Abhanga 3083
Vāṭībhara viṣa dile Prahlādāsī — a bowl-full of viṣa given to Prahlāda; nirbhaya mānasīm tujhyābaḷe — nirbhaya in mind by your strength.
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 Prahlāda-poison-test. A bowl-full of viṣa was given to Prahlāda — fearless in (his) mind by your strength. The Lord himself drank it — by your pratāpa, it became life-water. By the chintana of the Name, the viṣa's water became visible (as) Nārāyaṇa. Such are your greatnesses — even Śeṣa was tired (and) cannot describe (them). The verse permits the canonical poison-becomes-life-water Prahlāda-narrative.
Where this applies
- ★ 3rd-of-6 Prahlāda-rakṣaṇa sub-cluster — poison-test
- Lord-as-bhōktā drinks-the-poison doctrine
- Nārāyaṇa-visible-in-poison-water-by-Name-chintana