तुका म्हणे… तुका कहे… Tuka says… Part 6

The principle “Brotherhood of Mankind and Fatherhood of God” projects the Creator of the Universe as Father of all beings. This description, however, only reflects the limitations of human languages. The Creator is also looked upon as Mother of all beings. In fact, the attribute ‘love’ of the formless God goes better with Mother.

यो देवः सर्वभूतानां मातृरूपेण संस्थितः |
नमस्तस्मै नमस्तस्मै नमस्तस्मै नमो नमः ||

Saint Tukaram in many of his Abhangs refers to the Almighty as Mother. Many of his Abhangs are expressions of emotions of a devotee with total submission to the Almighty. In the following Abhang Saint Tukaram describes his eagerness to experience the presence of God within and around. This eagerness is as intense as that of a hungry child waiting for the mother.

तू माझी माउली | तू माझी साउली |
पहातो वाटुली | देवराया (पांडुरंगे) ||१||
तू मज एकला | वडील धाकुला |
तू मज आपुला | सोयरा जीव ||२||
तुका म्हणे जीव | तुजपाशी असे |
तुजविण ओस | सर्व दिशा ||३||
                   ~ संत तुकाराम

तू ही मेरी मैया | तू ही मेरी छैया |
राह तकत है जिया | प्रभुजी मेरे ||१||
तुम मुझे एक ही | बड़े और छोटे भी |
मेरे प्रान हो तुम ही | मेरे अपने ||२||
तुका कहे तुम संग | जान रहे बनी |
तुम बिन सूनी | सब ही दिशा ||३||
                   ( हिंदी अनुवाद ~ डॉ. सुषमा जोग)

Oh Lord! You are my mother. You are (the cool) shade (in the unbearably hot surroundings) for me. I am waiting (anxiously) for you.
You alone are my kith and kin. You are my elder one as well as younger one.
Tuka says that my soul is with you. All the directions are vacant without you.

(God is everywhere, yet perceiving His presence, experiencing Him is a lifetime striving. Having knowledge about God is not enough to experience Him.
In this Abhang Saint Tukaram describes his anxiousness to meet God. He knows that God is everything for him and is all the time with him, yet he is unable to perceive Him. He is waiting for God like a child for the mother. He finds everything desolate without God.)