The mother's favor, knowing creates distance
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
धाकुटयाचे मुखीं घांस घाली माता । वरी करी सत्ता शाहाणियां ॥१॥
ऐसें जाणपणें पडिलें अंतर । वाढे तों तों थोर अंतराय ॥ध्रु.॥
दोन्ही उभयतां आपण चि व्याली । आवडीची चाली भिन्न भिन्न ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे अंगापासूनि निराळें । निवडिलें बळें रडतें स्तनीं ॥३॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
A mother places food in the mouth of the younger child while she exercises authority over the older, wiser ones. Through such knowing, a deliberate distance has crept in; the more one grows, the greater the gap becomes. She gave birth to both from her own body, yet her affection runs along separate paths. Says Tuka, she separates from her own body what is still crying at the breast, doing so by the force of discernment.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
A mother puts the food into the mouth of the younger child, while over the older, wiser ones she exercises authority. Through such knowing, a gap has opened up; the more a child grows, the wider the distance becomes. She bore both of them from her own body, yet her affection runs along separate paths. Tuka says: she pushes away from her own body, by sheer force of judgment, the one who is still crying at her breast.
What it means
Tukaram uses a mother's two children to picture how God treats the simple and the clever. The little one she feeds with her own hand and holds at the breast; the grown, knowing child she keeps at arm's length and merely commands. Both came from the same body, but their cleverness has put distance between them and her tenderness. The lesson, consistent with this whole cluster, is that knowingness, the pride of being wise, separates us from God's intimate care, while the helpless, dependent one is fed directly. Wisdom that puffs us up is exactly what opens the gap.
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