Abhanga 2489
The verse
तरि च जन्मा यावें । दास विठ्ठलाचें व्हावें ॥१॥ नाहीं तरि काय थोडीं । श्वानशूकरें बापुडीं ॥ध्रु.॥ ज्याल्याचें तें फळ । अंगीं लागों नेदी मळ ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे भले । ज्याच्या नावें मानवलें ॥३॥ ॥ लळतें ९ ॥
Literal translation
English: ★ Then take birth — be Viṭhṭhala's servant ★. ★ Otherwise — dogs and pigs aren't lacking ★. Life's fruit — let no stain touch. Tuka says: good — whose name is honored. ★ ॥ laḷatēm-9 ॥ (closing-colophon of laḷatēm sub-section) ★.
What it means
★ THE TAKE-BIRTH-ONLY-AS-VIṬHṬHALA'S-DĀSA ABHANG ★. Closes the laḷatēm (clinging/petitioning) sub-section of 9 abhangs.
★ THE STARK CHOICE ★: tari cha janmā yāvē — dāsa Viṭhṭhalāchē vhāvē // nāhīm tari kāya thōḍīm — śvāna-śūkarē bāpuḍīm — ★ then take birth — be Viṭhṭhala's servant // otherwise — dogs and pigs aren't lacking ★. ★ Take-human-birth ONLY if-you'll-be-Viṭhṭhala's-servant; otherwise, dogs-and-pigs are-not-in-short-supply. ★ The harsh-stark choice: human-birth has-only-one-justifiable-purpose — Viṭhṭhala-bhakti. Without-it, just-add-to-the-animal-population.
★ THE COLOPHON ★: ॥ laḷatēm ९ ॥ — closes a sub-section of laḷatēm (clinging-petitioning?) 9 abhangs. Structural marker in the Gatha.
[T]
For someone today
For today: ★ take human-birth ONLY to be Viṭhṭhala's servant ★; ★ otherwise — dogs-and-pigs already exist enough ★.
Where this applies
- Human-birth-justified-only-by-Viṭhṭhala-service. Tari-cha-janmā-yāvē-dāsa-Viṭhṭhalāchē-vhāvē.
- Otherwise-dogs-and-pigs-aren't-lacking. Nāhīm-kāya-thōḍīm-śvāna-śūkarē-bāpuḍīm.