Abhanga 1507
For today: what heaps of merit pierced the sky?; you (Hari) became compassionate and kept care of me; what samcita turned-toward me? — I don't know how so much; I don't know what Nārāyaṇa has done.
The verse
काय पुण्यराशी । गेल्या भेदूनि आकाशीं ॥१॥ तुम्ही जालेति कृपाळ । माझा केला जी सांभाळ ॥ध्रु.॥ काय वोळलें संचित । ऐसें नेणें अगणित ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नेणें । काय केलें नारायणें ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: What puṇya-rāśī went bhēdūnī ākāśīm? You have become kṛpāḷa — of me, sāmbhāḷa was done. What samcita vōḷalēm — like that, agaṇita, I don't know. Tuka says: I don't know — what Nārāyaṇa has done.
मराठी: काय — पुण्य-राशी? — गेल्या — भेदूनि — आकाशीं? तुम्ही — जालेति — कृपाळ; — माझा — केला — जी — सांभाळ. काय — वोळलें — संचित? — ऐसें — नेणें — अगणित. Tukā म्हणे — नेणें; — काय — केलें — नारायणें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| काय पुण्यराशी | "what — puṇya-rāśī (heaps of merit)" |
| गेल्या भेदूनि आकाशीं | "went (gēlyā) — piercing (bhēdūnī) — into the ākāśa (sky)" |
| तुम्ही जालेति कृपाळ | "you — have become (jālēti) — kṛpāḷa (compassionate)" |
| माझा केला जी सांभाळ | "of me — done — sir (jī) — sāmbhāḷa (= keeping-care / safeguard)" |
| काय वोळलें संचित | "what samcita — turned-toward (vōḷalēm)?" |
| ऐसें नेणें अगणित | "like that — I do not know — agaṇita (= uncountable)" |
| तुका म्हणे नेणें | "Tuka says — I do not know" |
| काय केलें नारायणें | "what — Nārāyaṇa — has done" |
What it means
What-merit-heaps-pierced-the-sky abhang. The opening wonder: kāya puṇya-rāśī — gēlyā bhēdūnī ākāśīm — what puṇya-rāśī (heaps of merit) — went — piercing — into the ākāśa (sky)? The bhakta's astonishment at being-favored: what merit must have been accumulated and risen-into-the-sky for this to happen? (Striking-image: merit-heaps that pierce-the-sky*.)
The credit-to-Hari: tumhī jālēti kṛpāḷa — mājhā kēlā jī sāmbhāḷa — you (politely) — have become kṛpāḷa (= compassionate); — of me — sāmbhāḷa (= keeping-care) — was done, sir. (= Hari's compassion is the cause; sāmbhāḷa (kept-care) the action.)
The samcita-wonder: kāya vōḷalēm samcita — aisēm nēṇē agaṇita — what samcita — turned-toward (me)? — like that, agaṇita (uncountable), I don't know. What accumulated-merit turned-toward me? — I don't know how it could be so much. (= the bhakta refuses to claim merit as his own; the abundance is wholly mysterious.)
The closing-humility: nēṇē — kāya kēlēm Nārāyaṇē — I don't know — what — Nārāyaṇa has done. I simply don't know what Hari has done (to bring this about). (= classic grace-as-mystery; cf. 1495's Hari-as-bhakta's-debtor-takes-all-trouble*; same gratitude-mode.)
This abhang pairs well with 1506: 1506 announced birth's-fruit truly arrived; Time can no longer exert force; 1507 wonders what merit-heaps pierced the sky to make this so?. The pair: fulfillment + wonder-at-its-cause.
[T]
For someone today
For today: what heaps of merit pierced the sky?; you (Hari) became compassionate and kept care of me; what samcita turned-toward me? — I don't know how so much; I don't know what Nārāyaṇa has done.
Where this applies
- Merit-heaps-pierce-sky.* Puṇya-rāśī-bhēdūnī-ākāśīm.
- Hari-became-compassionate-kept-care.* Kṛpāḷa-sāmbhāḷa.
- What-samcita-turned-uncountable.* Samcita-vōḷalēm-agaṇita.
- Don't-know-what-Hari-did.* Nēṇē-Nārāyaṇē-kēlēm.