Abhanga 2491
Across many old stories the same pattern repeats: pride gets quietly humbled, and the divine meets each being in its own particular mood and manner.
The verse
न कळे माव मुनि मागे एकी अंतुरी । साठी संवत्सरां जन्म तया उदरीं ॥१॥ कैसा आकळे गे माये चपळ वो । त्रिभुवनव्यापक सकळ वो ॥ध्रु.॥ हनुमंता भेटी गर्व हरिला दोहींचा । गरुडा विटंबना रूपा सत्यभामेच्या ॥२॥ द्रौपदीचा भेद पुरविला समयीं । ॠषि फळवनीं देंठीं लावितां ठायीं ॥३॥ अर्जुनाच्या रथीं कपि स्तंभीं ठेविला । दोहीं पैज तेथें गर्व हरी दादुला ॥४॥ भावभक्ती सत्वगुण जाला दुर्जना । तुका म्हणे सकळां छंदें खेळे आपण ॥५॥
Literal translation
The rishi behind one wife — 60 years' birth in her womb. How to know māyā chapaḷa — three-world-pervasive. Hanumat-meeting humbled both — Garuḍa-mocked-by-Satya-bhāmā's-form. Draupadī's-secret filled in time — ṛṣi fed by stalk-flowers. Kapi on Arjuna's chariot-banner — both bets, the Lord harvested the pride. Tuka says: bhāva-bhakti sattva-guṇa for the durjana — plays in everyone's mode.
What it means
THE MULTIPLE KṚṢṆA-MĀYĀ-LĪLĀ ALLUSIONS ABHANG. Five Purāṇic-episodes in five verses.
The Purāṇic-allusions (cf. 2476 for similar catechism-style): 1. Rishi-60-years-in-womb — perhaps Bharadvāja or Aṣṭāvakra story 2. Hanumat-meeting — humbled-both (Hanuman vs Bhīma in Mahābhārata, where Bhīma's-pride is broken by Hanuman's tail) 3. Garuḍa-mocked-by-Satya-bhāmā — Garuḍa-pride humbled by-Satya-bhāmā's-form 4. Draupadī-fed-the-fastless-ṛṣi — by-stalk-flowers (Durvāsa episode) 5. Kapi-on-Arjuna's-chariot-banner — Hanuman placed on Arjuna's banner-during-Kurukṣetra
Common thread: each-episode shows-Kṛṣṇa-or-the-Lord humbling-pride (garva-harī) of-various-beings.
The closing: sakaḷām chhandē khēḷē āpaṇa — plays in everyone's mode. The Lord plays in-each-being's-own-mode — māyā-līlā-as-adaptive-play.
[T]
For someone today
For today: māyā is unknowable; multiple Purāṇic-episodes show pride-humbled; Lord plays in everyone's mode.
Where this applies
- When you notice your own confidence quietly turning into pride without realizing it
- When someone strong or accomplished gets humbled by an unexpected turn of events
- When you're in a crisis and help arrives at the very last possible moment
- When you feel God or life doesn't speak to everyone the same way, but somehow still reaches each person