Abhanga 2766
A useful celebration-template for unmerited-blessings. Whose puṇya bore fruit — today I have seen feet. Thus unknown, Nārāyaṇa — sants have preserved the destitute. What a gain-time — the day is auspicious. The gain came naturally, Viṭhṭhala. The mood is gentle-wonder. The bhakta doesn't claim I earned this; he asks whose puṇya and admits I don't know (aisē neṇē). The proper-response to unmerited-blessing is this gentle-wonder rather than triumphant-claim.
The verse
कोणा पुण्या फळ आलें । आजि देखिलीं पाउलें ॥१॥
ऐसें नेणें नारायणा । संतीं सांभाळिलें दीना ॥ध्रु.॥
कोण लाभकाळ । दीन आजि मंगळ ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे जाला । लाभ सहज विठ्ठला ॥३॥
Literal translation
Kōṇā puṇyā phaḷa ālē — whose puṇya (merit) — phaḷa (fruit) has come; āji dekhilīm pā'ulē — today I have seen feet. Aisē neṇē Nārāyaṇā — thus neṇē (unknown), Nārāyaṇa; santīm sāmbhāḷilē dīnā — sants have preserved the destitute. Kōṇa lābha-kāḷa — what a lābha-kāḷa (gain-time); dīna āji mangaḷa — the day today is mangaḷa (auspicious). Tukā says: jālā lābha sahaja Viṭhṭhalā — the lābha (gain) has come naturally, Viṭhṭhala.
What it means
A short celebration-of-darśana verse. Kōṇā puṇyā phaḷa ālē — āji dekhilīm pā'ulē — whose puṇya bore fruit — today I have seen feet. The bhakta-recognition that seeing the feet today is the fruit of someone's puṇya — but the bhakta is uncertain whose puṇya. The implication: it's-not-mine; it's someone's-(perhaps-a-sant's-or-ancestor's). The darśana is a received-fruit, not an earned-result.
The dhrūpada: aisē neṇē Nārāyaṇā — santīm sāmbhāḷilē dīnā — thus unknown, Nārāyaṇa — sants have preserved the destitute. The bhakta does not know how-or-why this happened (aisē neṇē) — but he recognizes that the sants have preserved this destitute one. The agency is named: the sants.
The second verse: kōṇa lābha-kāḷa — dīna āji mangaḷa — what a gain-time — the day today is auspicious. The wonder-and-celebration of the moment.
The close: jālā lābha sahaja Viṭhṭhalā — the gain has come naturally, Viṭhṭhala. Sahaja (natural, effortless) — the gain came naturally, not by-the-bhakta's-effort. Viṭhṭhala is the seal-of-the-recognition.
For someone today
A useful celebration-template for unmerited-blessings. Whose puṇya bore fruit — today I have seen feet. Thus unknown, Nārāyaṇa — sants have preserved the destitute. What a gain-time — the day is auspicious. The gain came naturally, Viṭhṭhala. The mood is gentle-wonder. The bhakta doesn't claim I earned this; he asks whose puṇya and admits I don't know (aisē neṇē). The proper-response to unmerited-blessing is this gentle-wonder rather than triumphant-claim.
Where this applies
- A celebration-of-darśana prayer
- Recognizing that darśana is the fruit-of-someone's-puṇya (perhaps not one's own)
- The gain-is-natural-Viṭhṭhala recognition of unmerited-blessing
- Gentle-wonder rather than triumphant-claim as the response