Bhaktavijaya: Stories of Indian Saints
by Justin E. Abbott | 1933 | 306,590 words
This is the English translation of Bhaktavijaya which is a Marathi poem written by Mahipati in 40,000 lines. The text documents the legends of Indian saints from various backgrounds and extensively covers figures like Ekanath, Tukaram, and Ramadasa, highlighting their contributions to scholarship, philosophy, poetry, and social reform. The Bhaktavi...
3.1: Obeisance
Obeisance to Shri Ganesh [Ganesha]. Obeisance to Shri Krishna. God's Care of His Bhaktas.
1. Victory, Victory, to the lover of His bhaktas, root of all joy, the Supreme Being, Sachchidananda, Saviour of the world, worthy of the worship of the world, beautiful in His dark features, Govinda.
2. Victory to Him Who lives near the banks of the Bhima, Giver of the promise to Pundalik, King of the Yadavas, Who stands with his hands upon His hips, waiting for His bhaktas.
3. Many sinners, thieves, adulterers, haters of Brahmans, killers of cows have been saved by mere sight of Him.
4. Gajendra the elephant, wholly ignorant, remembered Thee when in distress. Thou didst listen to his pitiable cry and send Thy disk to save him.
5. Thou didst punish the crocodile and didst come to meet Gajendra. Thou didst seat him in a chariot of light. The crocodile laughed at Thee.
6. The crocodile said to Thee, ‘Thy name is the Purifier of the sinners, and yet Thou didst cast me aside and didst depart taking Gajendra.
7. So drop Thy reputation of being the Purifier of the sinners, O Krishna.’ Hearing this remark of the crocodile, Thou didst take him also in Thy chariot of light.
8. Thou gavest both bhakta and non-bhakta a home in the Final Deliverance. In thus attempting to describe Thy goodness and good deeds the serpent Shesha became wearied.
9. Indra and other gods have never acquired the nectar of the stories of Thy goodness and good deeds. But Thou gavest the nectar of Thy stories to those God-loving bhaktas who came to Thee with entire reverence.
10. Just as a loving mother, seating her child by her side puts the morsel of food into its mouth, feeling a sense of great love for it,
11. so Thou didst rain down the nectar of Thy stories, and didst place morsels of it in the mouths of Thy bhaktas, O Life of the world, Thou who dost attract the heart, O Govinda.
12. So seating Thy bhaktas by Thy side Thou feedest them with the nectar of Thy stories. And at this time therefore I also, a beggar, have arrived in order to receive food.
13. As Thy bhaktas were fed with the nectar of Thy stories, they ate to their satisfaction, and now, O Lord of the world, whatever they left in their plates, send to me, a helpless one.
14. O Merciful to the lowly, O Husband of Rukmini, hearing an account of Thy extraordinary deeds, I Mahipati have been waiting eagerly. Show me Thy love.
15. In the Kali Yuga there were very many Godloving bhaktas. 0 Cloud-dark Govinda, I will describe their exceedingly delightful stories, as Thou mayest make me relate them.