Abhanga 2874
Before eating, remember God is the true enjoyer of the meal, and say God's name with each bite, this is how a devotee eats.
The verse
भोक्ता नारायण लक्षुमीचा पति । म्हणोनि प्राणाहुती घेतलिया ॥१॥
भर्ता आणि भोक्ता कर्त्ता आणि करविता । आपण सहजता पूर्णकाम ॥ध्रु.॥
विश्वंभर कृपादृष्टी सांभाळीत । प्रार्थना करीत ब्राम्हणांची ॥२॥
कवळोकवळीं नाम घ्या गोविंदाचें । भोजन भक्तांचें तुका म्हणे ॥३॥
Literal translation
Bhōktā Nārāyaṇa Lakṣumīñcā patī — thebhōktā(enjoyer) is Nārāyaṇa, Lakṣmī'spati; mhaṇōnī prāṇāhutī ghētaliyā — therefore theprāṇāhutī(life-oblation, the offering-of-prāṇa-air-to-Lord-before-eating) has been taken. Bhartā āṇi bhōktā karttā āṇi karavitā — (he is the)bhartā(sustainer) andbhōktā(enjoyer),karttā(doer) andkāravita(causer-of-doing); āpaṇa sahajatā pūrṇa-kāma — himself, bysahajatā(naturalness),pūrṇa-kāma(complete-in-desire, full-of-all-wishes). Viśvambhara krpā-drṣṭī sāmbhāḷīta — Viśvambhara watches withkrpā-drṣṭi(gaze-of-compassion),sāmbhāḷīta(caretaking); prārthanā karīta brāhmaṇāñcī — prārthanā(praying) (for) the brāhmaṇas. Kavaḷō-kavaḷīm nāma ghyā Govindāñce — at eachkavaḷa(bite, morsel), take Govinda's Name; bhōjana bhaktāñce Tukā mhaṇe — this is thebhōjana(eating) ofbhaktas— Tukā says.
What it means
A canonical 3-verse bhakta-bhojana-mantra. Part of the Chinchwaḍa-visit context (the bhojana-occasion at the Chintāmaṇi-shrine, with 2873 setting the scene).
Verse 1: Bhōktā Nārāyaṇa Lakṣumīñcā patī — mhaṇōnī prāṇāhutī ghētaliyā — the bhōktā is Nārāyaṇa, Lakṣmī's pati — therefore the prāṇāhutī has been taken. The prāṇāhutī — the offering-of-five-breaths-to-the-Lord-before-eating. The reason: Nārāyaṇa is the real-bhōktā (enjoyer) of every-meal.
Dhrūpada: Bhartā āṇi bhōktā karttā āṇi karavitā — āpaṇa sahajatā pūrṇa-kāma — (he is the) sustainer-and-enjoyer, doer-and-causer-of-doing — himself, naturally, complete-in-desire. The four-fold attribution: bhartā-bhōktā-karttā-kāravita — all-four-are-the-Lord. He is pūrṇa-kāma (full-of-all-wishes); he-needs-nothing.
Verse 2: Viśvambhara krpā-drṣṭī sāmbhāḷīta — prārthanā karīta brāhmaṇāñcī — Viśvambhara watches with gaze-of-compassion, taking-care — praying (for/of) the brāhmaṇas. The image: Viśvambhara (the world-sustainer) watches-with-krpā-drṣṭi and prays for the brāhmaṇas. (The brāhmaṇas are the recipients of the Lord's-compassion-watching at the meal.)
Verse 3 (close): Kavaḷō-kavaḷīm nāma ghyā Govindāñce — bhōjana bhaktāñce Tukā mhaṇe — at each bite, take Govinda's Name — this is the bhakta's eating. The operative-instruction: each-bite is accompanied-by-Govinda's-Name. This is the bhakta's-style-of-eating. The verse can be recited as a bhojana-prefix-mantra before meals.
For someone today
THE canonical bhakta-bhojana-mantra. The bhōktā is Nārāyaṇa, Lakṣmī's pati — therefore the prāṇāhutī has been taken. Sustainer-and-enjoyer, doer-and-causer — himself, naturally, complete-in-desire. Viśvambhara watches with gaze-of-compassion — praying for the brāhmaṇas. At each bite, take Govinda's Name — this is the bhakta's eating. The verse provides a complete meal-discipline: (1) recognize Nārāyaṇa as the real-bhōktā; (2) offer prāṇāhutī first; (3) recognize the four-fold-attribution (bhartā-bhōktā-karttā-kāravita); (4) feel Viśvambhara's krpā-drṣṭi during the meal; (5) at each bite, say Govinda's Name. The verse can be recited before every meal as a bhakta-bhojana-prefix.
Where this applies
- When you sit down to eat and want to turn the meal into a moment of gratitude
- When you catch yourself eating quickly and mindlessly without any thought behind it
- When you want one small, repeatable daily practice you can return to at every meal
- When you are eating with others and want to bring a shared sense of care to the table