Abhanga 4216
Real love lets you ask direct, curious questions about someone's astonishing power, because trust and wonder can exist together.
The verse
सांडियेलें रूप विक्राळ भ्यासुर । झालें सकुमार कोडिसवाणें ॥१॥
शाम चतुर्भुज मुकुट कुंडलें । सुंदर दंडलें नव बाळ ॥ध्रु.॥
गोपाळ म्हणती कैसें रे बा कृष्णा । रूप नारायणा धरियेलें ॥२॥
कैसा वाढलासी विक्राळ जालासी । गटगटा ज्वाळांसी गिळियेलें ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे भावें पुसती गोपाळ । अनाथवत्सल म्हणोनियां ॥४॥
Literal translation
Abandoned-vikrāḷa-rūpa — became-sakumāra-koḍisavāṇa. Śyāma-chatur-bhuja-mukuṭa-kuṇḍala — beautiful-young-bāḷa. Gopāḷas: how-Krṣṇa-took-Nārāyaṇa-rūpa? How-grew-vikrāḷa — gaṭ-gaṭā-swallowed-flames? Tukā: gopāḷas-ask-by-bhāva — anātha-vatsala.
What it means
Verse-9 of dāvānala-grasana cluster. He abandoned the terrible-frightful form; became tender-charming. Dark-blue, four-armed, with crown-and-earrings — beautiful well-formed young child. The gopāḷas say: How, O Krṣṇa — did you take this Nārāyaṇa-form? How did you grow huge and noisily-gulp-swallowed the flames? Tukā says: the gopāḷas ask by bhāva — calling him 'kind-to-orphans'. The naming: anātha-vatsala (orphan-loving-one) is a canonical Tukārām-naming of Krṣṇa — used precisely-at-rescue moments. Pair with 2540 (anāthāñchyā-Nātha-Kurukṣetra-sparrows).
For someone today
After the fire is gone, Krishna sets aside his terrifying, vast form and returns to being the tender, beautiful child again, dark blue skinned, crowned, wearing earrings, four armed, and utterly charming. Amazed, the cowherds ask him directly how he became so enormous and how he managed to gulp down all those flames. Tukaram notes that they ask out of love, calling him the one who is tender toward orphans, someone who cares for those with no one else to protect them. The scene captures both wonder at what just happened and the deep affection that lets you ask a frank, curious question of someone you trust completely.
मराठी: आग नाहीशी झाल्यावर कृष्ण आपलं भयानक, अफाट रूप सोडून पुन्हा त्या कोवळ्या, सुंदर बाळाच्या रूपात परत येतो — सावळा, मुकुट-कुंडलं घातलेला, चतुर्भुज आणि मोहक. आश्चर्यचकित झालेले गोपाळ त्याला थेट विचारतात, तू इतका प्रचंड कसा झालास आणि इतक्या ज्वाळा कशा गटागटा गिळल्यास? तुकाराम सांगतात, गोपाळ हे प्रेमापोटी विचारतात, त्याला "अनाथांचा वत्सल" म्हणत — ज्याला कोणी नाही अशांची काळजी घेणारा. या दृश्यात जे नुकतंच घडलं त्याचं आश्चर्य आणि पूर्ण विश्वास असलेल्या व्यक्तीला मोकळेपणाने प्रश्न विचारण्याइतकी जवळीक, दोन्ही एकत्र दिसतात.
Where this applies
- Verse-9 of 10-abhang dāvānala-grasana cluster (4208-4217); anātha-vatsala naming