Abhanga 2449
The verse
भाविकांचें काज अंगें देव करी । काढी धर्माघरीं उच्छिष्ट तें ॥१॥ उच्छिष्ट तीं फळें खाय भिल्लटीचीं । आवडी तयांची मोठी देवा ॥ध्रु.॥ काय देवा घरीं न मिळेची अन्न । मागे भाजीपान द्रौपदीसी ॥२॥ अर्जुनाचीं घोडीं धुतलीं अनंतें । संकटें बहुतें निवारिलीं ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे ऐसीं आवडती लडिवाळें । जाणीवेचें काळें तोंड देवा ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: ★★ Lord-himself does bhakta's work — picked up uchchhiṣṭa at Dharma's house ★★. ★ Ate Bhillaṭīnī's tasted-fruits — great love for them ★. No food at Dēva's own house? — begged greens from Draupadī. ★ Ananta washed Arjuna's horses — averted many crises ★. Tuka says: such pampered-ones are loved — for the knowing, black is the face.
What it means
★★★ THE LORD-DOES-MENIAL-WORK-FOR-BHAKTAS ABHANG ★★★. Four Purāṇic-allusions in four verses — each showing Kṛṣṇa-Viṣṇu's menial-service to-a-bhakta.
The four Purāṇic-stories:
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★ Yudhiṣṭhira's uchchhiṣṭa (Mahābhārata) ★: kāḍhī Dharmā gharīm uchchhiṣṭa tē — picked up uchchhiṣṭa at Dharma's house. Kṛṣṇa picked-up leftover-leaf-plates at Yudhiṣṭhira's Rājasūya-yajña — a menial-task.
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★ Śabarī's tasted-fruits (Rāmāyaṇa) ★: uchchhiṣṭa tīm phaḷē khāya Bhillaṭīchīm — āvaḍī tayāñchī mōṭhī Dēvā — ★ ate Bhillaṭīnī's (Śabarī's, the Bhil-tribal-woman's) tasted-fruits — great love for them ★. Rāma ate the-already-tasted-jujube-fruits that Śabarī had-tasted-first-to-check-sweetness for-him.
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★ Draupadī's greens (Mahābhārata) ★: kāya Dēvā gharīm na miḷēchi anna — māgē bhājīpāna Draupadīsī — no food at Dēva's own house? — begged greens from Draupadī. Kṛṣṇa came-to-Draupadī's-empty-pot in-the-forest and made-himself-content with-a-single-leaf-of-greens — feeding-the-universe through-it (the Durvāsa-rishi-feast episode).
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★ Arjuna's horses-washed (Mahābhārata) ★: Arjunāchīm ghōḍīm dhutalīm Anantē — ★ Ananta washed Arjuna's horses ★. As Arjuna's-charioteer, Kṛṣṇa washed-the-chariot-horses every-day — another menial-service.
The theological-point: aiśīm āvaḍatī laḍivāḷē — ★ such pampered-ones (laḍivāḷē = pampered, beloved children) are loved [by the Lord] ★. The Lord is-actively-engaged in-menial-tasks for-his-bhaktas — overturning the-power-hierarchy of-divine-and-servant.
★ HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE ★: This abhang is a compressed catechism of Vārkarī bhakti-confidence — citing four Purāṇic-precedents to-argue that-the-Lord-personally-attends to-bhakta-needs. The four stories are among the most-quoted in Marathi-bhakti-tradition.
[T]
For someone today
For today: ★★ the Lord himself does the bhakta's work ★★; ate Śabarī's tasted-fruits; begged greens from Draupadī; ★ washed Arjuna's horses ★; such pampered-ones are loved.
Where this applies
- Lord-does-menial-work-for-bhaktas. Bhāvikāñchē-kāja-angē-Dēva-karī.
- Śabarī's-tasted-fruits. Uchchhiṣṭa-Bhillaṭīchīm-phaḷē.
- Draupadī's-greens. Bhājīpāna-Draupadīsī.
- Arjuna's-horses-washed. Arjunāchīm-ghōḍīm-dhutalīm-Anantē.