Abhanga 4469
Poor-vipra-tormented — child-in-house.
The verse
दारिद्रानें विप्र पीडिला अपार । तया पोटीं पोर एक असे ॥१॥
बाहेरी मिष्टान्न मिळे एके दिशीं । घेऊनी छंदासि त्या चि बैसे ॥ध्रु.॥
क्षुधाकाळीं रडे देखिलें तें मागे । कांहीं केल्या नेघे दुजें कांहीं ॥२॥
सहज कौतुकें बोले बापमाये । देवापाशीं आहे मागशी तें ॥३॥
तेव्हां तुजलागीं स्मरे नारायणा । जीवींच्या जीवना पांडुरंगा ॥४॥
लागली हे क्षुधा जात असे प्राण । काय हें निर्वाण पाहातोसि ॥५॥
ब्रम्हांडनायक विश्वाचा पाळक । वरी तिन्ही लोक पोसितोसि ॥६॥
प्राण हा उत्कर्ष जाहला विव्हळ । तेव्हां तो कृपाळ धांव घाली ॥७॥
सांडूनि वैकुंठ धांव घाली तई । आळंगिला बाहीं कृपावंतें ॥८॥
तुका म्हणे दिला क्षीराचा सागर । राहे निरंतर तयापासीं ॥९॥
Literal translation
Poor-vipra-tormented — child-in-house. Outside-mishtānna-got — sits-grasping-that-delight. Kṣudhā-time-cries-asks-only-that — takes-nothing-else. Bāp-māye-casually-tease — 'at-Deva-ask-him'. Then-child-remembers-Nārāyaṇa-Pāṇḍurangā-life-of-life. Hunger-set-in-prāṇa-leaving — what-nirvāṇa-watching. Brahmāṇḍa-nāyaka-viśva-pālaka — feeds-three-lokas-too. Prāṇa-rose-up-vihvaḷa — then-krpāḷ-runs. Leaves-Vaikuṇṭha-runs — embraces-arms-krpā-vantē. Tukā: gave-kṣīra-sāgara — stays-nirantara-near.
What it means
★★ A rare 9-verse extended hagiographic-narrative. A Brāhmaṇa was tormented boundlessly by poverty — in his household was one child. Outside, on one day, sweet-food was got — the child grasped the delight of that taste and sits fixated. At hunger-time he cries, asks only what he saw — no matter what is done, takes nothing else. Casually, in jest, the parents say — 'it is at Deva's place — go ask him'. Then for you, the child remembers Nārāyaṇā — Pāṇḍurangā, life-of-life. 'This hunger has come, my breath is going — what kind of extreme-trial are you watching? Brahmāṇḍa-nāyaka, nurturer of the universe — you feed the three worlds also'. The breath rose up agitated-to-the-edge — then the compassionate-one made a dash. Leaving Vaikuṇṭha, he made a dash then — embraced the child by the arms. Tukā says: the Lord gave him the milk-ocean — and stays continuously near him. The narrative-arc: (a) poverty → (b) accidental-taste-of-mishtānna → (c) child-fixated → (d) hunger-cries → (e) parents-jest-"ask-Deva" → (f) child-genuinely-remembers-Nārāyaṇa-from-hunger-edge → (g) Lord-leaves-Vaikuṇṭha-runs-embraces → (h) gives-kṣīra-sāgara — (i) stays-near-forever. The child-bhakti-power-of-pure-naïve-trust (taking-jest-as-truth and-genuinely-petitioning). Pair with 2540 (Kurukṣetra-sparrows narrative).
For someone today
Tukārām: a-poor-Brāhmaṇa-child-once-tasted-sweet-food-and-fixated — cried-at-hunger-for-only-that — parents-jested-"ask-Deva-he-has-it" — child-genuinely-remembered-and-petitioned — Lord-left-Vaikuṇṭha-ran-embraced-gave-the-milk-ocean — child-bhakti's-naïve-trust-pulls-the-Lord.
Where this applies
- ★★ Tukārām's rare 9-verse extended hagiographic narrative of bāla-bhakti — Lord-leaves-Vaikuṇṭha-runs-for-child canonical