Abhanga 4389
When longing becomes wordless and childlike, calling out to the divine as a tender mother and simply asking to be held can say more than any careful prayer.
The verse
येई गे विठ्ठले विश्वजीवनकले । सुंदर घननीळे पांडुरंगें ॥१॥
येई गे विठ्ठले करुणाकल्लोळे । जीव कळवळे भेटावया ॥ध्रु.॥
न लगती गोड आणीक उत्तरें । तुझें प्रेम झुरे भेटावया ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे धांव घालीं कृष्णाबाईं । क्षेम चाहूंबाही देई मज ॥३॥
Literal translation
Come-Viṭṭhalē (fem.) — viśva-jīvana-kaḷē — ghana-nīḷē-Pāṇḍurangē. Come-Viṭṭhalē-karuṇā-kallōḷē — jīva-yearns-to-meet. No-other-sweet-words — your-prema-rolls-to-meet. Tukā: Krṣṇā-bāī — dhāvā — kṣēma-on-4-arms.
What it means
A 3-verse feminized-Viṭṭhalā-address yearning text. Come, O Viṭṭhalē (feminine), you-life-art-of-the-world — beautiful, dark-cloud-blue Pāṇḍurangē. Come, O Viṭṭhalē, compassion-wave-one — my soul yearns to meet you. Other sweet words don't (suffice) — your love yearns to meet (me). Tukā says: come running, Krṣṇā-bāī — give me embrace on (my) four arms. The feminized-address: Viṭṭhalē, Pāṇḍurangē, Krṣṇā-bāī — Tukārām uses feminine-grammatical-forms-and-vocatives to address Viṭṭhal-as-mother. Pair with 4390 (companion feminine-address), 2597 (canonical tūm-mājhī-māulī).
For someone today
Tukaram calls out to Vitthal here using feminine, motherly names, calling on the beautiful, dark cloud colored one as the very life and art of the whole universe, as though calling out to a mother rather than a distant, formal god. He begs this compassionate one, overflowing like a wave of tenderness, to come quickly because his soul is aching with longing just to meet her. No clever or sweet words will do at this point, because it is love itself pulling at him, restless to be near. He ends with an urgent, childlike plea, calling out as if to Krishna as mother, asking her to come running and wrap him in a full, four armed embrace.
मराठी: तुकाराम इथे विठ्ठलाला स्त्रीलिंगी, मातृवाचक नावांनी हाक मारतात — सावळ्या, सुंदर, मेघासारख्या निळ्या त्या सगुण रूपाला संपूर्ण विश्वाची जीवनकळा म्हणतात, जणू एखाद्या दूरच्या देवाला नव्हे तर आईलाच हाक मारत आहेत. करुणेच्या लाटेप्रमाणे उचंबळणाऱ्या त्या मायेला ते लवकर येण्याची विनवणी करतात, कारण त्यांचा जीव तिला भेटण्यासाठी व्याकुळ झाला आहे. आता कोणतेही गोड शब्द पुरेसे नाहीत, कारण प्रेमच त्यांना अस्वस्थपणे जवळ ओढत आहे. शेवटी ते एखाद्या लहान मुलासारखी आर्त हाक मारतात, कृष्णाबाईंना धावत येऊन आपल्याला चार बाहूंनी पूर्ण मिठीत घ्यावे अशी विनंती करतात.
Where this applies
- When you long for the divine or a loved one with the raw, wordless ache of a child calling for its mother
- When formal or polished language feels completely inadequate to express how much you miss someone
- When you picture love and comfort in tender, maternal terms rather than distant or formal ones
- When your whole being aches for closeness and you simply want to be held and reassured