Abhanga 4098
The verse
विचा केला ठोबा । म्हणोनि नांव तो विठोबा ॥१॥
कां रे नेणां त्याचें नांव । काय वेदासि नाहीं ठाव ॥ध्रु.॥
शेष स्तुती प्रवर्तला । जिव्हा चिरूनि पलंग जाला ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे सत्ता । ज्याची काळाचिये माथा ॥३॥
Literal translation
Vichā-kēlā-ṭhōbā — Name-Viṭhōbā. Why-don't-you-know — does-Veda-not-have-ṭhāva. Śeṣa-stuti-pravrita — tongue-cut-became-palanga. Tukā: sattā — on-Kāḷa's-head.
What it means
★ A 3-verse Viṭhōbā-etymology text. He made a back-rest for (the bhakta / for vichā) — therefore his Name is Viṭhōbā. Why don't you know his Name? — does the Veda have no place for it? Śeṣa (the cosmic-serpent) set forth into his praise — cutting his (own) tongue, he became (the Lord's) couch. The sovereignty of that one is upon Kāḷa's head. Two motifs: (a) the folk-etymology Viṭhōbā = vichā-kēlā-ṭhōbā (he-made-the-back); (b) Śeṣa, the cosmic-serpent who is Viṣṇu's couch, cuts his own tongue (from too much praise?) and becomes the couch — a cosmic-bhakti image.
For someone today
Tukārām: Viṭhōbā-name = he-made-the-back-rest; even-Śeṣa-cut-his-tongue-and-became-the-bed.
Where this applies
- ★ Tukārām's Viṭhōbā-etymology + Śeṣa-stuti canonical