Devotion, the taste of the Name
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
ऐकोनियां कीर्ती । ऐसी वाटती विश्रांती ॥1॥
माते सुख डोळां पडे । तेथें कोण लाभ जोडे ॥ध्रु.॥
बोलतां ये वाचे । वीट नये जिव्हा नाचे ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे धांवे । वासना ते रस घ्यावे॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Hearing of Your glory brings such rest and peace. When the Mother's eyes fall upon her child, what greater gain can there be? Speaking of You, the tongue never tires but dances with joy. Says Tuka, desire itself runs to drink that nectar.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Just hearing of Your glory brings such rest. When the Mother's gaze falls on me, what greater gain could there be? When I speak of You, my mouth never tires; my tongue dances. Tuka says: desire itself runs to drink this nectar.
What it means
Tukaram describes what God's presence does to a person, starting from the smallest contact: merely hearing the divine praise already settles the heart into peace. He uses the mother's loving look as the measure of all gain, since once it falls on the child there is nothing left to want. Speech of God does not wear the tongue down but sets it dancing, the opposite of ordinary talk that tires. The closing turn is the boldest: even craving, usually the restless enemy of peace, is converted, so that desire itself comes running to drink this nectar instead of chasing the world.
Devotion to Vitthal
Poems of praise, invocation, and intimate address to Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur.
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