Abhanga 3143
Tukārām's simple-petition. (For) a baby's life, the mother knows (its) hunger-thirst. What entreaty shall I make? — let my head be at (your) feet. Wherever (you have) placed (me), my mind is placed at (your) feet. I do this service — remembrance in all places, Deva. The deficiency — that itself is enough; make (me) accept (it), O giver. My buddhi is small — I am an offender. The verse permits the simple-petition resting-on-mother's-knowing.
The verse
बाळाचें जीवन । माता जाणें भूक तान ॥१॥
काय करूं विनवणी । असो मस्तक चरणीं ॥ध्रु.॥
ठेविलिये ठायीं । चत्ति ठेवुनि असें पायीं ॥२॥
करितों हे सेवा । चिंतन सर्वां ठायीं देवा ॥३॥
न्यून तें चि पुरें । घ्यावें करोनि दातारें ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे बुद्धि । अल्प असे अपराधी ॥५॥
Literal translation
Bāḷāñce jīvana — bāḷa's jīvana; mātā jāṇe bhūka tāna — mātā knows bhūkha-tāna. Kāya karūm vinavaṇī — what vinavanī shall I make; asō mastaka charaṇīm — let mastaka be at charaṇa. Ṭhevileye ṭhāyīm — wherever placed; chitta ṭhevuni ase pāyīm — chitta is placed at pāya. Karitōm he sevā — I do this sevā; chintana sarvām ṭhāyīm Devā — chintana in all places, Deva. Nyūna te chi pure — nyūna itself is enough; ghyāve karōnī dātāre — make (me) accept, dātāra. Tukā mhaṇe buddhi — Tukā says: buddhi; alpa ase aparādhī — (is) alpa, aparādhī.
What it means
A 5-verse simple-petition by Tukārām. The image: the mother-knows-the-baby's-needs — so the bhakta doesn't-need-to-enumerate-vinavanī. The petition is simple: head-at-charaṇa; chitta-at-pāya; sevā-by-chintana-everywhere; even-my-nyūna-(deficiency) is-enough — make-me-accept-it, dātāra.
The closing-confession: my-buddhi-is-alpa; I-am-aparādhī. The petition rests on the mother's-knowing, not on the baby's-articulation.
For someone today
Tukārām's simple-petition. (For) a baby's life, the mother knows (its) hunger-thirst. What entreaty shall I make? — let my head be at (your) feet. Wherever (you have) placed (me), my mind is placed at (your) feet. I do this service — remembrance in all places, Deva. The deficiency — that itself is enough; make (me) accept (it), O giver. My buddhi is small — I am an offender. The verse permits the simple-petition resting-on-mother's-knowing.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's mother-knows-baby's-needs simple-petition