(59) Naniir putul tutul tutul
Our puppet of cream is dancing majestically,
Hands and feet waving as it laughs and laughs.
Its fingers are like magnolia buds;
A heavenly glow fills its eyes.
A budding flower plucked from its bower,
Our baby has arrived in a new land.
This infant will be protected; this infant will be nurtured—
This infant will be raised on our lap with love.
Audio recording
This is the song generally sung at Ananda Marga baby-naming ceremonies.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting to consider the imagery used by Baba for babies and various concepts associated with them. Some of the imagery is Bengali, but some of it may well be original.
Baba refers to the baby as a "puppet of cream". This is a term of endearment sometimes used in Bengal.
Baba likens the baby's fingers to magnolia buds. This appeals to the senses. I imagine this to be Baba's own imagery.
Baba describes the baby's arrival in terms of a flower bud plucked from a bower. This is somewhat novel to me. The comparison of the infant to a flower bud, its mother's womb to a bower, and the delivery to a plucking – that strikes me as more appealing than the Western equivalent of a stork dropping the kid off in a cabbage patch.