Ecstasy, the longing for oneness
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
घेइन प्रेमपान्हा । भक्तिसुख निवाडें ॥1॥
यासी तुळे ऐसे कांहीं । दुजें त्रिभुवनीं नाहीं ।
काला भात दहीं । ब्रह्मादिकां दुर्लभ ॥ध्रु.॥
निमिशा अर्ध संतसंगति । वास वैकुंठीं कल्पांतीं ।
मोक्षपदें होती । ते विश्रांति बापुडी ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे हें चि देई । मीतूंपणा खंड नाहीं।
बोलिलों त्या नाहीं । अभेदाची आवडी ॥3॥ ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
I will drink the milk of divine love, the undivided bliss of devotion. Nothing in the three worlds compares to this; the buttermilk, rice, and curd that even Brahma and the gods cannot obtain. A half-moment's company of the saints surpasses ages in Vaikuntha; the liberation they speak of is a paltry thing beside it. Says Tuka, grant me this alone: an unbroken union without any trace of You and me. This longing for oneness is my only love.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
I will drink the milk of love, the undivided bliss of devotion. Nothing in the three worlds weighs equal to this; the mingled rice and curd that even Brahma and the gods can hardly get. Half a moment in the company of the saints outweighs an age of dwelling in Vaikuntha; the seats of liberation they speak of are a poor thing beside it. Tuka says: grant me only this. There is no break in this You and I. I have said it: there is no relish for me in the loss of all difference.
What it means
Tukaram chooses the sweetness of loving devotion over every other reward. He calls it the milk of love and the undivided bliss, and ranks it above anything in the three worlds, even the food shared with the gods. A mere half moment among the saints, he says, is worth more than ages in Vaikuntha, and even liberation looks paltry next to it. Then comes the surprising turn that sets his bhakti apart: he asks God to keep the relationship of You and I unbroken. He does not even want oneness if oneness means the loss of all difference, for the love itself lives in the nearness of two.
Ecstasy and Joy
Triumphant happiness: poems written from the far side of the struggle.
More in this theme →