Abhanga 3079
Devīm āṇi daityīm sindhū gusaḷilā — the devas and daityas churned the sindhu; bhāra prthvīsa jālā sāhāvenā — the bhāra of prthvī became unbearable.
The verse
देवीं आणि दैतीं सिंधू गुसळिला । भार पृथ्वीस जाला साहावेना ॥१॥
जालासी कासव धरिली पाठीवरी । चिंता तुज हरी सकळांची ॥ध्रु.॥
तये काळीं देव करिताती स्तुती । कृपाळु श्रीपती म्हणोनियां ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे ऐसे उदंड पवाडे । ज्यासी सहस्र तोंडें सिणला तो ही ॥३॥
Literal translation
Devīm āṇi daityīm sindhū gusaḷilā — the devas and daityas churned the sindhu; bhāra prthvīsa jālā sāhāvenā — the bhāra of prthvī became unbearable. Jālāsī kāsava dharilī pāṭhīvarī — (you) became kāsava, (you) held (it) on back; chintā tuja Harī sakaḷāñcī — you have chintā for all, Hari. Taye kāḷīm deva karitātī stutī — at that time, the devas praise; krpāḷu Śrīpatī mhaṇōnīyām — calling (you) krpāḷu Śrīpati. Tukā mhaṇe aise udaṇḍa pavāḍe — Tukā says: such pavāḍas are udaṇḍa; jyāsī sahasra tōṇḍe siṇalā tō hī — even one with sahasra-tōṇḍa is tired.
What it means
★ The Kūrma-avatāra entry in the Daśāvatāra meditation-cluster.
The meditation: Devas-and-daityas churned-the-sindhu; prthvī's-weight-was-unbearable; you-became-Kūrma-(tortoise) and-held-the-Mandāra-mountain on-your-back during-the-churning. The framing: you-have-chintā-for-all; devas-praised-as-krpāḷu-Śrīpati.
The closing-image is striking: such-pavāḍas-are-udaṇḍa; even-Śeṣa (the sahasra-mukha-serpent, with-thousand-mouths-and-thus-thousand-tongues) is-siṇalā (tired) of-counting-them. The Lord's-heroic-deeds-exceed-even-Śeṣa's-thousand-mouths capacity-to-tell.
This is the Vedic Samudra-manthana legend — the churning-of-the-ocean-of-milk for-the-amrta. Kūrma-avatāra supports-the-Mandāra-mountain-pillar from-below.
For someone today
Tukārām's Kūrma-avatāra meditation. The devas and daityas churned the sindhu; the weight of prthvī became unbearable. (You) became the tortoise — (you) held (it) on (your) back. You have chintā for all, Hari. At that time, the devas praised — calling (you) compassionate-Śrīpati. Such heroic-deeds are many; even one with thousand-mouths is tired (counting them). The verse permits the Kūrma-meditation as-bhakti-chintā-for-all.
Where this applies
- ★ Kūrma-avatāra entry in Daśāvatāra cluster
- Sahasra-mukha-Śeṣa siṇalā-counting — countless-pavāḍas image