Abhanga 2784
Āḍaliyā janā hōsī sahā-kārī — (you) are the sahā-kārī (helper) of the āḍalele (stuck) people; andhaḷiyā-karī kāṭhī tūm chi — in the andhaḷā (blind one)'s hand — you yourself are the kāṭhī (stick).
The verse
आडलिया जना होसी सहाकारी । अंधळियाकरीं काठी तूं चि ॥१॥
आडिले गांजिले पीडिले संसारीं । त्यांचा तूं कैवारी नारायणा ॥ध्रु.॥
प्रल्हाद महासंकटीं रक्षिला । तुम्ही अपंगिला नानापरी ॥२॥
आपुलें चि अंग तुम्ही वोडविलें । त्याचें निवारलें महा दुःख ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे तुझे कृपे पार नाहीं । माझे विठाबाईं जननीये ॥४॥
Literal translation
Āḍaliyā janā hōsī sahā-kārī — (you) are the sahā-kārī (helper) of the āḍalele (stuck) people; andhaḷiyā-karī kāṭhī tūm chi — in the andhaḷā (blind one)'s hand — you yourself are the kāṭhī (stick). Āḍile gāñjile pīḍile samsārīm — the stuck, tormented, pained in samsāra; tyāñca tūm kaivārī Nārāyaṇā — you are their kaivārī (champion), Nārāyaṇa. Prahlāda mahā-sankaṭīm rakṣilā — Prahlāda was protected in great-calamity; tumhī apangile nānā-parī — you apangile (took-care-of, sheltered) (him) in many ways. Āpule chi anga tumhī voḍavile — you offered (voḍavile = brought-forth, put-out) your own anga (body); tyāñca nivāralē mahā-duḥkha — (his) mahā-duḥkha (great-pain) was averted. Tukā says: tujhe krpe pāra nāhī — there is no pāra (end, far-shore) to your krpā; mājhe Viṭhābāī jananīye — my Viṭhābāī jananī (Viṭhā-bāī mother).
What it means
A tender helper-prayer verse. Āḍaliyā janā hōsī sahā-kārī — andhaḷiyā-karī kāṭhī tūm chi — (you) are the helper of the stuck people — in the blind one's hand, you yourself are the stick. Two-fold image: helper of the stuck (āḍalele) and stick in the blind one's hand. The stick-image is precise: the blind one needs a kāṭhī (cane) to walk; the Lord IS that kāṭhī.
The dhrūpada extends the champion-claim: āḍile gāñjile pīḍile samsārīm — tyāñca tūm kaivārī Nārāyaṇā — the stuck, tormented, pained-in-samsāra — you are their kaivārī (champion), Nārāyaṇa. Kaivārī — champion, defender, advocate — the Lord takes-up-the-cause of the suffering-in-samsāra.
The second verse names the Prahlāda-precedent: Prahlāda mahā-sankaṭīm rakṣilā — tumhī apangile nānā-parī — Prahlāda was protected in great-calamity — you sheltered him in many ways. The classic-bhakti-precedent: Prahlāda the child-bhakta who was tortured by his father Hiraṇyakaśipu and protected by Viṣṇu in nānā-parī (many ways). The historical-proof of the kaivārī-function.
The third verse: āpule chi anga tumhī voḍavile — tyāñca nivāralē mahā-duḥkha — you offered your own body — (his) great-pain was averted. The Lord put-his-own-body forward; the bhakta's pain was averted. This is the foundational-claim of bhakti-as-substitutionary-protection.
The close: tujhe krpe pāra nāhī — mājhe Viṭhābāī jananīye — there is no end to your krpā — my Viṭhābāī jananī (mother). Viṭhābāī — the affectionate-feminine-form of Viṭhṭhal-as-mother. Jananī (mother) — direct-address.
For someone today
A useful tender helper-prayer. You are the helper of the stuck — the stick in the blind one's hand. You are the champion of the tormented-in-samsāra. Prahlāda was protected in great-calamity. You offered your own body — his pain was averted. Your krpā has no end — my Viṭhābāī mother. The I-am-blind, you-are-the-stick image is precise. The Prahlāda-precedent gives historical-proof. The you-offered-your-own-body claim is bhakti's foundational-substitution. And the Viṭhābāī-jananī close is the affectionate-feminine-naming.
Where this applies
- The canonical you-are-the-blind-one's-stick helper-of-the-stuck prayer
- The Prahlāda-protection precedent
- You-offered-your-own-body substitutionary-protection claim
- My Viṭhābāī jananī affectionate-mother addressing