संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1552 of 4582

Abhanga 1552

For today: let no one slander Hari-janas — Govinda doesn't tolerate it; he takes avatāra to give bhaktas fearlessness, khaḷas suffering; Durvāsa was pursued burning by Sudarśana for harassing Ambariṣa; Draupadī's anger destroyed the Kauravas with Hari's help; Hari drove off even his own brother Balarāma for being hostile to Pāṇḍavas; Aśvatthāmā was cursed with festering durgandhi for killing Pāṇḍava-sons.

When you'd warn against bhakta-slander — Hari doesn't bear it; Sudarśana pursued Durvāsa; Hari helped Draupadī; even drove off Balarāma; Aśvatthāmā cursed for slaying Pāṇḍava-sons

The verse

हरिजनाची कोणां न घडावी निंदा । साहात गोविंदा नाहीं त्याचें ॥१॥ रूपा येऊनियां धरी अवतार । भक्तां अभयंकर खळां कष्ट ॥ध्रु.॥ दुर्वास हा छळों आला आंबॠषी । सुदर्शन त्यासी जाळित फिरे ॥२॥ द्रौपदीच्या क्षोभें कौरवांची शांति । होऊनि श्रीपति साहे केलें ॥३॥ न साहे चि बब्रु पांडवां पारिखा । धुडाविला सखा बळिभद्र ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे अंगीं राखिली दुर्गंधि । अश्वत्थामा वधी पांडवपुत्रां ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: Let no one ghaḍāvī nindā of Hari-jana — Govinda doesn't sāhāta that. He comes into form, takes avatāra — to bhaktas, abhayamkara; to khaḷa, kaṣṭa. Durvāsa came to harass Ambariṣa — Sudarśana roams burning him. By Draupadī's kṣōbha, Kauravas' śānti — Śrī-pati became sāhē. Hari doesn't bear babru being pārikha to Pāṇḍavas — even drove off sakhā Balabhadra. Tuka says: Aśvatthāmā, who killed Pāṇḍava-putras — kept durgandhi in his anga.

मराठी: हरि-जनाची — कोणां — न — घडावी — निंदा; — साहात — गोविंदा — नाहीं — त्याचें. रूपा — येऊनियां — धरी — अवतार; — भक्तां — अभयंकर — खळां — कष्ट. दुर्वास — हा — छळों — आला — आंबरिषी; — सुदर्शन — त्यासी — जाळित — फिरे. द्रौपदीच्या — क्षोभें — कौरवांची — शांति; — होऊनि — श्री-पति — साहे — केलें. न — साहे — चि — बब्रु — पांडवां — पारिखा; — धुडाविला — सखा — बळि-भद्र. Tukā म्हणे — अंगीं — राखिली — दुर्गंधि; — अश्वत्थामा — वधी — पांडव-पुत्रां.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
हरिजनाची कोणां न घडावी निंदा "of Hari-janalet no-onecommitnindā (slander)"
साहात गोविंदा नाहीं त्याचें "Gōvinda — does not — bear (sāhāta) — that"
रूपा येऊनियां धरी अवतार "coming into formtakesavatāra"
भक्तां अभयंकर खळां कष्ट "to bhaktasabhayamkara (fearlessness-giver); — to khaḷakaṣṭa"
दुर्वास हा छळों आला आंबॠषी "Durvāsacame to harassAmbariṣa"
सुदर्शन त्यासी जाळित फिरे "Sudarśana — to himburningroams"
द्रौपदीच्या क्षोभें कौरवांची शांति "by Draupadī's kṣōbhaKauravas' — śānti (= pacification / destruction)"
होऊनि श्रीपति साहे केलें "Śrī-patihaving becomesāhē (helper / partisan) — was made"
न साहे चि बब्रु पांडवां पारिखा "Hari does not bearbabru (= rough one) — being pārikha (alien / hostile) — to Pāṇḍavas"
धुडाविला सखा बळिभद्र "drove off (dhuḍāvilā) — even (his) sakhā (friend) — Baḷi-bhadra (= Balarāma)"
तुका म्हणे अंगीं राखिली दुर्गंधि "Tuka says — in (his) angakeptdurgandhi"
अश्वत्थामा वधी पांडवपुत्रां "Aśvatthāmā — who killedPāṇḍava-putras"

What it means

Anti-bhakta-slander polemic with purāṇic-examples abhang. A 6-verse warning. The opening: Hari-janācī kōṇām na ghaḍāvī nindā — sāhāta Gōvindā nāhīm tyācēmlet no onecommitthe nindā (= slander) — of Hari-jana; — Gōvinda — does notbearthat*. Hari doesn't tolerate the slandering of his people.

The general-principle: rūpā yē'ūniyām dharī avatāra — bhaktām abhayankara khaḷām kaṣṭacoming into form, takes avatāra; — gives abhayamkara (fearlessness) to bhaktas; — kaṣṭa (suffering) to khaḷa. Each avatāra protects bhaktas, punishes khaḷas.

Four classical-examples:

(1) Durvāsa-and-Ambariṣa: Durvāsa hā chaḷōm ālā Ambariṣī — Sudarśana tyāsī jāḷita phirēDurvāsa came to harass Ambariṣa; Sudarśana (Hari's discus) roams burning him. (Bhāgavata-Purāṇa story; cf. 1495.)

(2) Draupadī-and-Kauravas: Draupadīcyā kṣōbhē Kauravāñcī śānti — hō'ūnī Śrī-pati sāhē kēlēmby Draupadī's anger (at being-disrobed), the Kauravas' pacification (= total-destruction in Mahābhārata war); Śrī-pati became (her) helper. Draupadī's kṣōbha (anger-grief) led to the war of total-Kaurava-destruction; Hari became her helper.

(3) Bābhru-and-Pāṇḍavas + Balarāma: na sāhē chi babru Pāṇḍavām pārikhā — dhuḍāvilā sakhā Baḷi-bhadraHari doesn't bear babru (= the rough one) being hostile to Pāṇḍavas; — even drove off (his) own friend Balarāma. The reference is to Balarāma, who was hostile-to-Pāṇḍavas (favoring Duryodhana); Hari drove him off / didn't side with him — even his own brother. (Striking-claim: Hari sided with bhaktas over even his own brother.)

(4) Aśvatthāmā: angīm rākhilī durgandhi — Aśvatthāmā vadhī Pāṇḍava-putrāmAśvatthāmā, who killed Pāṇḍava-sons (= Draupadī's sleeping sons in the night-massacre); — kept durgandhi (= bad-smell / curse-mark) in his body. (= the Mahābhārata curse on Aśvatthāmā: he must wander forever with festering wounds emitting bad smell, for killing the bhakta's children.)

Each example: Hari-against-bhakta-haters, even at cost.

[T]

For someone today

For today: let no one slander Hari-janas — Govinda doesn't tolerate it; he takes avatāra to give bhaktas fearlessness, khaḷas suffering; Durvāsa was pursued burning by Sudarśana for harassing Ambariṣa; Draupadī's anger destroyed the Kauravas with Hari's help; Hari drove off even his own brother Balarāma for being hostile to Pāṇḍavas; Aśvatthāmā was cursed with festering durgandhi for killing Pāṇḍava-sons.

Where this applies

Related verses