संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2892 of 4582

Abhanga 2892

Baravayām baravaṇṭa — the baravayām baravaṇṭa (the very-best of the best, the finest); viṭē charaṇa sama nīṭa — the feet on the brick — sama-nīṭa (even, straight, aligned).

The canonical Viṭṭhal-feet-on-brick + Lakṣmī-kneading-feet + tīrtha-foundational feet-praise
Recognizing tāpa-śamana-pāule — heat-quenching feet
Asked-for-place-by-sants-at-end claim

The verse

बरवयांबरवंट । विटे चरण सम नीट ॥१॥ ते म्या हृदयीं धरिले । तापशमन पाउलें ॥ध्रु.॥ सकळां तीर्थां अधिष्ठान । करी लक्षुमी संवाहन ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे अंतीं । ठाव मागितला संतीं ॥३॥

Literal translation

Baravayām baravaṇṭathe baravayām baravaṇṭa (the very-best of the best, the finest); viṭē charaṇa sama nīṭathe feet on the brick — sama-nīṭa (even, straight, aligned). Te myām hrdayī dharilethose (I) have dharile (held) in (my) hrdaya (heart); tāpa-śamana pāule(those) tāpa-śamana pāule (the tāpa (heat, distress) — śamana (quenching) feet). Sakaḷām tīrthām adhiṣṭhānathe adhiṣṭhāna (foundation, basis) of all tīrthas; karī Lakṣumī samvāhanaLakṣmī does the samvāhana (kneading, foot-massage). Tukā says: antīat the end; ṭhāva māgitalā santīm(this) ṭhāva (place) was māgitalā (asked-for) by the sants.

What it means

A 3-verse Viṭṭhal-feet-praise verse. Baravayām baravaṇṭa — viṭē charaṇa sama nīṭathe finest-of-the-fine — the feet on the brick, aligned. The opening: Viṭṭhal's feet on the brick are the finest-of-the-fine. The sama-nīṭa (even-and-straight) detail refers to Viṭṭhal's iconic-stance: both-feet placed evenly on the brick, posture-straight, hands-on-hips.

Te myām hrdayī dharile — tāpa-śamana pāulethose (I) have held in (my) heart — heat-quenching feet. The feet are tāpa-śamana (the tāpa — heat, distress — śamana — quenching). To hold-them-in-the-heart is to-experience-the-tāpa-śamana.

Sakaḷām tīrthām adhiṣṭhāna — karī Lakṣumī samvāhanathe foundation of all tīrthas — Lakṣmī does the foot-massage. Two-fold honoring: (1) the feet are the foundational-tīrtha (all tīrthas-stand-on these-feet); (2) Lakṣmī (his consort) kneads-the-feet.

The close: Tukā mhaṇe antī — ṭhāva māgitalā santīmat the end — (this) place was asked-for by the sants. The bhakti-claim: the sants, at-the-end (of-life), asked-for-this-place (at-Viṭṭhal's-feet). The final-refuge for the sants.

For someone today

A canonical Viṭṭhal-feet-praise. The finest-of-the-fine — the feet on the brick, aligned. Those I have held in the heart — heat-quenching feet. The foundation of all tīrthas — Lakṣmī does the foot-massage. At the end — (this) place was asked-for by the sants. Four operative-claims about Viṭṭhal's feet: (1) the finest-of-the-fine; (2) heat-quenching when-held-in-heart; (3) foundational to all-tīrthas; (4) the place-asked-for-by-sants-at-end. The verse permits Viṭṭhal-feet as the singular-refuge-final-place.

Where this applies

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