Abhanga 2705
A useful template for the humble offering of 'I don't know how to serve, but here is my jīva.' All-misfortuned — yet you have preserved me; my head at the sants' feet, hands folded; if I knew how, I would serve; destitute and weak; offering the jīva, I beg for mercy. The verse is the language for a moment when one cannot claim qualification or skill, only honesty about capacity and the willingness to offer what one is — the jīva itself. The kīmva (mercy) being begged-for is the result that doesn't depend on qualifications.
The verse
सर्व भाग्यहीन । ऐसें सांभाळिलों दीन ॥१॥
पायीं संतांचे मस्तक । असों जोडोनि हस्तक ॥ध्रु.॥
जाणें तरि सेवा । दीन दुर्बळ जी देवा ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे जीव । समर्पून भाकीं कींव ॥३॥
Literal translation
Sarva bhāgya-hīna (all-misfortuned, totally-luckless) — thus you have sāmbhāḷilōm (preserved, taken-care-of) this dīna (destitute). The mastaka (head) at the sants' feet, jōḍōnī hastaka (with hands folded). If I know (how), then sevā; dīna durbaḷa (destitute and weak), O Deva. Tukā says: offering (samarpūn) the jīva, I beg for kīmva (mercy).
What it means
A short humble-offering verse. Sarva bhāgya-hīna — aisē sāmbhāḷilōm dīna — all-misfortuned — thus (in this all-misfortuned state) you have preserved this destitute one. The opening is a recognition: the preservation is not because of merit but despite the sarva-bhāgya-hīna condition. The Lord has sāmbhāḷilōm (kept-and-protected) the destitute as he was, with no qualifications.
The dhrūpada names the offering-gesture: pāyīm santāñce mastaka — asō jōḍōnī hastaka — the head at the sants' feet, hands folded together. The complete offering-posture: head-at-feet + hands-folded. The bhakta places himself in this position.
The second verse: jāṇē tari sevā — dīna durbaḷa jī devā — if I know how — then service; destitute and weak, O Deva. The offering is conditional on knowing-how: if I knew, I would serve. Dīna durbaḷa — destitute and weak — the honest naming of capacity. The bhakta does not pretend to greater service-skill than he has.
The close: jīva samarpūn bhākī kīmva — offering the jīva, I beg forkīmva(mercy). Samarpaṇa (offering) and bhāka (begging) come together: the bhakta offers the jīva itself as the only-thing-he-can-offer, and begs for kīmva (pity, mercy, compassion).
For someone today
A useful template for the humble offering of 'I don't know how to serve, but here is my jīva.' All-misfortuned — yet you have preserved me; my head at the sants' feet, hands folded; if I knew how, I would serve; destitute and weak; offering the jīva, I beg for mercy. The verse is the language for a moment when one cannot claim qualification or skill, only honesty about capacity and the willingness to offer what one is — the jīva itself. The kīmva (mercy) being begged-for is the result that doesn't depend on qualifications.
मराठी: 'मला सेवा कशी करावी हे माहीत नाही, पण हाच माझा जीव तुला अर्पण करतो' अशी नम्र विनवणी करण्यासाठी हा अभंग एक उपयुक्त साचा देतो. सर्वस्वी दुर्दैवी असूनही — तू मला, या दीनाला, सांभाळले आहेस; संतांच्या पायांशी माझे मस्तक, हात जोडलेले; जर मला माहीत असते तर मी सेवा केली असती; मी दीन, दुर्बळ आहे; जीव अर्पण करून मी करुणा मागतो. जेव्हा माणसाला आपली पात्रता किंवा कौशल्य सांगता येत नाही, तेव्हा केवळ आपल्या मर्यादांबद्दल प्रामाणिक राहून आणि जे आहे तेच — म्हणजे स्वतःचा जीव — अर्पण करण्याची तयारी दाखवण्यासाठी हा अभंग शब्द देतो. मागितलेली करुणा ही कोणत्याही पात्रतेवर अवलंबून नसलेला परिणाम आहे.
Where this applies
- A humble offering-of-jīva prayer for the destitute
- The head-at-sants-feet-hands-folded complete gesture
- Honesty about dīna-durbaḷa (destitute-weak) capacity-limits
- The I would serve if I knew how honest disclaimer