Aamchi Keli Heen Yaati — Sant Karmamela Abhanga
Sant Karmamela, son of Chokhamela, asks Vitthal plainly: You made us low-born, yet You ate curd-rice in our home. Why do You hold back now?
Verses
You ordained our birth into a caste despised as low and untouchable; do You not perceive our silent agony, O divine Consort of Lakshmi (Shripati)?
Verse 1
Our entire lives have been spent eating the discarded leftovers of others; does no shame, O Lord, awaken within Your divine heart at our plight?
Verse 2
Yet within our humble dwelling, You secretly ate rice and curd with overflowing love; having tasted our food, how can You now dare deny us?
Verse 3
Proclaims Karmamela, son of Chokha: If this humiliation was our ordained fate, why did You grant me this earthly birth at all?
Verse 4
Worship Guidelines & Chanting Benefits (Phalashruti)
Daily or auspicious lunar days (Ekadashi, Purnima, Pradosham)
Brahma Muhurta (4:00 AM – 6:00 AM) or Evening Dusk (Sandhya)
Ghee lamp (Deepa), Incense (Dhoopa), Fresh flowers & Water offering
- Peace of mind, spiritual upliftment, and harmonious energy in the home
Background
The revolutionary glory of the 14th-century Warkari movement was its radical destruction of caste hierarchies at the feet of Lord Vitthal. Sant Chokhamela and his entire family—his wife Soyarabai, sister Nirmala, brother-in-law Banka, and son Karmamela—all achieved status as canonized saint-poets. While Chokhamela bore persecution with saintly forbearance, his son Karmamela brought the burning, unapologetic voice of the next generation. Demanding to know why God created them into untouchability if He is truly the Lord of all, Karmamela reminds Vitthal of the intimate meals of curd and rice the Lord shared in their home. It remains one of the most direct voices of protest against caste in Marathi devotional poetry.
About this Text
Composed by: Sant Karmamela
Did You Know?
Historic Voice of Social Justice
Karmamela lived in the 14th century, and this abhanga is among the most direct voices of protest against caste distinctions in Marathi devotional poetry. Its force comes from its plain, loving complaint addressed to Vitthal himself.
The Divine Curd-Rice Feast
The line 'Amche ghari bhaat dahi khaavoni kaisa mhanasi naahi' refers to the enduring Warkari tradition where Lord Vitthal secretly sat upon the earthen floor of Chokhamela's house to eat coarse curd-rice, proving that God hungers for love, not ritual purity.
Radical Family of Saints
Chokhamela, his wife Soyarabai, and their son Karmamela represent an entire family whose verses are canonized together in the official Sakal Sant Gatha of Maharashtra.
Vitthal
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