Abhanga 4363
God's deepest intimacy is given to humble, ordinary friends rather than to the powerful, and even the gods marvel at that closeness.
The verse
ज्यां जैसी आवडी त्यां तैसा विभाग । देत पांडुरंग तृप्ति जाली ॥१॥
मुखींचें उच्छष्टि हिरोनियां खात । विस्मित विधाता देखोनियां ॥ध्रु.॥
दिलें जें गोपाळां तें नाहीं कोणासि । विस्मित मानसीं सुरवर ॥२॥
देव ॠषि मुनि सद्धि हे चारण । शिव मरुद्गण चंद्र सूर्य ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे आले सकळ हि सुरवर । आनंदें निर्भर पाहावया ॥४॥
Literal translation
To-each-his-āvaḍī-vibhāga — Pāṇḍuranga-gives-trpti. Mouth-uchchhiṣṭa-snatched-eats — vidhātā-vismita. Gave-to-gōpāḷas-not-others — sura-vara-vismita. Deva-rṣi-muni-siddha-chāraṇa-Śiva-marud-gaṇa-chandra-sūrya. Tukā: all-suras-ānanda-nirbhara.
What it means
Verse-2 of 5-abhang Krṣṇa-pastoral-meal cluster. To each according to his fondness, his share — Pāṇḍuranga gives, and satisfaction came. He snatches the leftovers from their mouths and eats — the Creator was amazed, watching. What was given to the gōpāḷas was not given to anyone else — the best-of-devas were amazed in their minds. Devas, sages, munis, siddhas, charaṇas — Śiva, the marut-gaṇas, the moon, the sun (came). Tukā says: all the best-of-devas came, full-of-joy, to watch. The miraculous scene: Lord eats the uchchhiṣṭa from gōpāḷas' mouths; this intimacy-with-pastoral-friends is so unprecedented that even Brahmā, the high-devas, the cosmic-powers (sun, moon, Maruts) all come to watch.
For someone today
Tukaram describes Pandurang giving each cowherd a share exactly matched to what they love, so everyone leaves fully satisfied. Then something even more astonishing happens, God actually snatches leftover food straight from his friends' mouths and eats it himself, and even the Creator is left amazed watching this. Tukaram points out that this closeness was given only to these simple cowherd friends, not to anyone else, and it left even the greatest gods stunned. So many divine beings, sages, and cosmic powers gather just to witness it, all overflowing with joy at what they see. The point is that God's deepest intimacy is not reserved for the powerful or the exalted, it is given freely to ordinary, humble friends.
मराठी: तुकाराम सांगतात, पांडुरंग प्रत्येक गोपाळाला त्याच्या आवडीनुसार वाटा देतो, त्यामुळे सगळे पूर्ण तृप्त होतात. मग त्याहून विस्मयकारक गोष्ट घडते, परमेश्वर स्वतः आपल्या मित्रांच्या तोंडातलं उरलेलं अन्न हिरावून खातो, आणि हे पाहून स्वतः विधाताही आश्चर्यचकित होतो. तुकाराम सांगतात, ही जवळीक फक्त या साध्या गोपाळ मित्रांनाच मिळाली, इतर कोणालाही नाही, आणि यामुळे मोठमोठे देवही अचंबित झाले. अनेक देव, ऋषी आणि विश्वशक्ती हे केवळ पाहण्यासाठी जमतात, आनंदाने ओसंडून वाहत. यातून हेच दिसतं की परमेश्वराची सर्वात खोल जवळीक बलाढ्य किंवा श्रेष्ठ लोकांसाठी राखीव नसते, ती साध्या, नम्र मित्रांना मुक्तपणे दिली जाते.
Where this applies
- Verse-2 of 5-abhang Krṣṇa-pastoral-meal cluster (4362-4366)