Abhanga 2540
English: What greatness will I, low one, describe — you become compassionate, kṛpā-ocean.
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
English: 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.
[T]
For someone today
For today: ★★★ Lord protects the sparrows at Kurukṣetra ★★★ — even-the-smallest-creatures who-call-on-the-Lord-with-pāva-bā-Śrīpati are-protected; ★★★ such-māyā for-bhaktas — our Mother ★★★.
Where this applies
- ★★★ Kurukṣetra-sparrows-laid-eggs ★★★. ★★★ Kuru-kṣētra-bhūmīvarī-pakṣī-vyālē ★★★.
- ★★★ Sparrows-call-Pāva-bā-Śrīpati ★★★. ★★★ Pāva-bā-Śrīpati-mhaṇōniyām ★★★.
- ★★★ Elephant's-bell-suddenly-fell-upon-them ★★★. ★★★ Gajāchiyā-kaṇṭhīm-ghaṇṭā-pāḍilī-avachitī ★★★.
- ★★★ 18-days-no-wind-no-sun-touched-them ★★★. ★★★ Aṭharā-divasa-vārā-ūna-lāgalē-nāhīm ★★★.
- ★★★ Tukārām's-conclusion: such-māyā-for-bhaktas — our-Mother ★★★. ★★★ Tujhī-māyā-bhaktāñchī-Mā'ulī-Tukā-mhaṇē ★★★.