Abhanga 4526
Even Hari, held fast by the serpent's coils, called inwardly on his own devotee for rescue, showing that bhakti is the one thing nothing can do without, even for the divine.
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 tells this dramatic moment from the Kāḷiyā-mardana story: Hari is caught and completely coiled around by the serpent Kāḷiyā and his kin, wrapped in poison on every side. Even in this most desperate bind, Hari calls to mind his own devotee, Garuḍa, and it is that remembrance which brings rescue. Tukārām's point is striking — even Hari himself needs bhakti in the crisis; devotion is the one thing that saves, even for the divine.
मराठी: तुकाराम काळिया-मर्दनाच्या कथेतील हा नाट्यमय क्षण सांगतात: हरी काळिया सर्प आणि त्याच्या नातलगांच्या विळख्यात पूर्णपणे अडकतो, चारही बाजूंनी विषाने वेढला जातो. या अत्यंत बिकट प्रसंगातही हरी स्वतःच्या भक्ताचे, गरुडाचे, मनात स्मरण करतो, आणि तेच स्मरण त्याला वाचवते. तुकारामांचा मुद्दा लक्षणीय आहे — संकटाच्या क्षणी खुद्द हरीलाही भक्तीची गरज भासते; भक्ती हीच एकमेव तारणशक्ती आहे, अगदी परमेश्वरासाठीही.
Where this applies
- When you feel completely surrounded by trouble with no visible way out
- When you are waiting to be rescued and don't know where to turn
- When even someone strong or capable still needs to ask for help
- When you doubt that simply calling to mind what you trust can actually change anything