Abhanga 3083
Because Prahlad trusted God's strength, even a bowl of poison turned to life-giving water, showing that steady faith and remembrance of the Name can transform the deadliest danger.
The verse
वाटीभर विष दिलें प्रल्हादासी । निर्भय मानसीं तुझ्याबळें ॥१॥
भोक्ता नारायण केलें तें प्राशन । प्रतापें जीवन जालें तुझ्या ॥ध्रु.॥
नामाच्या चिंतनें विषाचें तें आप । जाहालें देखत नारायणा ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे ऐसे तुझे बडिवार । सिणला फणीवर वर्णवेना ॥३॥
Literal translation
Vāṭībhara viṣa dile Prahlādāsī — a bowl-full of viṣa given to Prahlāda; nirbhaya mānasīm tujhyābaḷe — nirbhaya in mind by your strength. Bhōktā Nārāyaṇa kele te prāśana — the bhōktā Nārāyaṇa drank it; pratāpe jīvana jāhāle tujhyā — by your pratāpa, (it) became jīvana. Nāmāñcyā chintane viṣāñce te āpa — by the Name's chintana, the viṣa's water; jāhāle dekhata Nārāyaṇā — became visible (as) Nārāyaṇa. Tukā mhaṇe aise tujhe baḍivāra — Tukā says: such are your baḍivāra; siṇalā phaṇīvara varṇavenā — Śeṣa was tired, cannot describe.
What it means
The 3rd-of-6 Prahlāda-rakṣaṇa text — the poison-test stage.
The narrative: Bowl-of-viṣa given-to-Prahlāda; he-fearless-by-your-strength; Nārāyaṇa-himself drank-it; by-pratāpa it-became-jīvana (life-water); by Name-chintana the-poison-water became-visible-as-Nārāyaṇa. The doctrine: the-Lord-himself-becomes-the-bhōktā in-the-bhakta — drinks-the-poison and-it-becomes-life-water.
The image Nārāyaṇa-visible-in-the-water is bhakti-revelation: the poison-water reveals-the-Lord-by-Name-chintana. Compare-the-2474 (lavana-water-samarasa) image.
For someone today
Tukārām's telling of Prahlāda's poison test. A bowl full of viṣa was given to Prahlāda — he stayed fearless in his mind through your strength. The Lord himself drank it — by your pratāpa, it turned into life-giving water. Through chintana of the Name, the poison's water became visible as Nārāyaṇa himself. Such are your greatnesses — even Śeṣa grew tired and could not describe them. The verse allows for the traditional Prahlāda story in which poison becomes water of life.
मराठी: तुकारामांची ही प्रल्हादाच्या विषपरीक्षेची कथा आहे. प्रल्हादाला एक वाटीभर विष देण्यात आले — तुझ्या बळावर तो मनात निर्भय राहिला. भगवंतानेच ते विष प्राशन केले — तुझ्या प्रतापाने ते जीवनदायी पाणी झाले. नामाच्या चिंतनाने त्या विषाचे पाणी साक्षात नारायणरूप दिसू लागले. तुझे असे थोरपण आहे की शेषनागही थकला आणि त्याचे वर्णन करू शकला नाही. हा अभंग विष जीवनजल बनते या प्रल्हादाच्या पारंपरिक कथेला मान्यता देतो.
Where this applies
- When you are handed something that feels like it could destroy you and you must find courage
- When you feel completely powerless against a threat and need something greater to carry you through
- When you keep repeating the Name during a crisis and wonder if it is actually doing anything
- When you try to put God's greatness into words and find that language simply isn't enough