Abhanga 2422
English: What is my voice for your praise — I place head at the feet.
The verse
तुमचे स्तुतियोग्य कोटें माझी वाणी । मस्तक चरणीं ठेवीतसें ॥१॥ भिक्तभाग्य तरी नेदीं तुळसीदळ । जोडूनि अंजुळ उभा असें ॥ध्रु.॥ कैचें भाग्य ऐसें पाविजे संनिध । नेणें पाळूं विध करुणा भाकीं ॥२॥ संतांचे सेवटीं उच्छिष्टाची आस । करूनियां वास पाहातसें ॥३॥ करीं इच्छा मज म्हणोत आपुलें । एखादिया बोलें निमित्याच्या ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे शरण आलों हें साधन । करितों चिंतन रात्रदिवस ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: What is my voice for your praise — I place head at the feet. Not even tulasī-leaf for bhakti-blessing — I stand with folded hands. What fortune like this nearness — I don't keep ritual, I plead with mercy. ★ At saints' end, hope for uchchhiṣṭa (leftovers) — making my dwelling, I watch ★. Do desire — call me yours — by some pretext-word. Tuka says: I came in śaraṇa — this is my sādhana — I contemplate night-day.
What it means
★ THE HOPE-FOR-UCHCHHIṢṬA-AT-SAINTS'-END ABHANG ★. A celebrated humility-image.
★ THE LEFTOVERS-IMAGE ★: santāñchē sēvaṭīm uchchhiṣṭāchī āsa — karūniyām vāsa pāhātasē — ★ at saints' end, hope for uchchhiṣṭa-leftovers — making my dwelling, I watch ★. Uchchhiṣṭa = food-leftovers. ★ At the saints'-meal-end, [I] hope-for the-uchchhiṣṭa (leftovers); making my-dwelling there, I-watch. ★ The lowest-humility-image — the bhakta hopes only-to-eat the-saints' leftover-food, the spiritual-equivalent of-prasāda.
★ HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE ★: The uchchhiṣṭāchī āsa image is used by-many bhakti-poets as-the-ultimate-humility — to-want-only-the-saints'-leftovers and-not-even-direct-divine-favor. Aligns with-the prasāda-tradition.
The pretext-call: karīm ichchhā maja mhaṇōta āpulē — ēkhādiyā bōlē nimityāchyā — call me yours by some pretext-word. Call-me-yours by-some-pretext (any-excuse-will-do).
[T]
For someone today
For today: what is my voice for your praise; not even tulasī-leaf; ★ at saints' end, hope only for the leftovers ★; call me yours by any pretext; śaraṇa is my night-day sādhana.
Where this applies
- Hope-for-uchchhiṣṭa-at-saints'-end. Santāñchē-sēvaṭīm-uchchhiṣṭāchī-āsa.