Abhanga 1318
True humility asks only for the lowest place near what is sacred, trusting that closeness and support, not status, bring real rest.
The verse
द्याल ठाव तरि राहेन संगती । संतांचे पंगती पायांपाशीं ॥१॥ आवडीचा ठाव आलोंसें टाकून । आतां उदासीन न धरावें ॥ध्रु.॥ सेवटील स्थळ निंच माझी वृत्ति । आधारें विश्रांती पावईन ॥२॥ नामदेवापायीं तुक्या स्वप्नीं भेटी । प्रसाद हा पोटीं राहिलासे ॥३॥ ॥२॥
Literal translation
If you give a place — I'll stay in the sangati — at the saints' pangati at the feet. (I) came having abandoned the place of (other) longings — now don't keep (me) udāsīna. The last place fits my nīnca vṛtti — by support I'll attain viśrānti. At Nāmdēv's feet — Tukā's bhēṭī in svapna — this prasāda has remained in the pōṭa.
मराठी: द्याल ठाव — तर मी संगतींत राहेन — संतांच्या पंगतीं — पायांपाशीं. आवडीचा ठाव टाकून आलों — आतां उदासीन (दुर) करूं नका. सेवटीचें स्थळ — माझ्या नीच वृत्तीला बरें — आधारानें-च विश्रांति पावेन. नामदेवापायीं Tukyā स्वप्नीं भेटी — हा प्रसाद पोटीं राहिलासे. ॥२॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| द्याल ठाव तरि राहेन संगती | "if you give a ṭhāva (place) — I'll stay in the sangati (company)" |
| संतांचे पंगती पायांपाशीं | "at the saints' pangati (table-row) — at the feet" |
| आवडीचा ठाव आलोंसें टाकून | "came having abandoned the ṭhāva of āvaḍī (other longings)" |
| आतां उदासीन न धरावें | "now — don't keep (me) udāsīna (estranged / disowned)" |
| सेवटील स्थळ निंच माझी वृत्ति | "the last (sēvaṭīla) sthaḷa (place) — fits my nīnca (low) vṛtti" |
| आधारें विश्रांती पावईन | "by ādhāra (support) — I'll attain viśrānti (rest)" |
| नामदेवापायीं तुक्या स्वप्नीं भेटी | "at Nāmdēv's feet — Tukā's bhēṭī (meeting) in svapna" |
| प्रसाद हा पोटीं राहिलासे | "this prasāda — has remained in (my) pōṭa" |
| ॥२॥ | "(closes the dream-commission set: 2 abhangs = 1317-1318)" |
What it means
Closes the Nāmdēv-Pāṇḍuranga-dream-commission ॥२॥ sub-set (1317-1318). Where 1317 was the commission-narrative (Nāmdēv with Pāṇḍuranga came in svapna and ordered Tuka to do kavitva), 1318 is Tuka's response.
The response is humble-and-precise: 1. Give me a place — I'll stay in the sangati — but not just anywhere — at the saints' pangati, at the feet. Pangati is the table-row at a feast — Tuka asks for a seat at the saints' meal-row, which means at the feet of the saints (those who serve at the row, not those who sit at the head).
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Sēvaṭīla sthaḷa nīnca mājhī vṛtti — the last (= lowest) place fits my low vṛtti. The classic bhakta-humility: I want only the last seat. Ādhārē viśrāntī pāva'īna — by (saint's) support, I'll attain viśrānti.
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Nāmdēvāpāyīm Tukyā svapnīm bhēṭī — prasāda hā pōṭīm rāhilāsē — at Nāmdēv's feet — Tuka's bhēṭī in svapna — thisprasādahas remained in the pōṭa. The dream-commission isn't just a memory — it has gone into the pōṭa and remained there as nutrition. The svapna-bhēṭī is digested as prasāda.
The marker ॥२॥ at the end seals the 2-abhang dream-commission group. Together with 1317-1318, this forms one of the most cited sub-sets in warkari biography: Nāmdēv-and-Pāṇḍuranga-came-in-dream-and-ordered-Tuka-to-complete-the-śata-koṭi-count.
[T]
For someone today
For today: when commissioned, ask only for the lowest place at the saints' table; the prasāda goes into your pōṭa and remains.
Where this applies
- When you are given an honor or responsibility and your instinct is to ask for the smallest role, not the biggest one
- When you have given up something you used to care about and now fear being overlooked or abandoned
- When you find strength simply in staying close to people you admire, rather than in status or recognition
- When a meaningful encounter or moment keeps quietly sustaining you long after it happened