Abhanga 4255
Child-tantrum — never-saw-pōḷī.
The verse
कोणा एकाचिया पोरें केली आळी । ठावी नाहीं पोळी मागें देखी ॥१॥
बुझाविलें हातीं देउनी खापर । छंद करकर वारियेली ॥ध्रु.॥
तैसें नको करूं मज कृपावंता । काय नाहीं सत्ता तुझे हातीं ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे मायबापाचें उचित । करावें तें हित बाळकाचें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Child-tantrum — never-saw-pōḷī. Pacified-with-shard — caprice-stopped. Don't-do-such-krpāvanta — what's-not-in-sattā. Tukā: mother-father-uchita — bāḷaka's-hita.
What it means
A 3-verse petition-not-to-be-fobbed-off. Someone's child made a tantrum — he hadn't seen sweet-flatbread before. They pacified him by putting a broken-pot-shard in his hand — the caprice was stopped by distraction. Don't do such to me, gracious-one — what isn't in your power? Tukā says: it's the proper-conduct of mother-father — to do what's actually good for the child. The petition: don't-distract-me-with-a-substitute-when-you-can-give-the-real-thing. Sharp parental-care image: real-pōḷī, not-shard-distraction.
For someone today
Tukārām: don't-pacify-me-with-a-broken-shard-when-I-asked-for-the-real-pōḷī — do-what's-actually-good-for-the-child.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's don't-be-fobbed-off — real-thing-not-distraction canonical