Abhanga 3086
God took on a fierce form and shook the whole universe to kill the demon exactly where his boons could not protect him, showing that for the sake of a true devotee, God will act decisively against wrongdoing again and again.
The verse
डळमळिला मेरु आणि तो मांदार । पाताळीं फणिवर डोईं झाडी ॥१॥
लोपे तेजें सूर्य आणीक हा चंद्र । कांपतसे इंद्र थरथरां ॥ध्रु.॥
ऐसें रूप उग्र हरीनें धरिलें । दैत्या मारियेलें मांडीवरी॥२॥
तुका म्हणे भक्तांकारणें श्रीहरि । बहु दुराचारी निर्दाळिले ॥३॥
Literal translation
Ḍaḷamaḷilā Meru āṇi tō Mandāra — Meru trembled, and that Mandāra; pātāḷīm phaṇivara ḍōīm jhāḍī — in pātāḷa, Śeṣa shook (his) heads. Lōpe teje sūrya āṇika hā chandra — the teja of the sun, and the moon, was lōpe (extinguished); kāmpatasē Indra tharatharā — Indra trembled tharatharā. Aise rūpa ugra Harīne dharile — such an ugra-rūpa Hari took; daityā māriyele māṇḍīvarī — killed the daitya on (his) thigh. Tukā mhaṇe bhaktāmkāraṇe Śrīhari — Tukā says: for the bhaktas, Śrīhari; bahu durāchārī nirdāḷile — destroyed many durāchārīs.
What it means
The 6th-and-closing text of-the-Prahlāda-rakṣaṇa sub-cluster (3081-3086).
The narrative: Cosmic-trembling — Meru, Mandāra, Śeṣa in-pātāḷa, sūrya, chandra, Indra — all-affected. Hari-took-an-ugra-rūpa, killed-the-daitya on-thigh (the precise-detail of-the-Narasimha-killing-Hiraṇyakaśipu on-the-threshold at-twilight on-his-thigh, evading-the-boons). Closing-summary: for-bhaktas, Śrīhari nirdāḷana-of-many-durāchārīs.
The daitya-killed-on-māṇḍī (thigh) is the specific-detail of-the-Narasimha-narrative: Hiraṇyakaśipu had-vara that-he-couldn't-be-killed by-man-or-animal, in-day-or-night, indoors-or-outdoors, on-earth-or-in-air. Narasimha (man-lion) killed-him at-twilight (neither-day-nor-night) on-the-threshold (neither-indoors-nor-outdoors) on-his-thigh (neither-on-earth-nor-in-air).
The closing-summary unites-the-whole-Prahlāda-cluster: for-bhaktas, Śrīhari destroys-many-durāchārīs — bhakti-rakṣaka principle.
For someone today
Tukārām's closing verse of the Prahlāda-rakṣaṇa cluster. Meru and Mandāra trembled; in pātāḷa, Śeṣa shook his heads. The brilliance of the sun and moon was extinguished; Indra trembled. Such a fierce form Hari took — he killed the daitya on his thigh. For the sake of his devotees, Śrīhari destroys many wrongdoers, again and again. The verse allows the classic Narasiṁha story of cosmic upheaval, closing the whole cluster with its central teaching: Śrīhari protects the devotee by destroying evildoers.
मराठी: तुकारामांच्या प्रल्हादरक्षण मालिकेचा हा समारोप आहे. मेरू आणि मांदार डळमळले; पाताळात शेषाने आपली फणा हलवली. सूर्य आणि चंद्राचे तेज लोपले; इंद्र थरथर कापला. असे उग्र रूप हरीने धारण केले — त्याने दैत्याला आपल्या मांडीवर मारले. भक्तांसाठी श्रीहरी वारंवार अनेक दुराचाऱ्यांचा नाश करतो. हा अभंग नरसिंहाच्या वैश्विक कोलाहलाच्या पारंपरिक कथेला आणि संपूर्ण मालिकेचा गाभा असलेल्या तत्त्वाला मान्यता देतो: श्रीहरी दुष्टांचा नाश करून भक्ताचे रक्षण करतो.
Where this applies
- When you feel that protecting someone you love may require decisive, uncompromising action rather than gentleness
- When you're waiting for help to arrive and it feels like nothing in the world could possibly save you
- When you assume that being clever or having loopholes will protect you from consequences for wrongdoing
- When you need reassurance that a devotee is never abandoned no matter how powerful the threat looks