Abhanga 4469
A completely sincere, wholehearted cry for help, even a child's simple hunger driven prayer, is what moves God to come running.
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
This is a tender little story Tukārām tells about a poor Brahmin family with one child. One day the child got a taste of sweet food and couldn't stop wanting it, so afterward, whenever hunger came, he cried only for that same taste and refused anything else. Worn out, the parents said something half joking, half tired, go ask God for it, he's the one who has it. But the child took them completely seriously, and in his hunger and desperation he actually called out to Nārāyaṇa, asking why he was being made to suffer when the same Lord feeds the whole universe. His cry was so genuine that God himself left his heavenly home, ran to him, wrapped him in his arms, and gave him an entire ocean of milk, then stayed close to him from then on. The story says that a simple, wholehearted, even childlike cry for help, without any pretense, can move God to come running.
मराठी: ही तुकारामांनी सांगितलेली एक हृदयस्पर्शी गोष्ट आहे, एका गरीब ब्राह्मण कुटुंबातील एका मुलाबद्दल. एके दिवशी त्या मुलाला गोड पदार्थाची चव लागली आणि त्याला ती चव विसरता येईना, त्यामुळे नंतर भूक लागली की तो फक्त तीच चव मागून रडायचा, दुसरे काहीही घ्यायचा नाही. कंटाळलेल्या आई-वडिलांनी अर्धी गंमत, अर्धी थकव्याने म्हटले, जा देवाकडे माग, तेच त्याच्याकडे आहे. पण मुलाने ते खरेखुरे मानले, आणि भुकेने व्याकूळ होऊन त्याने खरोखर नारायणाला हाक मारली, विचारले की जो संपूर्ण विश्वाला अन्न देतो तो मला असे का तडफडवत आहे. त्याची हाक इतकी खरी होती की परमेश्वर स्वतः वैकुंठ सोडून धावत आला, त्याला मिठीत घेतले, आणि त्याला संपूर्ण क्षीरसागर दिला, आणि त्यानंतर तो कायम त्याच्याजवळ राहिला. या गोष्टीतून हे शिकायला मिळते की कोणताही आव न आणता, मनापासून, अगदी लहान मुलासारखी केलेली साधी हाकसुद्धा परमेश्वराला धावत आणू शकते.
Where this applies
- When you're in real need and hesitate to ask for help because you feel silly or unworthy
- When a child's simple, trusting request teaches you something about how to actually pray
- When you've been told something as a joke or half truth but decide to take it completely seriously
- When you're desperate and just cry out honestly instead of performing a polished, formal request