INFINITE.

 Whether grain grinding or pounding

Your name, Oh Infinte, I am chanting

Your name is with me constantly
Not forgetting it even momentarily

My only perennial occupation
Is Almighty’s name recitation

My mother, father, brother, sister
You are, O Sudarshan Chakra holder

On your feet is focused my attention
So says Sant Namdeo’s handmaiden

If the Ganga flows to the ocean
and the ocean turns her away,
tell me, O Vitthal,
who would hear her complaint?

Can the river reject its fish?
Can the mother spurn her child?

Jan says,
Lord,
you must accept those
who surrender to you.      

The bird flies to the end of
the horizon
and brings food for its young.
The mother-eagle wanders in the sky
but hastens back to her young
Mother is busy with her work
and yet her mind never leaves her child.
Mother monkey jumps over a tree
with her child holding on to her stomach.
Similarly, mother Vitthal watches over Jani
over and over again.      

Jani has had enough of samsara,
but how will I repay my debt?

You leave your greatness behind you
to grind and pound with me.

O Lord you become a woman
washing me and my soiled clothes,

proudly you carry the water
and gather dung with your own two hands.

O Lord, I want
a place at your feet,
says Jani, Namdev’s dasi.      

——————————————–
“There is nothing empty of divine.”
——————————————–

[For Janabai, the divine is inseparable from other reality: Janabai become Vitthal, Vitthal becomes Janabai. Her use here of the word “Vithabai” creates a feminine form of the masculine name “Vitthal”:]

What I eat is divine
What I drink is divine
My bed is also divine
The divine is here, and it is there
There is nothing empty of divine
Jani says—Vithabai has filled
everything from the inside out.       ————————————————————–

“We the devotees are the source of your strength.”
————————————————————–

[Her relationship with Vitthal allows Janabai to scold him:]

I have no fascination for you, God!
I am not going to serve you any more!
You are not magnanimous
Why do you carry this false pride
of greatness?
What will you gain by getting angry with me?
We the devotees are the source of your strength.
You have no power of your own.
Hari, haven’t I understood your secret?      

——————————————
“By my life I will not let you go.”
——————————————    

[And to speak of imprisoning him. “Pandhari” is the city of Pandharpur; so’ham means “I am he,” total identification with Vitthal:]

I caught the thief of Pandhari
by tying a rope around his neck.

I made my heart the prison cell
and locked him up inside.

I bound him firmly with the Word,
I fettered his holy feet,

I thrashed him, whipped him
with the word so’ham
while Vitthal complained bitterly.

Sorry, O Lord,
says Jani,
by my life I will not let you go.      

————————————————————–
“Jani’s victory was proclaimed in the entire world.” 
————————————————————–

[Here the speaker-scribe is Vitthal, speaking to Jnanadeva, Namdev’s teacher; Janabai’s abhangs are worthy to be recorded by a god:]

“I wrote down Jani’s words
as she uttered them,
Jnanadeva! let it be
known to you,
this has not made me
any less divine!
The absolute truth
is the paper, and
with ink of eternity
Vitthal writes on it
Incessantly
with Jani.”

Jnanadeva smiled
at these words
and clapped.
Jani’s victory was 
proclaimed in the ENTIRE  WORLD.