The boys' games, knowing when to stop
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
माग विटूदांडू । आणीक कांही खेळ मांडूं ॥१॥
बहु अंगा आले डाव । स्थिर नाहीं कोठें पाव ॥ध्रु.॥
कोली हाणे टोला । झेली तेणें तो गोविला ॥२॥
एकमेकां हाका मारी । सेल जाळी एक धरी ॥३॥
राजी आलें नांव । फेरा न चुकेचि धांव ॥४॥
पुढें एक पाटी । एक एकें दोघां आटी ॥५॥
एका सोस पोटीं । एक धांवे हात पिटी ॥६॥
तुका म्हणे आतां । खेळ मोडावा परता ॥७॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Set down the gilli-danda; let us start some other game. We have had too many turns, and no foot can find steady ground. The fielder strikes a blow, and the one who catches it traps the batter. They call out to each other; one throws, and another holds fast. When a name is called out, no one can escape the running. Ahead stands one panel; one takes on two in a contest. One is full of longing, while another runs around slapping his hands. Says Tuka, now it is time to end this game and step aside.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Set down the gilli-danda; let us start some other game. We have had too many turns, and no foot finds steady ground. The fielder strikes a blow, and the one who catches it traps the batter. They call out to each other; one throws, and another holds fast. When a name is called, no one escapes the running. Ahead stands one team; one takes on two in a contest. One is full of longing, and another runs about slapping his hands. Tuka says: now it is time to end this game and step aside.
What it means
The poem paints the cowherd boys at play, restless games that keep changing, full of running, calling out, catching, and chasing, with no firm footing anywhere. The picture is of motion that never settles. The closing line is the quiet turn: it is time to break off the game and step away. Tukaram lets the boys' endless play stand for the restless activity of life, and the call to stop is the call to leave it for what lies beyond the playing.
Krishna Leela
Poems celebrating Krishna's birth, childhood, and divine play.
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