Abhanga 4526
An 18-verse battle-panel.
The verse
म्हणे चेंडू कोणें आणिला या ठाया । आलों पुरवाया कोड त्याचें ॥१॥
त्याचें आइकोन निष्ठ वचन । भयाभीत मन जालें तीचें ॥२॥
तिची चित्तवृत्ती होती देवावरी । आधीं ते माघारी फिरली वेगीं ॥३॥
वेगीं मन गेलें भ्रताराचे सोयी । विघ्न आलें कांहीं आम्हांवरीं ॥४॥
वरि उदकास अंत नाहीं पार । अक्षोभ सागर भरलासे ॥५॥
संचार करूनि कोण्या वाटे आला । ठायीं च देखिला अवचिता ॥६॥
अवचिता नेणों येथें उगवला । दिसे तो धाकुला बोल मोठे ॥७॥
मोठ्यानें बोलतो भय नाहीं मनीं । केला उठवूनी काळ जागा ॥८॥
जागविला काळसर्प तये वेळीं । उठिला कल्लोळीं विषाचिये ॥९॥
यमुनेच्या डोहावरी आला ऊत । कार्याकृतांतधूदकारें ॥१०॥
कारणें ज्या येथें आला नारायण । जालें दरुषण दोघांमधीं ॥११॥
दोघांमध्यें जाले बोल परस्परें । प्रसंग उत्तरें युद्धाचिया ॥१२॥
चिंतावला चित्ती तोंडे बोले काळ । करीन सकळ ग्रास तुझा ॥१३॥
जाला सावकाश झेंप घाली वरी । तंव म्हणे हरि मुष्टिघातें ॥१४॥
तेणें काळें त्यासि दिसे काळ तैसा । हरावया जैसा जीव जाला ॥१५॥
आठवले काळा हाकारिलें गोत । मिळालीं बहुतें नागकुळें ॥१६॥
कल्हारीं संधानीं धरियेला हरि । अवघा विखारीं व्यापियेला ॥१७॥
यांस तुका म्हणे नाहीं भक्तीविण । गरुडाचें चिंतन केलें मनीं ॥१८॥
Literal translation
An 18-verse battle-panel. (She) says: 'who brought the ball here?' — (Krṣṇa replies) 'I came to fulfill its koḍa (longing)'. Hearing his stern words, her mind became bhayābhīta. Her chittavrtti was on Deva; first she turned back swiftly; her mind ran to her husband-side: 'a vighna has come on us!'. The water has no end — akṣōbha-sāgara is filled. By what way did he come? — saw-him suddenly there. He looks dhākulā, but his words are big; he speaks-big with no-fear in mind. (He) woke the kāḷa (Black-One); the kāḷa-sarpa rose in the kallōḷa of poison. On Yamunā's ḍoha came an ut (rising) — in dhū-dhū-kāra of kāryā-krtānta. For-the-reason Nārāyaṇa came, daruṣaṇa between-the-two happened; words of yuddha-prasanga exchanged. With-mouth Kāḷa speaks: 'I'll make grāsa of all of you'. He sprang up; meanwhile Hari (gives) a muṣṭi-ghāta; by it Kāḷa sees Kāḷa, as-if life were to be taken away. Kāḷa called his gōta; many Nāga-kuḷas gathered. In their grip Hari was held; entirely covered by viṣa. Yāmsa Tukā mhaṇe nāhī bhaktīviṇa — Garuḍāce chintana kele manī — Tukā says: there is no (savior) without bhakti — (he) did Garuḍa-chintana in mind.
What it means
The central battle-panel of the Kāḷiyā-mardana cluster. Wife-warns-husband; Kāḷiyā-wakes-rises-with-kin; Hari-coiled-by-Nāga-clans-and-covered-by-poison; in-extreme-need, Hari himself does Garuḍa-chintana in mind. Tukārām's gloss is striking: to them (the serpents) there is no (savior) without bhakti. I.e., even Hari, in the bind, calls his bhakta (Garuḍa); bhakti is the rescue-mechanism even-for-Hari himself in this līlā.
For someone today
Tukārām claims: even-in-the-worst-coil, remembering-the-Lord-(or-his-bhakta)-in-mind brings-rescue. Bhakti is the only savior.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's central Kāḷiyā-mardana battle-panel
- Canonical no-savior-without-bhakti; chintana-of-Garuḍa-in-mind
- Kāḷiyā-mardana cluster