Abhanga 4525
Kāḷayāce māge cheṇḍu patnī-pāśī — tejaḥ-punja rāśī dekhiyelā — behind Kāḷiyā, the ball at (his) wife's; she saw a tejaḥ-punja heap.
The verse
काळयाचे मागे चेंडु पत्नीपाशीं । तेजःपुंज राशी देखियेला ॥१॥
लावण्यपूतळा मुखप्रभाराशी । कोटि रवि शशी उगवले ॥२॥
उघवला खांब कर्दळीचा गाभा । ब्रीदें वांकी नभा देखे पायीं ॥३॥
पाहिला सकळ तिनें न्याहाळूनि । कोण या जननी विसंबली ॥४॥
विसरु हा तीस कैसा याचा जाला । जीवाहुनि वाल्हा दिसतसे ॥५॥
दिसतसे रूप गोजिरें लाहान । पाहातां लोचन सुखावले ॥६॥
पाहिलें पर्तोनि काळा दुष्टाकडे । मग म्हणे कुडें जालें आतां ॥७॥
आतां हा उठोनि खाईंल या बाळा । देईंल वेल्हाळा माय जीव ॥८॥
जीव याचा कैसा वांचे म्हणे नारी । मोहिली अंतरीं हरिरूपें ॥९॥
रूपे अनंताचीं अनंतप्रकार । न कळे साचार तुका म्हणे ॥१०॥
Literal translation
Kāḷayāce māge cheṇḍu patnī-pāśī — tejaḥ-punja rāśī dekhiyelā — behind Kāḷiyā, the ball at (his) wife's; she saw a tejaḥ-punja heap. Lāvaṇya-pūtaḷā mukha-prabhā-rāśī — kōṭi ravi śaśī ugavale — idol of beauty, heap of face-radiance; crores of sun-moons rose. Ughavalā khāmba kardaḷīcā gābhā — brīda-vāṇkī nabhā dekhe pāyī — an erect pillar — banana-core; brīda-vāṇkī, sky seen on (his) feet. Pāhilā sakaḷa tine nyāhāḷūni — kōṇa yā jananī visambalī — she examined all — \"whose mother lost track of him?\". Visaru hā tīsa kaisā yācā jālā — jīvāhuni vālhā disatase — how did she forget him — he appears dearer than jīva. Disatase rūpa gōjire lāhāna — pāhātām lōchana sukhāvale — the rūpa appears soft and small; looking, eyes become sukhī. Pāhile partōni kāḷā duṣṭā-kaḍe — maga mhaṇe kuḍe jāle ātām — turned, she looked toward wicked Kāḷiyā; then says: \"now bad has-happened\". Ātām hā uṭhōni khāīmla yā bāḷā — deīmla velhāḷā māya jīva — now he will rise and eat this child; the velhāḷā mother will give jīva. Jīva yācā kaisā vāmce mhaṇe nārī — mōhilī antarīm Hari-rūpe — how will his jīva be saved, says the woman; mohit inside by Hari-rūpa. Rūpe Anantāñcīm ananta-prakāra — na kaḷe sācāra Tukā mhaṇe — the rūpas of Ananta are infinite kinds; Tukā says: not known truly.
What it means
A 10-verse lyrical interlude inside the Kāḷiyā-mardana narrative. Kāḷiyā's own wife, finding-Krṣṇa-near-her, sees-him-as-a-heap-of-light, mohit inside by Hari-rūpa. Her concern is not for her serpent-husband but for-the-child's-life: 'how-will-his-jīva-be-saved?' Tukārām's gloss: the rūpas of Ananta are of-infinite-kinds — not-knowable-truly.
For someone today
Tukārām claims: the-Lord's-beauty disarms-even-his-opponents'-household; the-Lord-takes-infinite-forms — never-fully-knowable.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's Kāḷiyā's-wife mohit-by-Hari-rūpa lyrical-pivot
- Canonical rūpe-Anantāñcīm-ananta-prakāra
- Kāḷiyā-mardana cluster