Abhanga 1816
When you receive quiet, unasked-for kindness that never counted your faults against you, the only honest response is gratitude, since you have no way to truly repay it.
The verse
काय तुझे उपकार पांडुरंगा । सांगों मी या जगामाजी आतां ॥१॥ जतन हें माझें करूनि संचित । दिलें अवचित आणूनियां ॥ध्रु.॥ घडल्या दोषांचें न घली च भरी । आली यास थोरी कृपा देवा ॥२॥ नव्हतें ठाउकें आइकिलें नाहीं । न मगतां पाहीं दान दिलें ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे याच्या उपकारासाटीं । नाहीं माझें गाठीं कांहीं एक ॥४॥
Literal translation
What your upakāra, Pāṇḍuranga — let me tell in this world now. Guarding my samcita, you gave it unexpectedly, bringing it. The doṣas occurred — you don't add up the count — to him has come great kṛpā, deva. Not known, not heard — without asking, behold, the gift was given. Tuka says: for his upakāra — nothing in my knot, not one thing.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| काय तुझे उपकार पांडुरंगा | "what your upakāra — Pāṇḍuranga" |
| सांगों मी या जगामाजी आतां | "let me tell — in this world — now" |
| जतन हें माझें करूनि संचित | "guarding — my samcita (= the stored)" |
| दिलें अवचित आणूनियां | "gave — unexpectedly — bringing it" |
| घडल्या दोषांचें न घली च भरी | "the doṣas (that) occurred — you don't add up the count" |
| आली यास थोरी कृपा देवा | "to him — has come — great kṛpā — deva" |
| नव्हतें ठाउकें आइकिलें नाहीं | "not known — not heard" |
| न मगतां पाहीं दान दिलें | "without asking — behold — gift was given" |
| तुका म्हणे याच्या उपकारासाटीं | "Tuka says — for his upakāra — for-the-sake-of" |
| नाहीं माझें गाठीं कांहीं एक | "not — in my knot — anything one (= no single thing)" |
What it means
Lord's-upakāra-list + nothing-to-give-back abhang. Companion to 1815.
The opening: kāya tujhē upakāra Pāṇḍurangā — sāngōm mī yā jagā-mājī ātām — what your upakāra, Pāṇḍuranga — let me tell in this world now. The bhakta proclaims he-will-tell-the-Lord's-upakāra to-the-world.
Upakāra 1 — samcita guarded and given: jatana hē mājhē karūni samcita — dilē avacita āṇūniyām — guarding my samcita, you gave it unexpectedly, bringing it. Samcita = the stored-merit / accumulated-store; jatana = guarding; avacita = unexpectedly. The Lord guards-the-bhakta's-samcita and gives-it-back-when-needed, unexpectedly.
Upakāra 2 — doṣas not counted: ghaḍalyā dōṣāñcē na ghalī chi bharī — ālī yāsa thōrī kṛpā dēvā — the doṣas occurred — you don't add up the count — to him has come great kṛpā, deva. Bharī = count, sum. The Lord doesn't tally-up-the-occurred-doṣas; instead, great-kṛpā has-come.
Upakāra 3 — gift without knowing or hearing: navhatē ṭhā'ukē āikilē nāhīm — na magatām pāhīm dāna dilē — not known, not heard — without asking, the gift was given. I didn't-know-it, hadn't-heard-of-it; without-asking, the-gift-was-given. (= the Lord gives-things the-bhakta-couldn't-have-asked-for, beyond-his-imagining.)
The closing-confession: Tukā mhaṇē yācyā upakārā-sāṭīm — nāhīm mājhē gāṇṭhī kāhīm ēka — Tuka says: for his upakāra, nothing in my knot, not one thing. The bhakta's empty-knot-confession: for all-this upakāra, I have nothing-in-my-store to-repay-with. (= the gratitude-without-means-to-give-back.)
This abhang completes the 1815-1816 praise-of-Pāṇḍuranga pair: 1815 celebrates the saving-qualities; 1816 lists the upakāra and confesses the empty-knot. Together they form a praise + gratitude liturgical-unit.
[T]
For someone today
For today: what your upakāra, Pāṇḍuranga — let me tell in this world now; guarding my samcita, you gave it unexpectedly, bringing it; the doṣas that occurred — you don't add up the count — great kṛpā has come; not known, not heard — without asking, the gift was given; Tuka says — for his upakāra, nothing in my knot, not one thing.
Where this applies
- When you realize someone quietly helped you in ways you never even asked for or knew about
- When you look back and see that your mistakes were never held against you by someone who cared for you
- When you receive a gift or a piece of good fortune so unexpected that you had no way to plan or ask for it
- When you feel you owe someone more gratitude than you could ever repay in kind