Abhanga 1243
English: Both hands placed on the waist, standing on Bhīvarē's bank — you have undergone hardship for our sake, Viṭṭhalā.
The verse
दोन्ही हात ठेवुनि कटीं । उभा भीवरेच्या तटीं । कष्टलासी साटीं । विठ्ठला ॥१॥ भागलासी मायबापा । बहु श्रम केल्या खेपा । आम्हालागीं सोपा । दैत्या काळ कृतांत ॥ध्रु.॥ होतासी क्षीरसागरीं । मही दाटली असुरीं । म्हणोनियां घरीं । गौळियांचे अवतार ॥२॥ केला पुंडलिकें गोवा । तुज पंढरीसि देवा । तुका म्हणे भावा । साटीं हातीं सांपडसी ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Both hands placed on the waist, standing on Bhīvarē's bank — you have undergone hardship for our sake, Viṭṭhalā. You got tired, mayabāpa — many trips, much śrama — for us — daityas, kāḷa, kṛtānta were easy (to handle). You were in the kṣīrasāgara — the earth was crowded with asuras — therefore the avatāra in the gauḷīs' house. Puṇḍalika captured you at Paṇḍharī, Deva. Tuka says: for bhāva (= bhāva-only) you fall into any hand.
मराठी: दोन्ही हात कटीं ठेवून — भीवरेच्या तटीं उभा — आम्हांसाठीं तू कष्टलास, विठ्ठला. भागलास, मायबापा — खूप श्रमाच्या खेपा — आमच्या-साठीं सोपा — दैत्य, काळ, कृतांत. तू क्षीरसागरीं होतास — मही असुरांनीं दाटली — म्हणून गवळ्यांच्या घरीं अवतार. पुंडलिकानें तुला पंढरीला गोवा (पकडून) ठेवलें, देवा — Tukā म्हणे — भावा-साठीं तू हातीं सांपडतोस.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| दोन्ही हात ठेवुनि कटीं | "having placed both hands on the kaṭi (waist)" |
| उभा भीवरेच्या तटीं | "standing on the bank (taṭīm) of Bhīvarē (= Bhīmā river)" |
| कष्टलासी साटीं | "you have undergone hardship — for our sake (sāṭīm)" |
| भागलासी मायबापा | "you got tired, mayabāpa" |
| बहु श्रम केल्या खेपा | "many trips (khēpā), much śrama" |
| आम्हालागीं सोपा | "for us — easy (sōpā)" |
| दैत्या काळ कृतांत | "(handling) daitya, kāḷa (death-time), kṛtānta (death-spirit)" |
| होतासी क्षीरसागरीं | "you were in the kṣīrasāgara (milk-ocean)" |
| मही दाटली असुरीं | "the earth (mahī) was crowded with asuras" |
| म्हणोनियां घरीं | "therefore in the house" |
| गौळियांचे अवतार | "of the gauḷī (cowherds) — the avatāra" |
| केला पुंडलिकें गोवा | "Puṇḍalika did the gōvā (capture/holding-fast)" |
| तुज पंढरीसि देवा | "of you at Paṇḍharī, Deva" |
| भावा साटीं हातीं सांपडसी | "for bhāva — you fall into the hand" |
What it means
Bhupāḷyā 5 of 8 — the centerpiece. Tukaram's most iconic description of Viṭṭhala's image.
The opening couplet dōnnhī hāta kaṭīm — ubhā Bhīvarē-cyā taṭīm has become probably the most-recited line about Viṭṭhala in all Marathi bhakti. The image is the vigraha (icon) at Paṇḍharpur: - Both hands on the hips — the kaṭi-hasta posture, the standing-with-hands-on-waist that distinguishes Viṭṭhala from all other Viṣṇu-icons - Standing on the bank of Bhīvarē (the Bhīmā river, also called Candrabhāgā at Paṇḍharpur)
The implicit reading-of-the-stance: kaṣṭalāsī sāṭīm — Viṭṭhalā — for our sake you've undergone hardship — and now you stand at the bank, having walked the road. The hands-on-waist is read as the slightly-tired stance of one who has come a long way for us.
The cosmology in 4 lines: you were in kṣīrasāgara (Vaikuṇṭha-substrate) — earth was crowded with asuras — therefore avatāra in the gauḷī's house (Kṛṣṇa as cowherd-child).
The closing aphorism — bhāvā sāṭīm hātīm sāmpaḍasī — for bhāva you fall into the hand — is the warkari teaching in nine syllables: only bhāva catches Hari. Puṇḍalika is the proof: a brick (the vīṭa) at his feet held off the cosmic-immense — by bhāva alone.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the dōnnhī-hāta-kaṭīm-Bhīvarē-taṭīm stance is for you — he stands tired-from-the-road for your sake; bhāva-alone catches him.
Where this applies
- Dōnnhī-hāta-kaṭīm.* Hands-on-waist stance.
- Bhīvarē-taṭīm.* Standing on Bhīmā's bank.
- Kaṣṭalāsī-sāṭīm.* Hardship for our sake.
- Cosmic-condescension.* Kṣīrasāgarīm-to-gauḷī-avatāra.
- Puṇḍalika-captured.* Puṇḍalikēm-gōvā.
- For-bhāva-falls-in-hand.* Bhāvā-sāṭīm-hātīm-sāmpaḍasī.
- Bhupāḷyā-5-of-8 — centerpiece.*