Abhanga 2861
The verse
तुज घालोनियां पूजितों संपुष्टीं । परि तुझ्या पोटीं चवदा भुवनें ॥१॥
तुज नाचऊनि दाखवूं कौतुका । परी रूपरेखा नाहीं तुज ॥ध्रु.॥
तुजलागीं आम्ही गात असों गीत । परी तूं अतीत शब्दाहूनि ॥२॥
तुजलागीं आम्हीं घातियेल्या माळा । परि तूं वेगळा कतृऩत्वासी ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे आतां होऊनि परमित । माझें कांहीं हित विचारावें ॥४॥
Literal translation
Tuja ghālōnīyām pūjitōm sampuṣṭī — I put you (in a) sampuṭa (small-box-for-idol) — (and) worship; parī tujhyā pōṭī chavadā bhuvane — but in your belly are 14 bhuvanas (worlds, realms). Tuja nāchaūnī dākhāūm kavataka — (I) make you dance to show (a) kavataka (marvel, entertainment); parī rūpa-rekhā nāhī tuja — but you have no rūpa-rekhā (form-and-line, shape). Tujalāgī āmhī gāta asō gīta — for you we are singing the song; parī tūm atīta śabdāhūnī — but you are atīta (beyond) śabda (words). Tujalāgī āmhī ghātiyelyā māḷā — for you we have placed māḷā (garlands); parī tūm vegaḷa kartrtvāsī — but you are vegaḷa (separate) from kartrtva (doership, agency). Tukā says: ātām hōūnī paramita — now becoming paramita (measured, accessible); mājhe kāmhī hita vichārāve — consider some hita (welfare) of mine.
What it means
A 4-verse paradox-stuti verse. Each of the four pūjā-acts is paired with its transcendence-paradox.
Verse 1: Box-pūjā vs. 14-bhuvanas — I put you in a small-box for pūjā — but 14 worlds are in your belly. The size-paradox.
Verse 2 (dhrūpada): Dance-display vs. no-form-no-line — I make you dance for show — but you have no form-and-line. The form-paradox.
Verse 3: Singing-for-you vs. beyond-words — I sing songs for you — but you are beyond words. The word-paradox.
Verse 4: Garlanding vs. separate-from-doership — I have placed garlands on you — but you are separate from doership. The agency-paradox.
The close: Tukā mhaṇe ātām hōūnī paramita — mājhe kāmhī hita vichārāve — now become paramita (measured, accessible) — consider some welfare of mine. The petition: despite-all-these-paradoxes — please-become-accessible — and consider my welfare. The bhakta's request: come-down-to-measurability for my-sake.
For someone today
A canonical paradox-stuti. I put you in a small-box and worship — but in your belly are 14 worlds. I make you dance to show a marvel — but you have no form-and-line. I sing songs for you — but you are beyond words. I placed garlands on you — but you are separate from doership. Now, becoming paramita (measured, accessible) — consider my welfare. The verse honors the four-fold paradox of pūjā: the bhakta does external-acts to the Lord-who-transcends-all-such-acts. The closing-petition resolves: please-become-measurable-for-my-sake — i.e., the bhakti-relationship requires-the-Lord-to-be-measurable, while-his-real-nature is unmeasurable. The paramita (becoming-accessible-and-bounded) is what bhakti-asks-for.
Where this applies
- The canonical Lord-transcends-pūjā-yet-receives-it paradox-stuti
- Recognizing the four-fold pūjā-vs-transcendence paradox
- Now-become-paramita — consider-my-hita — the bhakta's request
- The bhakti-paradox: the unmeasurable-Lord must-become-measurable-for-bhakti-to-work