Abhanga 2540
Even the smallest, most helpless creature that cries out to God in danger is sheltered and protected, because God's compassion for his devotees is like a mother's.
The verse
काय तुझी थोरी वणूप मी पामर । होसी दयाकर कृपासिंधु ॥१॥ तुज ऐसी दया नाहीं आणिकासी । ऐसें हृषीकेशी नवल एक ॥ध्रु.॥ कुरुक्षेत्रभूमीवरी पक्षी व्याले । तृणामाजी केलें कोठें त्यांनीं ॥२॥ अकस्मात तेथें रणखांब रोविला । युद्धाचा नेमिला ठाव तेथें ॥३॥ कौरव पांडव दळभार दोन्ही । झुंजावया रणीं आले तेथें ॥४॥ तये काळीं तुज पक्षी आठविती । पाव बा श्रीपती म्हणोनियां ॥५॥ हस्ती घोडे रथ येथें धांवतील । पाषाण होतील शतचूर्ण ॥६॥ ऐसिये आकांतीं वांचों कैसे परी । धांव बा श्रीहरी लवलाहें ॥७॥ टाकोनियां पिलीं कैसें जावें आतां । पावें जगन्नाथा लवलाहीं ॥८॥ आली तिये काळीं कृपा तुझ्या चित्ता । अनाथांच्या नाथा नारायणा ॥९॥ एका गजाचिया कंठीं घंटा होती । पाडिली अवचिती तयांवरी ॥१०॥ अठरा दिवस तेथे द्वंदजुंज जालें । वारा ऊन लागलें नाहीं तयां ॥११॥ जुंज जाल्यावरी दाविलें अर्जुना । तुम्हीं नारायणा पिक्षयांसी ॥१२॥ पाहें आपुलिया दासां म्यां रिक्षलें । रणीं वांचविलें कैशा परी ॥१३॥ ऐसी तुज माया आपुल्या भक्तांची । माउली आमुची तुका म्हणे ॥१४॥
Literal translation
What greatness will I, low one, describe — you become compassionate, kṛpā-ocean. No one has compassion like you — what a wonder, Hṛṣīkēśī. Sparrows laid eggs on Kurukṣetra's-battlefield — in the grass, somewhere they made [the nest]. Suddenly a battle-pillar was driven there — the field of war was fixed there. Kaurava and Pāṇḍava — both armies came there to fight. At that time the sparrows remembered you — saying "Come, O Śrīpati". Horses, elephants, chariots will run here — stones will be pulverized to-hundreds. In such calamity, how to live — run, O Śrī-Hari, quickly. Abandoning the chicks, how to go now — come, O Jagannātha, quickly. At that time compassion came to your chitta — O Nātha-of-the-orphans, Nārāyaṇā. An elephant's neck-bell was there — suddenly fell upon them. For 18 days the great battle happened — wind and sun did not touch them. After the battle ended, [you] showed to Arjuna — "You [see], Nārāyaṇa, [these] sparrows. See, my dāsas, whom I have-protected — in the battle saved in such a way." Such is your māyā for your bhaktas — our Mother, Tukā says.
What it means
THE KURUKṢETRA-SPARROWS-PROTECTION 14-VERSE NARRATIVE. ONE OF TUKĀRĀM'S MOST-CELEBRATED PURĀṆIC-BHAKTI-CONFIDENCE STORIES.
The story (a popular-Marathi-bhakti-narrative, possibly from regional-Bhāgavata-tradition): 1. Sparrows nested with eggs in the grass at Kurukṣetra 2. The battle-pillar (raṇa-khāmba) was driven there before the war 3. Both armies arrived to fight 4. The sparrows realized danger and called on Kṛṣṇa-Śrīpati: "Pāva bā Śrīpati, come quickly!" 5. They worried: horses-chariots-elephants will trample, stones-will-pulverize 6. "Abandoning the chicks, how to go? Come, Jagannātha, quickly!" 7. Compassion came to-the-Lord-of-the-orphans 8. An elephant's neck-bell suddenly fell upon them — sheltering them 9. For 18 days of war, wind and sun did not touch them 10. After the war, Kṛṣṇa showed Arjuna the sparrows alive: "See how I protected my dāsas" 11. Tukārām's conclusion: "Such is your māyā for bhaktas — our Mother, says Tukā"
HISTORICAL-CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: - One of Tukārām's most-famous Purāṇic-bhakti-confidence narratives — the sparrows-at-Kurukṣetra is a celebrated-folk-bhakti story - The 14-verse length is unusual — Tukārām rarely sustains-narrative for this long - Functions as a proof-text for the Lord's-protection-of-the-helpless - Companion to 2445's Gajendra-mokṣa narrative — both show the Lord's-emergency-rescue-of-bhaktas - Cited in Vārkarī kīrtans when illustrating the anāthāñchyā Nātha (Lord-of-the-orphans) theme - The story is uniquely Tukārām's-extended-treatment — though referenced briefly in other bhakti-traditions, the 14-verse extended narrative is distinctive
The bell-as-shelter image — an elephant's neck-bell falling-by-accident to-shelter-the-sparrows for-18-days — is a beautiful-folk-improvisation showing the Lord's anuchitā chi (incidental-providential) protection.
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For someone today
Tukaram tells the story of sparrows who nested with their eggs in the grass at Kurukshetra, right where the armies of the Kauravas and Pandavas were about to fight. Realizing the danger, the sparrows cried out, calling on Krishna to save them rather than abandon their chicks. In answer, an elephant's neck-bell fell by chance and sheltered the nest, and for eighteen days of battle no wind or sun ever touched them; afterward Krishna showed Arjuna the sparrows still alive and said this is how he protects those who are his. Tukaram concludes that this same compassion, this same motherly care, is what God holds for every devotee, however small or helpless they feel.
मराठी: तुकाराम अशा चिमण्यांची कथा सांगतात ज्यांनी कुरुक्षेत्रावरील गवतात आपली अंडी घालून घरटे केले होते, नेमके त्याच जागी जिथे कौरव आणि पांडवांच्या सैन्यांना लढायचे होते. धोका ओळखून चिमण्यांनी आक्रोश केला आणि आपल्या पिल्लांना सोडून न जाता कृष्णाला वाचवण्यासाठी हाक मारली. त्याला उत्तर म्हणून एका हत्तीच्या गळ्यातील घंटा अचानक पडली आणि घरट्याला आसरा दिला, आणि अठरा दिवसांच्या युद्धातही त्यांना वारा किंवा ऊन कधीच लागले नाही; युद्धानंतर कृष्णाने अर्जुनाला त्या जिवंत चिमण्या दाखवून सांगितले की आपल्या भक्तांचे मी असेच रक्षण करतो. तुकाराम शेवटी म्हणतात की हीच करुणा, हीच मातृवत काळजी, देव प्रत्येक भक्तासाठी बाळगतो, मग तो कितीही लहान किंवा असाहाय्य वाटला तरी.
Where this applies
- When you feel too small or insignificant for God to notice or care about
- When disaster seems to be closing in around you and there's nowhere to run
- When you feel torn between protecting someone dependent on you and saving yourself
- When you doubt that divine protection could really reach someone as ordinary as you