Abhanga 3143
Like a mother who already knows her baby's needs, the divine already understands what you need, so trust and constant remembrance matter more than elaborate requests.
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 offers this simple petition, resting on the mother's knowing rather than on the child's asking.
मराठी: तुकाराम एक साधी विनवणी करतात. बाळाच्या भूक-तहानेची जाणीव आईलाच असते. मी कोणती विनवणी करू? माझे मस्तक तुझ्या चरणांशीच असो. तू मला जिथे ठेवशील, तिथेच माझे चित्तही तुझ्या पायांशी राहील. हीच माझी सेवा आहे — सर्वत्र तुझेच चिंतन, देवा. माझी उणीव हीच पुरेशी माना, हे दातारा, तूच ती स्वीकार. तुकाराम म्हणतात, माझी बुद्धी अल्प आहे, मी अपराधी आहे. अशा प्रकारे हा अभंग सांगतो की मूल जसे मागत नाही तरी आई त्याची गरज ओळखते, तसाच भक्ताचा भरवसा देवाच्या जाणिवेवरच असतो.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's mother-knows-baby's-needs simple-petition