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.
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
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-jana — let no-one — commit — nindā (slander)" |
| साहात गोविंदा नाहीं त्याचें | "Gōvinda — does not — bear (sāhāta) — that" |
| रूपा येऊनियां धरी अवतार | "coming into form — takes — avatāra" |
| भक्तां अभयंकर खळां कष्ट | "to bhaktas — abhayamkara (fearlessness-giver); — to khaḷa — kaṣṭa" |
| दुर्वास हा छळों आला आंबॠषी | "Durvāsa — came to harass — Ambariṣa" |
| सुदर्शन त्यासी जाळित फिरे | "Sudarśana — to him — burning — roams" |
| द्रौपदीच्या क्षोभें कौरवांची शांति | "by Draupadī's kṣōbha — Kauravas' — śānti (= pacification / destruction)" |
| होऊनि श्रीपति साहे केलें | "Śrī-pati — having become — sāhē (helper / partisan) — was made" |
| न साहे चि बब्रु पांडवां पारिखा | "Hari does not bear — babru (= 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) anga — kept — durgandhi" |
| अश्वत्थामा वधी पांडवपुत्रां | "Aśvatthāmā — who killed — Pāṇḍava-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 tyācēm — letno one—commit—the nindā(= slander) — ofHari-jana; —Gōvinda— doesnot—bear—that. Hari doesn't tolerate the slandering of his people.
The general-principle: rūpā yē'ūniyām dharī avatāra — bhaktām abhayankara khaḷām kaṣṭa — coming into form, takesavatāra; — givesabhayamkara(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 phirē — Durvāsa 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 kēlēm — by 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-bhadra — Hari doesn't bearbabru(= 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-putrām — Aśvatthāmā, who killed Pāṇḍava-sons (= Draupadī's sleeping sons in the night-massacre); — keptdurgandhi(= 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
- When you're tempted to mock or dismiss someone's sincere faith or devotion.
- When you feel alone after being humiliated or wronged, wondering if anyone will stand up for you.
- When a family member or ally sides against someone who did nothing but stay devoted.
- When you assume status or power should shield someone from consequences for cruelty.