāḷapaṇa; kheḷatām yā pōrā nānā mate — playing in nānā-mate (various ways) as children.
The verse
बाळपणें ऐसीं वरुषें गेलीं बारा । खेळतां या पोरा नानामतें ॥१॥
विटू दांडू चेंडू लगोरया वाघोडीं । चंपे पेंड खडी एकीबेकी ॥ध्रु.॥
हमामा हुंबरी पकव्याच्या बारे । खेळे जंगीभोंवरे चुंबाचुंबी ॥२॥
सेलडेरा आणि निसरभोंवडी । उचली बाले धोंडी अंगबळें ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे ऐसें बाळपण गेलें । मग तारुण्य आलें गर्वमूळ ॥४॥
Literal translation
Bāḷapaṇe aisīm varuṣe gelīm bārā — such 12 years passed in bāḷapaṇa; kheḷatām yā pōrā nānā mate — playing in nānā-mate (various ways) as children. Viṭū dāṇḍū chendū lagōryā vāghōḍīm — viṭū-dāṇḍū, chendū, lagōryā, vāghōḍī; champe peṇḍa khaḍī ekī-bekī — champe-peṇḍa-khaḍī, ekī-bekī. Hamāmā humbarī pakavyāñce bāre — hamāmā-humbarī, the games of pakavī; kheḷe jangī-bhōmvare chumbā-chumbī — plays of jangī-bhōmvare, chumbā-chumbī. Seḷaḍerā āṇi nisara-bhōmvaḍī — seḷaḍerā and nisara-bhōmvaḍī; uchalī bāle dhōṇḍī anga-baḷe — lifting children, stones, by anga-baḷa (body-strength). Tukā mhaṇe aise bāḷapaṇa gele — Tukā says: such bāḷapaṇa passed; maga tāruṇya āle garva-mūḷa — then tāruṇya came (as) garva-mūḷa.
What it means
★★ A MAJOR historical-document abhang by Tukārām — opens-a-3-stage-of-life biographical-cluster (3071-3072-3073) and-contains-a-precious-list of-17th-c-Maharashtra-children's-games.
The 17th-c children's-games listed: - Viṭū-dāṇḍū = gilli-danda (stick-and-pin) - Chendū = ball (-game) - Lagōryā = skittles or seven-stones (pyramid-stones-game) - Vāghōḍī — tiger-goat type-game - Champe-peṇḍa-khaḍī, Ekī-bekī (odds-and-evens), Hamāmā-humbarī - Pakavyāñce-bāre — pakavī (mature) style-games - Jangī-bhōmvare = spinning-tops - Chumbā-chumbī = kiss-game - Seḷaḍerā, Nisara-bhōmvaḍī = sliding-spinning - Uchalī-bāle-dhōṇḍī anga-baḷe = lifting-children-and-stones with-body-strength (kabaddī-or-strength-tests)
The 3-stage-cluster: bāḷapaṇa (3071) → tāruṇya (3072) → mhātāra-paṇa (3073). Each-stage-presented-as a-life-waste with-progressive-degradation, before the call-to-remember-Rāma-Rāma.
For someone today
Tukārām's bāḷapaṇa-recollection. Such 12 years passed in childhood — playing in various ways as children: viṭū-dāṇḍū, ball, lagōryā, vāghōḍī, champe-peṇḍa-khaḍī, ekī-bekī, hamāmā-humbarī, pakavī-style-games, spinning-tops, kissing-game, seḷaḍerā, sliding-spinning, lifting-children-and-stones with-body-strength. Such childhood passed — then tāruṇya came (as) the root-of-pride. The verse permits the bhakta-recollection of childhood-wasted-on-games and the warning that tāruṇya-comes-as-pride.
Where this applies
- ★★ MAJOR opens 3-stage-of-life biographical cluster (3071-3072-3073)
- ★★ Historical-document of 17th-c Maharashtra children's-games
- Useful as primary-source for-history-of-children's-play in-Marathi-region