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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4559 of 4582

Abhanga 4559

The verse

अवतार केला संहारावे दुष्ट । करिती हे नष्ट परपीडा ॥१॥ परपीडा करी दैत्य कंसराव । पुढें तो ही भाव आरंभिला ॥२॥ लाविलें लाघव पाहोनियां संधी । सकळांही वधी दुष्टजना ॥३॥ दुष्टजन परपीडक जे कोणी । ते या चक्रपाणी न साहति ॥४॥ न साहवे दुःख भक्तांचें या देवा । अवतार घ्यावा लागे रूप ॥५॥ रूप हें चांगलें रामकृष्ण नाम । हरे भवश्रम उच्चारितां ॥६॥ उच्चारितां नाम कंस वैरभावें । हरोनियां जीवें कृष्ण केला ॥७॥ कृष्णरूप त्यासि दिसे अवघें जन । पाहे तों आपण कृष्ण जाला ॥८॥ पाहिलें दर्पणीं आधील मुखासि । चतुर्भुज त्यासि तो चि जाला ॥९॥ जालीं कृष्णरूप कन्या पुत्र भाज । तुका म्हणे राज्य सैन्य जन ॥१०॥

Literal translation

★★ Avatāra-to-samhāra-duṣṭa-paraprīḍa. Kamsa-rāva-duṣṭa-bhāva — that-too-begun-ahead. Lāghava-samdhi-found-killed-all. Duṣṭa-jana-paraprīḍak-Chakra-pāṇī-doesn't-tolerate. Doesn't-tolerate-bhakta-duḥkha — takes-rūpa-avatāra. Rāma-Krṣṇa-Name-removes-bhava-śrama. Kamsa-vaira-bhāve-Name-uttered — jīva-snatched-Krṣṇa-made. Sees-all-jana-Krṣṇa-rūpa — looking-self-Krṣṇa-became. Saw-in-mirror-self-chaturbhuja-became. Kamsa's-kanyā-putra-bhāja — Tukā: rājya-sainya-jana-all-Krṣṇa-rūpa.

What it means

★★ A 10-verse yamak-bandha continuing-the-narrative into Mathurā. The radical claim: even-Kamsa, by-uttering-the-Name-with-vaira-bhāva (hate-feeling), was-made-into-Krṣṇa-rūpa by-the-Lord. The Bhāgavata-tradition holds that-even-meditation-with-hate (dvēṣa-bhakti, as practiced by enemy-avatāras like Kamsa, Śiśupāla, Hiraṇyakaśipu) is-effective — because-the-mind-is-continuously-fixed-on-Lord-even-if-with-hatred. Tukārām makes this very-vivid: Kamsa sees-everyone-as-Krṣṇa, sees-himself-as-chaturbhuja-in-the-mirror, his-whole-family-and-court-becomes-Krṣṇa-rūpa. Pair with 4561 (continuing dvēṣa-dhyāna), 4565 (Kamsa-meets-Lord), 2787 (bhakti-redeems-fallen).

For someone today

Tukārām: the-Lord-takes-avatāra-to-destroy-the-wicked-who-torment-others — the-Lord-doesn't-tolerate-the-suffering-of-bhaktas — even-Kamsa-by-hate-uttering-the-Name-had-his-life-snatched-and-was-made-into-Krṣṇa-rūpa — he-saw-himself-chaturbhuja-in-the-mirror — his-whole-family-and-kingdom-became-Krṣṇa-rūpa.

Where this applies

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