Abhanga 1923
Watching the road for those who carry your heartfelt message, and running out to greet them with respect, is itself an act of devotion and love.
The verse
येती वारकरी । वाट पाहातों तोंवरी ॥१॥ घालूनियां दंडवत । पुसेन निरोपाची मात ॥ध्रु.॥ पत्र हातीं दिलें । जया जेथें पाठविलें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे येती । जाइन सामोरा पुढती ॥३॥
Literal translation
The Vārakarīs come — I watch the path till then. After offering daṇḍavata — I'll ask the message-news. The letter is in hand — to whom-and-where it was sent. Tuka says: they come — I'll go ahead-to-meet.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| येती वारकरी | "the Vārakarīs come" |
| वाट पाहातों तोंवरी | "I watch the path till then" |
| घालूनियां दंडवत | "after offering daṇḍavata" |
| पुसेन निरोपाची मात | "I'll ask the message-news" |
| पत्र हातीं दिलें | "the letter is in hand" |
| जया जेथें पाठविलें | "to whom-and-where it was sent" |
| तुका म्हणे येती | "Tuka says — they come" |
| जाइन सामोरा पुढती | "I'll go ahead-to-meet" |
What it means
Vārakarī-messengers + letter-given-and-received abhang. Letter-sent-with-saints cluster — explicit confirmation of the cluster's framing.
The opening: yētī Vārakarī — vāṭa pāhātōm tōmvarī — the Vārakarīs come — I watch the path till then. The bhakta watches the path-of-Vārakarī-return.
The greeting: ghālūniyām daṇḍavata — pusēna niropācī māta — after offering daṇḍavata — I'll ask the message-news. Daṇḍavata = the full-prostration; niropācī māta = the message-news. First-prostrate, then-ask-for-the-news.
The letter-confirmation: patra hātī dilē — jayā jēthē pāṭhavilē — the letter is in hand — to whom-and-where it was sent. This explicitly-confirms the cluster's framing — the letter is in-the-Vārkarī's-hand, to-be-delivered to-Pandhari-nātha-at-Pandhari.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē yētī — jā'ina sāmōrā puḍhatī — Tuka says: they come — I'll go ahead-to-meet. When-they-return-from-Pandhari, I'll-go-meet-them eagerly.
This abhang explicitly confirms the cluster's letter-via-Vārkarī framing — the colophon's claim that-this-is-letters-sent-with-the-saints is here textually-vindicated.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the Vārakarīs come — I watch the path till then; after offering daṇḍavata — I'll ask the message-news; the letter is in hand — to whom-and-where it was sent; Tuka says — they come — I'll go ahead-to-meet.
Where this applies
- When you're waiting for a loved one to return from a long journey and keep glancing at the road
- When you've asked a friend to carry an important message and you're eager to hear how it went
- When you want to greet someone returning from something sacred with genuine respect first, before anything else
- When you find joy in the rituals of community that connect you to people and places you love