Abhanga 1568
For today: the cause of avatāra is destroying asuras and saving bhaktas; jaya Viśva-rūpā — I circle the ārtī with body-as-lamp; lion-elephant to demons, Mahā-Kāla to Time, infant to Yaśodā; even the six-śāstras and eighteen-Purāṇas limp at his līlā; he swallowed fourteen worlds yet his belly didn't fill — but eating the cowherd-children's leftovers, he became full; without bhāva no contrivance works — Tukyā-bandhu takes refuge.
The verse
घ्यावया अवतार जालें हें चि निमित्य । असुर संहारूनि तारावे भक्त ॥१॥ जय देव जय देव जय विश्वरूपा । श्रीविश्वरूपा । ओवाळीन तुज देहदीपें बापा ॥ध्रु.॥ दैत्यांसी भासला सिहीं गजान । काळासी महाकाळ यशोदेसी तान्हें ॥२॥ पांगलीं साईं अठरा करितां वेव्हार । तो वळितसे गौळियांचें खिल्लार ॥३॥ गिळिलीं चौदा भूवनें तरि न भरे चि पोट । तो खाउन धाला गोपाळाचें उच्छिष्ट ॥४॥ भावेंविण कांहीं न चले चि युक्ति । राखें शरण तुकयाबंधु करी विनंती ॥५॥
Literal translation
To take avatāra — this is the nimitta — destroying asuras to save bhaktas. Jaya Viśva-rūpā! — I will circle the ārtī with dēha-dīpa, bāpā. To daityas, lion and elephant — to Kāḷa, Mahā-Kāḷa — to Yaśodā, infant. Six-and-eighteen (śāstra-purāṇa) limp when he plays — that one turns the gauḷī's cattle-herd. Swallowed fourteen bhuvanas, yet pōṭa doesn't fill — but eating Gopāḷa's ucchiṣṭa, became dhālā. Without bhāva, no yukti works — protect, refuge — Tukayā-bandhu makes vinanti.
मराठी: घ्यावया — अवतार — जालें — हें — चि — निमित्य; — असुर — संहारूनि — तारावे — भक्त. जय — देव — जय — देव — जय — विश्व-रूपा; — श्री-विश्व-रूपा; — ओवाळीन — तुज — देह-दीपें — बापा. दैत्यांसी — भासला — सिहीं — गजान; — काळासी — महा-काळ — यशोदेसी — तान्हें. पांगलीं — साईं — अठरा — करितां — वेव्हार; — तो — वळितसे — गौळियांचें — खिल्लार. गिळिलीं — चौदा — भूवनें — तरि — न — भरे — चि — पोट; — तो — खाउन — धाला — गोपाळाचें — उच्छिष्ट. भावेंविण — कांहीं — न — चले — चि — युक्ति; — राखें — शरण — तुकयाबंधु — करी — विनंती.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| घ्यावया अवतार जालें हें चि निमित्य | "to take avatāra — this very — is the nimitta" |
| असुर संहारूनि तारावे भक्त | "destroying asuras — to save — bhaktas" |
| जय देव जय देव जय विश्वरूपा | "jaya Deva jaya Deva jaya Viśva-rūpā" |
| ओवाळीन तुज देहदीपें बापा | "I will circle — to you — by dēha-dīpa — bāpā (father)" |
| दैत्यांसी भासला सिहीं गजान | "to daityas — appeared — lion and elephant" |
| काळासी महाकाळ यशोदेसी तान्हें | "to Kāḷa — Mahā-Kāḷa; — to Yaśodā — infant" |
| पांगलीं साईं अठरा करितां वेव्हार | "limped — six-(śāstras), eighteen-(Purāṇas) — when he plays" |
| तो वळितसे गौळियांचें खिल्लार | "that one — turns — gauḷī-khillāra (cowherd-cattle)" |
| गिळिलीं चौदा भूवनें तरि न भरे चि पोट | "swallowed — fourteen bhuvanas — yet — pōṭa not fills" |
| तो खाउन धाला गोपाळाचें उच्छिष्ट | "that one — eating — became full (dhālā) — Gopāḷa's ucchiṣṭa" |
| भावेंविण कांहीं न चले चि युक्ति | "without bhāva — no — yukti — works" |
| राखें शरण तुकयाबंधु करी विनंती | "protect — in refuge — Tukayā-bandhu — makes vinanti" |
What it means
Viśva-rūpa-ārtī. Tukyā-bandhu (= Tuka's brother — Sāvajī?) — composed-by-or-attributed-to-Tukaram's-brother. The opening: ghyāvayā avatāra jālēm hē chi nimitya — asura samhārūnī tārāvē bhakta — totake avatāra—this very is the cause; —destroying asuras— tosave bhaktas. Standard avatāra-purpose-formula (cf. Bhagavad-Gītā 4.7-8: paritrāṇāya sādhūnām vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām).
The avatāra-list: daityāmsī bhāsalā simhī gajāna — kāḷāsī mahā-kāḷa Yaśōdēsī tānhēm — todaityas— appeared aslion(Narasimha) andelephant(Gajendra-rescue-Hari?); — toKāḷa—Mahā-Kāḷa; — toYaśodā—infant(= Bāla-Kṛṣṇa). Many forms for many situations — fierce-to-demons, transcendent-to-Time, infant-to-Yaśodā.
The līlā-paradoxes: pāngalīm sā'ī aṭhārā karitām vēvahāra — six (śāstras) and eighteen (Purāṇas) —limped(= got-stuck) — when he plays hisvēvahāra(worldly-affairs). Even all the scriptures can't keep up with his līlā. — tō vaḷitasē gauḷiyāñcēm khillāra — that-very-one —turnsthegauḷī's —cattle-herd. Yet he cowherd-leads cattle.
The most-striking paradox: giḷilīm caudā bhuvanēm tarī na bharē chi pōṭa — tō khā'una dhālā gōpāḷācēm ucchiṣṭa — swallowedfourteen bhuvanas— yet —pōṭa doesn't fill; —that one— byeating— becamedhālā(full / satisfied) — by theGopāḷa-cowherdsucchiṣṭa(= leftover-food). The Bāla-Kṛṣṇa story: the cosmic-Hari swallows 14 worlds (Yaśodā saw the universe in his mouth) yet his belly isn't filled; — but he gets fully-satisfied eating leftover-food the cowherd-children share with him. (= cosmic-bhāra-bharaṇa-bhāva-paradox: the cosmos doesn't fill him, but bhāva-loaded-leftovers do.)
The closing: bhāvēmviṇa kāhīm na cālē chi yukti — rākhē śaraṇa Tukayā-bandhu karī vinanti — without bhāva — no yukti — works; — protect — in refuge —Tukayā-bandhu(Tuka's brother) — makes vinanti. (Significant: Tukayā-bandhu — Tuka's elder brother (likely Sāvajī, who eventually went to Vārāṇasī as a samnyāsī) is a known Marathi-bhakti-poet too. Several of these āratīs may be his.)
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For someone today
For today: the cause of avatāra is destroying asuras and saving bhaktas; jaya Viśva-rūpā — I circle the ārtī with body-as-lamp; lion-elephant to demons, Mahā-Kāla to Time, infant to Yaśodā; even the six-śāstras and eighteen-Purāṇas limp at his līlā; he swallowed fourteen worlds yet his belly didn't fill — but eating the cowherd-children's leftovers, he became full; without bhāva no contrivance works — Tukyā-bandhu takes refuge.
Where this applies
- When you try to impress someone important with grand gestures but a small, sincere act actually reaches them more
- When you feel that no achievement, however large, is truly satisfying without real love behind it
- When you soften around a child or a humble offering more than around wealth or spectacle
- When you notice that clever plans and strategies fail while genuine feeling quietly succeeds