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...
52.2: God’s power supreme
6. Clouds obtain water from the ocean; rivers take the rain-water and pour into the ocean; then what obligation can there be when the thing is returned to Him to whom it belongs?
7. If the sun is to be seen, it is to be seen by its own light. In the same way, O Lord of the Heart, the power to praise Thee is notours.
8. We bow down to the earth and the weight of our body falls also on the earth; likewise, to praise Thee, we have no independent power.
9. If we praise the wind it is through its power that we breathe; in the same way Thou dost cause Thy own deeds to be uttered by my tongue.
10. If we wave incense over fire, it is through the power of the fire that the smoke comes up; in the same way it is through Thy power that the mind becomes quiet and Thy deeds are spoken.
11. If abhisheka (sprinkling water on a deity by reciting Vedic hymns) is made on the Ganges, the water taken for that purpose is taken from the Ganges itself; likewise it is through Thy inspiration that the poets speak in various ways.
12. When the moon rises it is visible by its own light. If a mother is served, the server’s own body has come from her.
13. We sit under a wish-tree and water it by our imagination. A wise person feels shy to talk of his obligation.
14. Through Thy power, O Husband of Rukmini, the Vedas have praised Thee without limit; but after profound thought the Vedas said; ‘Neti, Neti’ (‘It is not that; it is not that’).