Abhanga 4214
The verse
श्रीमुख वोणवा गिळीत चालिलें । भ्यासुर वासिलें वदनांबुज ॥१॥
विक्राळ त्या दाढा भ्यानें पाहावेना । धाउनी रसना ज्वाळ गिळी ॥ध्रु.॥
जिव्हा लांब धांवे गोळा करी ज्वाळ । मोटें मुखकमळ त्यांत घाली ॥ २॥
तुका म्हणे अवघा वोणवा गीळिला। आनंद जाहाला गोपाळांसी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Śrī-mukha-swallows-vōnavā — bhayāna-vasilēm-vadanāmbuja. Vikrāḷa-jaws — fear-can't-look — tongue-runs-swallows-flame. Long-tongue-runs-gathers-flame-ball — large-mukha-kamala-puts-in. Tukā: all-the-vōnavā-swallowed — ānanda-to-gopāḷas.
What it means
★★ Verse-7 of dāvānala-grasana cluster — the actual swallowing. Śrī's mouth went swallowing the forest-fire; the open face-lotus was frightful. The terrible jaws — for fear we couldn't look; the tongue ran and swallowed the flames. The tongue ran far, gathered the flames into a ball; the large mouth-lotus puts it inside. The whole forest-fire was swallowed — joy came to the gopāḷas. The vivid imagery: long tongue runs out — gathers flames into a single ball — large mouth-lotus puts it inside — physically-specific narrative-image-cluster rare in Tukārām.
For someone today
Tukārām: the-Lord-can-swallow-the-whole-forest-fire-that-engulfs-you — and-after-the-swallowing-joy-comes.
Where this applies
- ★★ Verse-7 of 10-abhang dāvānala-grasana cluster (4208-4217)