Abhanga 1571
For today: Kṛṣṇa was born when crore-suns rose and moons were eclipsed; jaya Kṛṣṇa-nāthā; demons terrified, Kamsa-killed, Ugrasena restored, Mathurā-protector; saved Gokuḷa by holding Govardhana on his fingernail; cowherds and cattle protected at both places; ocean-of-love, mother-of-orphans; my mati and vāṇī are too small — Tuka asks for place at your feet.
The verse
उगवतां कोटि बिंबें रवि लोपले शशी । उत्साव सुरवरां मही थोर मानसीं ॥१॥ जय देवा कृष्णनाथा ॥ध्रु.॥ दैत्य हे त्रासियेले समूळ कंसासी काळ । राजया उग्रसेना केला मथुरापाळ ॥२॥ राखिलें गोकुळ हें नखीं धरिला गिरी । निर्भय लोकपाळ अवतरले हरी ॥३॥ गोपाळ गाईंवत्सें दोहीं ठायीं राखीलीं । सुखाचा प्रेमसिंधु अनाथांची माउली ॥४॥ गुण मी काय वर्णू मति केवढी वाणी । विनवितो दास तुका ठाव देई चरणीं ॥५॥
Literal translation
When koṭi disks of suns rose, moons eclipsed — celebration to sura-varas, great to mahī in mind. Jaya Kṛṣṇa-nāthā! Daityas terrified root-and-all, Kāḷa to Kamsa — King Ugrasena made Mathurā-pāḷa. Saved Gokuḷa, held giri on nail — fearless lōka-pāḷa, avatāra-Hari. Gopālas, cows-calves protected at both places — sukha's prema-sindhu, anāthāmcī mā'ulī. Guṇa, what can I varṇū? — mati-vāṇī how big? — Tuka, dāsa, requests: give place at caraṇa.
मराठी: उगवतां — कोटि — बिंबें — रवि — लोपले — शशी; — उत्साव — सुरवरां — मही — थोर — मानसीं. जय — देवा — कृष्ण-नाथा. दैत्य — हे — त्रासियेले — समूळ — कंसासी — काळ; — राजया — उग्रसेना — केला — मथुरा-पाळ. राखिलें — गोकुळ — हें — नखीं — धरिला — गिरी; — निर्भय — लोक-पाळ — अवतरले — हरी. गोपाळ — गाईं-वत्सें — दोहीं — ठायीं — राखीलीं; — सुखाचा — प्रेम-सिंधु — अनाथांची — माउली. गुण — मी — काय — वर्णू — मति — केवढी — वाणी; — विनवितो — दास — Tukā — ठाव — देई — चरणीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| उगवतां कोटि बिंबें रवि लोपले शशी | "when rising — crore disks — suns; — eclipsed (lōpalē) — moons" |
| उत्साव सुरवरां मही थोर मानसीं | "celebration — to sura-varas; — great — to mahī — in mānasa" |
| जय देवा कृष्णनाथा | "jaya Devā Kṛṣṇa-nāthā" |
| दैत्य हे त्रासियेले समूळ कंसासी काळ | "daityas — terrified — root-and-all; — to Kamsa — Kāḷa" |
| राजया उग्रसेना केला मथुरापाळ | "king Ugrasena — made — Mathurā-pāḷa" |
| राखिलें गोकुळ हें नखीं धरिला गिरी | "saved — Gokuḷa — by (the) nail (nakha) — held — the giri (mountain)" |
| निर्भय लोकपाळ अवतरले हरी | "fearless — lōka-pāḷa — avatāra-Hari" |
| गोपाळ गाईंवत्सें दोहीं ठायीं राखीलीं | "gopālas, cows-calves — at both places — protected" |
| सुखाचा प्रेमसिंधु अनाथांची माउली | "ocean-of-love-of-pleasure — mother of orphans" |
| गुण मी काय वर्णू मति केवढी वाणी | "qualities — what — could I describe? — mati, vāṇī — how big?" |
| विनवितो दास तुका ठाव देई चरणीं | "requesting — dāsa — Tuka — give place — at caraṇīm" |
What it means
Kṛṣṇa-nāthā āratī. A 5-verse āratī celebrating Kṛṣṇa's Bhāgavata-Purāṇa līlās. The opening cosmic-image: ugavatām kōṭi bimbē ravi lōpalē śaśī — whenrising—crore-disks of suns—moons eclipsed. When Kṛṣṇa-was-born, it was as if a crore-suns rose; the moons themselves dimmed. (Cosmic-celebration of Kṛṣṇa's birth.)
The Mathurā-events: daitya hē trāsiyēlē samūḷa Kamsāsī kāḷa — rājayā Ugrasēnā kēlā Mathurā-pāḷa — daityas — terrified root-and-all; — to Kamsa — Kāḷa; — King Ugrasena — made — Mathurā-protector. (Demon-genocide; Kamsa-killing; Ugrasena's restoration as Mathurā-king.)
The Govardhana-event: rākhilēm Gōkuḷa hēm nakhīm dharilā girī — nirbhaya lōka-pāḷa avataralē Harī — saved — Gokuḷa — by (the) nail — held — the giri (mountain); — fearless — people-protector — avatāra-Hari. Lifted Govardhana on his fingernail to save Gokuḷa from Indra's storm. (Famous Bhāgavata-Purāṇa episode.)
The cowherd-protection: gōpāḷa gā'ī-vatsēm dōhīm ṭhāyīm rākhīlīm — sukhācā prēma-sindhu anāthāñcī mā'ulī — gopāla, cows-calves — at both places — protected; — ocean of love-of-pleasure — mother of orphans. Cowherds and cattle protected at both Vraja-and-Mathurā; ocean-of-prema, mother-of-orphans. The anāthāñcī mā'ulī (= mother-of-orphans) image is striking — Kṛṣṇa-as-mother to those-without-protector.
The closing-humility: guṇa mī kāya varṇūm mati kēvaḍhī vāṇī — vinavitō dāsa Tukā ṭhāva dē'ī caraṇīm — qualities — what could I describe? — intellect-and-speech — how big?; — requesting — dāsa — Tuka — give place — at caraṇa. My intellect-and-speech are too small to describe; grant me a place at your feet.
[T]
For someone today
For today: Kṛṣṇa was born when crore-suns rose and moons were eclipsed; jaya Kṛṣṇa-nāthā; demons terrified, Kamsa-killed, Ugrasena restored, Mathurā-protector; saved Gokuḷa by holding Govardhana on his fingernail; cowherds and cattle protected at both places; ocean-of-love, mother-of-orphans; my mati and vāṇī are too small — Tuka asks for place at your feet.
Where this applies
- When someone with real power or influence chooses to protect the vulnerable instead of showing off their strength
- When you feel orphaned or unsupported and need to believe that a deep, protective love still exists for you
- When you are asked to describe something truly great and find your words falling short
- When you admire a leader more for their tenderness toward the weak than for their victories