Abhanga 2823
A useful tender sant-sevā petition. Bowing to (your) feet — this is my fitting; your blessings — my welfare. The compassion-overflow doesn't fit in my belly — therefore my words come upside-down. Your leftovers are my meal — I will sweep the courtyard, the dirt-corner. But such puṇya is not in my pouch — by which I might embrace the feet. The remembrance stays in (my) chitta — such compassion you sants have done. The verse permits the humble-leftover-food + courtyard-sweeping sevā-stance. And the honest-confession: I don't have the puṇya-quantity to actually embrace the feet — but at least the remembrance stays. The remembrance-as-krpā close is the relief.
The verse
नमावे पाय हें माझें उचित । आशीर्वादें हित तुमचिया॥१॥
कृपेचा वोरस न समाये पोटीं । म्हणोनि उफराटीं वचनें हीं ॥ध्रु.॥
तुमची उष्टावळी हें माझें भोजन । झाडावें अंगण केरपुंजे ॥२॥
परि ऐसें पुण्य नाहीं माझें गांठीं । जेणें पडे मिठी पायांसवें ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे राहे आठवण चित्ती । ऐशी कृपा संतीं केली तुम्हीं ॥४॥
Literal translation
Namāve pāya he mājhe uchita — bowing to (your) feet — this is my uchita (fitting); āśīrvāde hita tumchiyā — by your āśīrvāda (blessings) — (is) my hita (welfare). Krpeñcā vōrasa na samāye pōṭī — the vōrasa (oozing, overflowing) of krpā (compassion) does not samāye (fit) in (my) pōṭī (belly); mhaṇōnī upharāṭīm vachane hīm — therefore these words (come) upharāṭīm (upside-down). Tumacī uṣṭāvaḷī he mājhe bhojana — your uṣṭāvaḷī (leftovers, leftover-food) is my bhojana (meal); jhāḍāve angaṇa kera-puṇje — I will jhāḍāve (sweep) the angaṇa (courtyard), the kera-puṇje (dirt-corner). Parī aise puṇya nāhī mājhe gāṭhī — but such puṇya is not in my gāṭhī (pouch); jeṇe paḍē miṭhī pāyām-save — by which the miṭhī (embrace) would fall (be possible) with the feet. Tukā says: rāhe āṭhavaṇa chittī — the āṭhavaṇa (remembrance) stays in (my) chitta; aiśī krpā santīm kelī tumhī — such krpā — you sants have done.
What it means
A tender sant-sevā-petition verse. Namāve pāya he mājhe uchita — āśīrvāde hita tumchiyā — bowing to the feet is my uchita — your blessings are my welfare. The opening declaration: my fitting-work is feet-bowing; your blessings are my welfare.
The dhrūpada: krpeñcā vōrasa na samāye pōṭī — mhaṇōnī upharāṭīm vachane hīm — the oozing-overflow of compassion doesn't fit in my belly; therefore these words (come) upside-down. Vōrasa — the oozing-overflow. The compassion-overflow is too-big for the bhakta's belly; the words come out upside-down — meaning, disordered, jumbled (as in 2710's pāya pōṭīm upharāṭē).
The second verse has the striking sant-sevā image: tumacī uṣṭāvaḷī he mājhe bhojana — jhāḍāve angaṇa kera-puṇje — your uṣṭāvaḷī (leftover-food) is my meal; I will sweep the courtyard, the dirt-corner. The bhakta's-sevā: eating leftovers + sweeping the dirt. The uṣṭāvaḷī is the food-eaten-from-already, technically polluted by ordinary-purity-rules — but here it is the bhakta's-chosen-meal. (Compare 2633's ucchiṣṭa-prasāda).
The third verse names the regret: parī aise puṇya nāhī mājhe gāṭhī — jeṇe paḍē miṭhī pāyām-save — but such puṇya is not in my pouch — by which the embrace with the feet would (happen). The honest-confession: I don't have the puṇya-quantity to actually-embrace-the-feet.
The close: rāhe āṭhavaṇa chittī — aiśī krpā santīm kelī tumhī — the remembrance stays in (my) chitta — such compassion you sants have done. The remembrance-of-the-sants stays even without the feet-embrace — this is the santām-cī krpā.
For someone today
A useful tender sant-sevā petition. Bowing to (your) feet — this is my fitting; your blessings — my welfare. The compassion-overflow doesn't fit in my belly — therefore my words come upside-down. Your leftovers are my meal — I will sweep the courtyard, the dirt-corner. But such puṇya is not in my pouch — by which I might embrace the feet. The remembrance stays in (my) chitta — such compassion you sants have done. The verse permits the humble-leftover-food + courtyard-sweeping sevā-stance. And the honest-confession: I don't have the puṇya-quantity to actually embrace the feet — but at least the remembrance stays. The remembrance-as-krpā close is the relief.
Where this applies
- Tender sant-sevā petition
- The your-leftovers-my-meal humble-sevā stance
- Recognizing krpā-doesn't-fit-belly — words-come-upside-down overflowing-grace
- Remembrance-stays-in-chitta even-when-puṇya-is-insufficient