Abhanga 2820
Kāsayā jī aisā mājhe māthām ṭhevā — why, sir, (do you) place such (a burden) on my head; bhāra tumhī Devā santa-jana — the burden, you, Deva (and) sant-people.
The verse
कासया जी ऐसा माझे माथां ठेवा । भार तुम्ही देवा संतजन ॥१॥
विचित्र विंदानी नानाकळा खेळ । नाचवी पुतळे नारायण ॥ध्रु.॥
काय वानरांची अंगींची ते शक्ति । उदका तरती वरी शिळा ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे करी निमित्य चि आड । चेष्टवूनि जड दावी पुढें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Kāsayā jī aisā mājhe māthām ṭhevā — why, sir, (do you) place such (a burden) on my head; bhāra tumhī Devā santa-jana — the burden, you, Deva (and) sant-people. Vichitra vindānī nānā-kaḷā khēḷa — the vichitra vindānī (wonder-player), of various-arts (nānā-kaḷā) plays; nāchavī putale Nārāyaṇa — Nārāyaṇa makes the putale (puppets, dolls) dance. Kāya vānarāñcī angīñcī te śakti — what (was) the strength (śakti) in the bodies of the vānara (monkeys)?; udakā taratī varī śiḷā — the śiḷā (stones) floated on the udaka (water). Tukā says: karī nimitta chi āḍa — (he) makes (use of) the nimitta (instrumental-cause) as (just a) āḍa (screen); cheṣṭavūnī jaḍa dāvī puḍhe — making the jaḍa (dull, heavy) perform (cheṣṭavūnī), (he) shows (it) ahead.
What it means
A short authorship-disclaimer verse. Kāsayā jī aisā mājhe māthām ṭhevā — bhāra tumhī Devā santa-jana — why place this on my head — the burden, you, Deva and sant-people. The opening protest: don't put-the-credit on my head. The bhakta refuses authorship-of-his-own-poetry-or-bhakti.
The dhrūpada: vichitra vindānī nānā-kaḷā khēḷa — nāchavī putale Nārāyaṇa — Nārāyaṇa — the wonder-player of various arts — makes the puppets dance. Vindānī — the player, the show-maker. Putale (puppets, dolls) — we are the puppets; Nārāyaṇa is the show-maker.
The second verse offers the proof-image: kāya vānarāñcī angīñcī te śakti — udakā taratī varī śiḷā — what (was) the strength in the bodies of the vānara (monkeys)? — the stones floated on water. The reference: the Rāmāyaṇa episode where Rāma's monkey-army built a bridge to Lankā with floating-stones (the stones were-floated-by-being-marked-with-Rāma's-name). Was-it-the-monkeys'-own-strength? No — the Lord made the impossible happen.
The close: karī nimitta chi āḍa — cheṣṭavūnī jaḍa dāvī puḍhe — (he) uses the nimitta as a screen — making the dull perform, (he) shows (it) ahead. Nimitta (instrumental-cause, apparent-doer) — the bhakta is just the apparent-doer; the real-doer is the Lord behind-the-screen. Cheṣṭavūnī jaḍa dāvī puḍhe — making the dull-one (the bhakta) perform, (he) shows (the performance). (Compare 2807's mūḍhā jaḍā maja cheṣṭavile.)
For someone today
A useful authorship-disclaimer prayer. Why place (the credit) on my head, sant-people? Nārāyaṇa — wonder-player of various arts — makes the puppets dance. What was the strength of the monkeys? — the stones floated on water. (He) uses the nimitta as a screen, making the dull perform, showing it ahead. The verse permits honest disclaimer: when one finds-oneself doing-what-one-couldn't-have-done, attribute-it-to-Nārāyaṇa, not to oneself. The monkeys-floated-stones image is precise: the strength of the monkeys was not the cause; the Name was. So with the bhakta: the strength of his bhakti-or-poetry is not his own; the Lord-behind-the-screen is the cause.
Where this applies
- The Nārāyaṇa-is-the-puppeteer; I-am-just-a-puppet humility-disclaimer
- Recognizing the monkeys-made-stones-float impossibility-overcome
- Nimitta-as-screen; jaḍa-made-to-perform authorship-disclaimer
- Pairs with 2807's mūḍhā-jaḍā-maja-cheṣṭavile and 2676's mī-āhē-majūra-Viṭhōbāñcā