Abhanga 3520
Approach the divine the way a child approaches a mother, with playful trust that never tires of asking or answering.
The verse
मायलेंकरांत भिन्न । नाहीं उत्तराचा सीण ॥१॥
धाडीं धाडीं वो भातुकें । रंजविल्याचें कौतुकें ॥ध्रु.॥
करूनि नवल । याचें बोलिलों ते बोल ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे माते । पांडुरंगे कृपावंते॥३॥
Literal translation
No-separation-māya-lēnkara — no-uttarāchā-sīṇa. Send-send-bhātuka — kavatuka-of-pleasing. Wondering-spoke-this-bōla. Tukā: mātē — Pāṇḍurangī-krpā-vantē.
What it means
A 3-verse mother-child petition. Between mother and child there's no separation, no fatigue in answering; send me the toy-meal as a charming-gift; I spoke this wondering; mother Pāṇḍurangī, compassion-full.
For someone today
Tukaram compares his bond with God to that between a mother and child, where there is no real separation and no weariness in answering each other's calls. He asks, almost playfully, for small gifts of affection, the way a mother sends treats to please her child. He admits he speaks this way out of wonder and love, not calculation, and he addresses God directly as a compassionate mother, Panduranga in her tender, maternal aspect.
मराठी: आई आणि मूल यांच्यामध्ये खरा दुरावा नसतो, आणि उत्तर देताना कधी थकवा येत नाही, असे तुकाराम सांगतात. जणू लहान मुलाने आईकडे हट्टाने खाऊ मागावा, तसे ते देवाकडे प्रेमाचा खाऊ पाठवण्याची विनंती करतात. हे मी कौतुकाने आणि प्रेमानेच बोललो आहे असे ते सांगतात. शेवटी तुकाराम पांडुरंगाला कृपाळू आई म्हणून हाक मारतात.
Where this applies
- When you want to approach the divine, or anyone you trust deeply, with a child's simple trust rather than formal distance
- When you're waiting for small signs of care from someone who loves you, the way a child waits for a parent's attention
- When you feel free to ask playfully for comfort instead of only making solemn requests
- When you think of tenderness and forgiveness as maternal qualities you can call on