Abhanga 1375
For today: long to serve those who overcame duality — show me this varma, Hari, make the inner mark; saint-bhēṭī is hard but jaga-jēṭhī arranged it; then I'll lie down in sukha's company.
The verse
कोणा पुण्यें यांचा होईन सेवक । जींहीं द्वंदादिक दुराविलें ॥१॥ ऐसें वर्म मज दावीं नारायणा । अंतरीं च खुणा प्रकटोनि ॥ध्रु.॥ बहु अवघड असे संतभेटी । तरि जगजेठी करुणा केली ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मग नयें वृत्तीवरी । सुखाचे शेजारीं पहुडईन ॥३॥
Literal translation
By whose puṇya will I become servant of those who drove out dvanda-ādi? Show me this varma, Nārāyaṇa — make the khuṇa appear within the antar. Saint-bhēṭī is very avaghaḍa — yet jaga-jēṭhī showed karuṇā. Tuka says: then (the mind) doesn't come to vṛtti — (I'll) lie down in sukha's company.
मराठी: कोणा पुण्यानें — यांचा (संतांचा) सेवक होईन — जींहीं — द्वन्द्व-आदिकें — दुराविलें? असें वर्म — मज दावीं — नारायणा — अंतरीं-च — खुणा प्रकटोनि. बहु अवघड — असे — संत-भेटी — तरी — जग-जेठीनें — करुणा केली. Tukā म्हणे — मग — वृत्ती-वरी — मन येत नाहीं — सुखाच्या शेजारीं — पहुडईन.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कोणा पुण्यें यांचा होईन सेवक | "by whose puṇya — will I become sēvaka of these (saints)?" |
| जींहीं द्वंदादिक दुराविलें | "those who have driven out (durāvilēm) — dvanda-ādi (duality and the rest)" |
| ऐसें वर्म मज दावीं नारायणा | "this varma — show me — Nārāyaṇa" |
| अंतरीं च खुणा प्रकटोनि | "in the antar — (make) the khuṇa appear (prakaṭōnī)" |
| बहु अवघड असे संतभेटी | "saint-bhēṭī — is very avaghaḍa (difficult)" |
| तरि जगजेठी करुणा केली | "yet — jaga-jēṭhī (lord-of-the-world) — showed karuṇā" |
| मग नयें वृत्तीवरी | "then — (the mind) doesn't come (nayē) — to vṛtti" |
| सुखाचे शेजारीं पहुडईन | "in sukha's śējāra (company / next-to) — I'll pahuḍa'īna (lie down / rest)" |
What it means
Servant-of-those-who-overcame-duality abhang. The opening longing: kōṇā puṇyē yāncā hō'īna sēvaka — jīmhīm dvanda-ādika durāvilēm? — bywhose puṇyawill I becomesēvaka(servant) ofthose—thosewho have driven outdvanda-ādi(duality and the rest of the dualities)? The bhakta's request is not to overcome duality himself — but to serve those who have. Servant-of-the-jīvan-mukta is the goal.
The plea: aisē varma maja dāvīm Nārāyaṇā — antarīm chi khuṇā prakaṭōnī — show me thisvarma(secret), Nārāyaṇa — make thekhuṇa(sign / mark) appear within the antar. The varma cannot be told outwardly; let the khuṇa (the inner-mark of recognition) appear within.
The acknowledgment: bahu avaghaḍa asē samta-bhēṭī — tarī jaga-jēṭhī karuṇā kēlī — saint-bhēṭī is veryavaghaḍa(difficult) — yetjaga-jēṭhī(lord of the world) showed karuṇā. Meeting the saints isn't easy — Hari himself had to arrange it. (This frames the entire warkari saint-tradition as Hari's-karuṇā-extending-into-history.)
The closing rest-image: maga nayē vṛttī-vari — sukhāce śējārīm pahuḍa'īna — then (the mind) doesn't come tovṛtti(= the moving-mind-mode) — (I'll) lie down insukha'sśējāra(next-to / company). After serving such saints, the mind no longer enters vṛtti-mode (= the agitation-state); the bhakta lies down beside sukha — domestic-image of bhakti at rest.
[T]
For someone today
For today: long to serve those who overcame duality — show me this varma, Hari, make the inner mark; saint-bhēṭī is hard but jaga-jēṭhī arranged it; then I'll lie down in sukha's company.
Where this applies
- When you feel unready to reach peace on your own but long to be near someone who has found it
- When you want an inner sign of guidance instead of a rule someone hands you from outside
- When arranging time with a wise or grounded person in your life feels almost impossible
- When your mind is restless and you notice it finally settles in the company of someone truly calm