Abhanga 4219
The verse
एक म्हणती कृष्णा वासिलें त्वां मुख । तेव्हां थोर धाक पडिला आम्हां ॥१॥
गिळो लागलासी अग्नीचे कल्लोळ । आम्ही चळचळां कांपतसों ॥ध्रु.॥
ज्वाळांबरोबरि गळिशील आम्हां । ऐसें मेघशामा भय वाटे ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे ऐसे भाग्याचे गोपाळ । फुटकें कपाळ आमुचें चि ॥३॥
Literal translation
Krṣṇa-when-opened-mukha — great-dhāka-fell. Swallowed-agni-kallōḷa — we-trembled. Alongside-flames-might-swallow-us — meghaśāmā-fear. Tukā: such-bhāgyavān-gopāḷas — fuṭakē-kapāḷa-ours.
What it means
★★ Verse-12 of dāvānala-grasana cluster. One says: Krṣṇa, when you opened the mouth, a great terror fell on us. You began to swallow the surges of fire — we were trembling. Alongside the flames, you might swallow us too — so we feared, meghaśāmā. Tukā says: such fortunate are the gopāḷas — ours is just the broken forehead (we have no such share). The closing twist: fuṭakē-kapāḷa āmuchēm chi — our forehead is just broken (we missed-out) — Tukārām's wistful self-envy of the gopāḷas who saw Krṣṇa-up-close. Personal note in narrative.
For someone today
Tukārām: how-fortunate-the-gopāḷas-who-watched-Krṣṇa-swallow-the-fire-up-close — our-share-is-the-broken-forehead.
Where this applies
- ★★ Verse-12 of extended 14-abhang dāvānala-grasana cluster (4208-4221)