Abhanga 2935
Kāya puṇya aise āhe maja-pāśī — what puṇya (merit) is with me (such that); tāmtaḍī dhāvasī Pāṇḍurangā — you, Pāṇḍuranga, run quickly?
The verse
काय पुण्य ऐसें आहे मजपाशीं । तांतडी धांवसी पांडुरंगा ॥१॥
काय ऐसा भक्त वांयां गेलों थोर । तूं मज समोर होसी वेगा ॥ध्रु.॥
काय कष्ट माझे देखिली चाकरी । तो तूं झडकरी पाचारिशी ॥२॥
कोण मी नांवाचा थोर गेलों मोटा । अपराधी करंटा नारायणा ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे नाहीं ठाउकें संचित । येणें जन्महित नाहीं केलें ॥४॥
Literal translation
Kāya puṇya aise āhe maja-pāśī — what puṇya (merit) is with me (such that); tāmtaḍī dhāvasī Pāṇḍurangā — you, Pāṇḍuranga, run quickly? Kāya aisā bhakta vāmyām gelōm thōra — what such-great bhakta have I become; tūm maja samōra hōsī vegā — (such) that you come vegā (quickly) in-front-of me. Kāya kaṣṭa mājhe dekhilī chākarī — what kaṣṭa (suffering) of mine, what chākarī (servitude) have (you) seen; tō tūm jhaḍakarī pāchāriśī — that you call (me) so jhaḍakarī (quickly)? Kōṇa mī nāvāñcā thōra gelōm mōṭā — who am I of (a) name? — gone from greatness; aparādhī karaṇṭā Nārāyaṇa — aparādhī (offender), karaṇṭā (unfortunate), Nārāyaṇa. Tukā says: nāhī ṭhāuke samchita — (I) don't know (my) samchita (accumulated-karma); yeṇe janma-hita nāhī kele — by this birth, no hita (welfare-work) has been done.
What it means
A 4-verse humble-surprise-at-Lord's-quick-arrival verse. Kāya puṇya aise āhe maja-pāśī — tāmtaḍī dhāvasī Pāṇḍurangā — what puṇya is with me — that you, Pāṇḍuranga, run so quickly? The opening-question: what-have-I-done to-deserve-this?
Kāya aisā bhakta vāmyām gelōm thōra — tūm maja samōra hōsī vegā — what such great-bhakta have I become — that you come quickly in front of me? The continued-wonder: what-have-I-done to-merit-this?
Kāya kaṣṭa mājhe dekhilī chākarī — tō tūm jhaḍakarī pāchāriśī — what suffering of mine, what servitude (of mine) you have seen — that you call (me) so quickly? The bhakta searches for the cause-of-the-grace.
Kōṇa mī nāvāñcā thōra gelōm mōṭā — aparādhī karaṇṭā Nārāyaṇa — who am I of the name? — gone from greatness — offender, unfortunate, Nārāyaṇa. The self-naming: I am offender-and-unfortunate. Yet the Lord came.
The close: Tukā mhaṇe nāhī ṭhāuke samchita — yeṇe janma-hita nāhī kele — I don't know my samchita — no hita-done by this birth. The confession: I don't know what samchita (past-merit) brought-this; I haven't-done-anything good in-this-life.
The verse is a humble-marvel-at-grace — recognizing-that-the-Lord-comes-quickly-without-deserving.
For someone today
A useful humble-surprise-at-Lord's-arrival prayer. What puṇya is with me — that you, Pāṇḍuranga, come running so quickly? What such-great bhakta have I become — that you come in-front quickly? What suffering of mine, what servitude have you seen — that you call (me) so quickly? Who am I of the name? — gone from greatness — offender, unfortunate, Nārāyaṇa. I don't know (my) samchita — no hita-done in this birth. The verse permits the bhakta's-humble-marvel: the Lord's-grace exceeds-the-bhakta's-deserving; one can only-wonder. The discipline: when grace-comes-unexpected, marvel rather-than-claim-credit.
Where this applies
- The humble-surprise at Lord's quick-arrival prayer
- Recognizing I-don't-know-what-puṇya-brought-this-Lord-encounter
- Apa-rādhī-karaṇṭā — extreme self-naming with surprise-at-grace
- Pairs with 2840 (anti-pride petition — sant-stuti-induces-garva)