Abhanga 2732
A useful gratitude-prayer for those who teach the way. The good-one tells his own self-welfare as he knows the right-way; we are in his hand and he dances the chitta as he wishes; the way-teller has no-end of puṇya, countless benefits; you sants are very compassionate, you have done the fitting for us. The diagnostic of the bhalā: he tells his own sva-hita; he doesn't perform for our benefit, he just tells; his telling-as-overflow becomes our way-finding. The acknowledgment of being nāchavitō chittī — the chitta is being-danced — is also instructive: we are not the autonomous-agents of our own attention; the good-one moves us. Receive that movement and acknowledge it as gift.
The verse
भल्याचें कारण सांगावें स्वहित । जैसी कळे नीत आपणासी ॥१॥
परी आम्ही असों एकाचिये हातीं । नाचवितो चित्ती त्याचें तैसें ॥ध्रु.॥
वाट सांगे त्याच्या पुण्या नाहीं पार । होती उपकार अगणित ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे तुम्ही बहु कृपावंत । आपुलें उचित केलें संतीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Bhalyāñcē kāraṇa sāngāve sva-hita — the bhalā (good-one) should tell his own sva-hita (self-welfare); jaisī kaḷē nīta āpaṇāsī — as the nīta (right-way) is known to him. Parī āmhī asōm ēkāñcyā hātīm — but we are in ēkāñcyā hātīm (in one's hands); nāchavitō chittī tyāñce taisē — he dances (nāchavitō) the chitta as he wishes. Vāṭa sāngē tyāñcyā puṇyā nāhī pāra — the way-teller's puṇya has no end; hōtī upakāra agaṇita — countless are the upakāra (benefits, favors). Tukā says: tumhī bahu krpāvanta — āpulē uchita kelē santīm — you (sants) are very compassionate — you have done the uchita (fitting) for us.
What it means
A short gratitude-acknowledgment verse. Bhalyāñcē kāraṇa sāngāve sva-hita — jaisī kaḷē nīta āpaṇāsī — the good-one should tell his own self-welfare — as the right-way is known to him. The opening: the good-one tells his sva-hita — his own welfare-knowledge is the kāraṇa (cause, basis) of the telling. He tells from his own knowing.
The dhrūpada: āmhī asōm ēkāñcyā hātīm — nāchavitō chittī tyāñce taisē — we are in one's hands — he dances the chitta as he wishes. The receiving-position is named: we are in his hand — the good-one (or perhaps the Lord, or the sants) holds us, and nāchavitō chittī — dances the chitta — as he wishes. The chitta is the puppet; the bhalā is the puppeteer.
The second verse names the result: vāṭa sāngē tyāñcyā puṇyā nāhī pāra — hōtī upakāra agaṇita — the way-teller has no end to his puṇya — countless benefits arise. The vāṭa-sāngē (way-teller) — the one who tells the way — has no-end of puṇya. The benefits (upakāra) he produces are agaṇita (uncountable).
The close is a direct address to the sants: tumhī bahu krpāvanta — āpulē uchita kelē santīm — you are very compassionate — you have done the fitting for us. The bhakta thanks the sants — tumhī santīm — for doing the fitting on his behalf.
For someone today
A useful gratitude-prayer for those who teach the way. The good-one tells his own self-welfare as he knows the right-way; we are in his hand and he dances the chitta as he wishes; the way-teller has no-end of puṇya, countless benefits; you sants are very compassionate, you have done the fitting for us. The diagnostic of the bhalā: he tells his own sva-hita; he doesn't perform for our benefit, he just tells; his telling-as-overflow becomes our way-finding. The acknowledgment of being nāchavitō chittī — the chitta is being-danced — is also instructive: we are not the autonomous-agents of our own attention; the good-one moves us. Receive that movement and acknowledge it as gift.
Where this applies
- Gratitude-prayer to those who teach the way — sants, elders, mentors
- Recognizing that our chitta is being-danced by those-greater
- The vāṭa-sāngē (way-teller) as the no-end-puṇya benefactor
- The acknowledgment: you have done the fitting for us