Abhanga 1861
For today: deva is wretched, wretched — jumps for a fruit-stem; deva is timid, timid — guards Bali's door; deva is sincere, sincere — becomes the dāsa's servant; deva is yes-deva, yes-deva — as one says, thus to him; deva is small-small — Tuka says — anurēṇa.
The verse
देव बराडी देव बराडी । घाली देंठासाटीं उडी ॥१॥ देव भ्याड देव भ्याड । राखे बळीचें कवाड ॥ध्रु.॥ देव भाविक भाविक । होय दासाचें सेवक ॥२॥ देव होया देव होया । जैसा म्हणे तैसा तया ॥३॥ देव लाहान लाहान । तुका म्हणे अनुरेण ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: Deva is wretched, deva is wretched — jumps for a fruit-stem. Deva is timid, deva is timid — guards Bali's door. Deva is sincere, sincere — becomes the dāsa's servant. Deva is yes-deva, yes-deva — as one says, thus to him. Deva is small-small — Tuka says — anurēṇa.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देव बराडी देव बराडी | "deva is barāḍī (wretched) — (repeated)" |
| घाली देंठासाटीं उडी | "jumps — for the sake of (a fruit-)stem (dēṇṭhā)" |
| देव भ्याड देव भ्याड | "deva is bhyāḍa (timid / coward) — (repeated)" |
| राखे बळीचें कवाड | "guards — Bali's door" |
| देव भाविक भाविक | "deva is bhāvika (sincere) — (repeated)" |
| होय दासाचें सेवक | "becomes — the dāsa's servant" |
| देव होया देव होया | "deva is hō'yā (yes-deva) — (repeated)" |
| जैसा म्हणे तैसा तया | "as one says — thus to him" |
| देव लाहान लाहान | "deva is small-small (lāhāna)" |
| तुका म्हणे अनुरेण | "Tuka says — anurēṇa (atom-small)" |
What it means
Deva-deva-litany — comic-littleness abhang. Continues 1858-1865 cluster.
Verse 1 — barāḍī: deva is barāḍī (wretched) — jumps for a fruit-stem. Dēṇṭhā = the stem-of-a-fruit. The deva-jumps-eagerly for a-mere-fruit-stem (= even for a small-offering). (Comic.)
Verse 2 — bhyāḍa: deva is bhyāḍa (timid) — guards Bali's door. Krishna-guards-Bali's-door (= the famous-story where Viṣṇu, after taking-three-strides as Vāmana, became Bali's gatekeeper). The deva is bhyāḍa-enough to-guard a daitya-king's-door. (Comic-elevation-deflation.)
Verse 3 — bhāvika: deva is bhāvika (sincere) — becomes the dāsa's servant. Echoes 1826's Lord-as-bhakta's-servant register.
Verse 4 — hō'yā: deva is hō'yā (yes-deva) — as one says, thus to him. Hō'yā = the yes-man, the agreeable-one. The deva-agrees-to-whatever-the-bhakta-says. (= cosmic-pliability.)
Verse 5 — lāhāna: deva is small-small — Tuka says — anurēṇa. Anurēṇa = atom-small particle / atomic-mote. The cosmic-Lord shrinks-down to-anurēṇa.
The whole-verse-progression deflates-cosmic-deva to: wretched, timid, sincere-servant, yes-man, atom-small.
[T]
For someone today
For today: deva is wretched, wretched — jumps for a fruit-stem; deva is timid, timid — guards Bali's door; deva is sincere, sincere — becomes the dāsa's servant; deva is yes-deva, yes-deva — as one says, thus to him; deva is small-small — Tuka says — anurēṇa.
Where this applies
- Wretched-jumps-for-fruit-stem.* Deva-barāḍī-dēṇṭhā-uḍī.
- Timid-guards-Bali's-door.* Deva-bhyāḍa-Bali-kavāḍa.
- Sincere-dāsa's-servant.* Deva-bhāvika-dāsa-sēvaka.
- Yes-deva-as-one-says.* Deva-hō'yā-jaisā-taisā.
- Small-small-anurēṇa.* Deva-lāhāna-anurēṇa.