Abhanga 3893
Hungry-in-famine — sees-miṣṭāna.
The verse
क्षुधारथी अन्नें दुष्काळें पीडिलें । मिष्टान्न देखिलें तेणें जैसें ॥१॥
तैसें तुझे पायीं लांचावलें मन । झुरे माझा प्राण भेटावया ॥ध्रु.॥
मांजरें देखिला लोणियांचा गोळा । लावुनियां डोळा बैसलेंसे ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे आतां झडी घालूं पाहें । पांडुरंगे माये तुझे पायीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Hungry-in-famine — sees-miṣṭāna. So-mind-lāñchāvalē-at-your-feet — prāṇa-pines-for-bhēṭi. Cat-sees-loṇī-ball — fixes-eye-and-sits. Tukā: now-I'll-pounce — Pāṇḍurangē-māye-at-your-feet.
What it means
★ A 3-verse striking-image yearning text. As one afflicted by famine and starving for food, seeing fine-food (gets dazzled). So my mind is itchy-with-greed at your feet; my breath pines for the meeting. A cat has seen a butter-ball — has fixed its eye and sat (still as a hunter). Now I will pounce — at your feet, Pāṇḍurangē-māyē. The cat-and-butter-ball image is uniquely domestic — anyone who has watched a cat fix its predator-gaze on a target knows the absolute-focus this image captures. The bhakta is the predator-cat; the Lord-as-butter-ball is the prey.
For someone today
Tukārām: like-the-cat-fixes-its-eye-on-the-butter-ball — my-mind-is-locked-on-your-feet — I'll-pounce.
Where this applies
- ★ Tukārām's cat-sees-butter-ball-fixes-eye-and-sits yearning image
- hungry-in-famine-sees-fine-food parallel image