Abhanga 1446
For today: Hari sniffs at one bhakta's simple morsel, leaves another's formal offering tasteless; the cowherd-Hari loves bhāva; eats leftovers at one place, leaves cheated at another; the path is simple — the Infinite in many forms.
The verse
एकाचिया घाट्या टोके । एक फिके उपचार ॥१॥ ऐसी सवे गोविळया । भाव तया पढियंता ॥ध्रु.॥ एकाचेथें उच्छिष्ट खाय । एका जाय ठकोणि ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे सोपें । बहु रूपें अनंत ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: At one's ghāṭyā Hari sniffs — another's upacāra is phikē. Such is the Gōviḷā's savē — bhāva is paḍhiyanta to him. At one's, he eats ucchiṣṭa — at another's, he goes ṭhakōnī. Tuka says: sōpēm — bahu rūpēm — the ananta.
मराठी: एकाचिया — घाट्या — टोके; — एक — फिके — उपचार. ऐसी — सवे — गोविळया; — भाव — तया — पढियंता. एकाचेथें — उच्छिष्ट — खाय; — एका — जाय — ठकोणि. Tukā म्हणे — सोपें; — बहु — रूपें — अनंत.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| एकाचिया घाट्या टोके | "(at) one's — ghāṭyā (= mouthful / morsel) — (Hari) ṭōkē (= sniffs at / pecks at)" |
| एक फिके उपचार | "another (ēka) — phikē (insipid) — upacāra (= treatment / formal-offering)" |
| ऐसी सवे गोविळया | "such (aisī) — savē (= habit / way) — of the Gōviḷā (= cowherd, Hari)" |
| भाव तया पढियंता | "bhāva — to him (tayā) — paḍhiyanta (= dear-loved)" |
| एकाचेथें उच्छिष्ट खाय | "at one's place — ucchiṣṭa (= leftovers, jhuṭha) — he eats" |
| एका जाय ठकोणि | "at another's — he goes (jāya) — ṭhakōnī (= duped / cheated / fooled)" |
| तुका म्हणे सोपें | "Tuka says — sōpēm (= simple / easy)" |
| बहु रूपें अनंत | "many rūpas — the ananta (= the Infinite, Hari)" |
What it means
Hari-loves-bhāva-takes-many-forms abhang. A charming-domestic-Hari abhang. The opening contrast: ēkāciyā ghāṭyā ṭōkē — ēka phikē upacāra — at one bhakta's ghāṭyā (morsel / mouthful) — Hari sniffs (= takes interest, pecks at); — another's — upacāra (formal-offering) — is phikē (insipid). Striking contrast: at one bhakta's place — Hari peers eagerly at the simple morsel; at another bhakta's — the elaborate formal-offering tastes flat. (= the upacāra-elaborate-pūjā without bhāva leaves Hari unmoved.)
The principle: aisī savē Gōviḷyā — bhāva tayā paḍhiyantā — such is the savē (= habit / way) — of the Gōviḷā (= cowherd Kṛṣṇa, here applied to Viṭhṭhal); — bhāva — to him — is paḍhiyanta (= dear-loved). Gōviḷā-Hari (the cow-keeper-Hari of Vṛndāvana) loves bhāva. (= the cowherd-Hari particularly favors simple, rustic, bhāva-laden offerings.)
The contrast extended: ēkācēthēm ucchiṣṭa khāya — ēkā jāya ṭhakōnī — at one's (bhakta) — ucchiṣṭa (= leftovers, jhuṭha) — he eats; — at another's — he goes — ṭhakōnī (= duped / cheated / fooled). Two domestic-images: (1) at the bhakta-of-bhāva's house, Hari eats even leftovers (= the leftovers of love, like Śabarī's pre-tasted berries in Rāmāyaṇa) — because of the bhāva; (2) at the bhakta-without-bhāva's, Hari leaves cheated (= goes-empty-handed). (One of the most charming-domestic Hari-images in this stretch; pairs with 1411's kōraḍēm-dhānya-maṭa-maṭām — Hari crunching dry-grain.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē sōpēm — bahu rūpēm ananta — Tuka says — sōpēm (= simple / easy); — many rūpas — the ananta. The infinite-Hari in many forms — but the path is simple (= just give bhāva, however roughly).
[T]
For someone today
For today: Hari sniffs at one bhakta's simple morsel, leaves another's formal offering tasteless; the cowherd-Hari loves bhāva; eats leftovers at one place, leaves cheated at another; the path is simple — the Infinite in many forms.
Where this applies
- Sniffs-morsel-leaves-formal-offering-insipid.* Ghāṭyā-ṭōkē-upacāra-phikē.
- Cowherd-Hari-loves-bhāva.* Gōviḷā-bhāva-paḍhiyanta.
- Eats-leftovers-at-one-cheated-at-another.* Ucchiṣṭa-khāya-jāya-ṭhakōnī.
- Simple-many-forms-of-Infinite.* Sōpēm-bahu-rūpēm-ananta.