Love alone, the God who hungers for it
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
त्यांनीं धणीवरी संग केला हरीसवें । देऊनि आपुलें तो चि देईल तें खावें ॥१॥
न ठेवी आभार प्रेमाचा भुकेला । बहु दिवस संग हा चि निर्धार त्याला ॥ध्रु.॥
कान्होबा तू जेवीं घासोघासीं म्हणती । आरुष गोपाळें त्यांची बहु देवा प्रीती ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे आतां जाऊं आपुलिया घरा । तोय वांचविलें ऐसें सांगों रे दातारा ॥३॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Those cowherd boys kept Hari's company to their heart's content; they gave him their food and ate whatever he gave in return. He holds no sense of obligation, for he is hungry only for love; after many days together, this alone is their firm resolve. The cowherd boys say with rough, artless speech, eat Kanho, eat every morsel, for their love for God is immense. Says Tuka, now let us go home and tell the generous Lord how he saved us from the waters.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
They kept Hari's company to their heart's content; they gave him their food and ate whatever he gave back. He keeps no sense of debt, for he hungers only for love; after many days together, this alone is their firm resolve. They say with rough, plain speech, eat, Kanho, eat every morsel, for their love for God is great. Tuka says: now let us go home and tell the generous Lord how he saved us from the waters.
What it means
The cowherds share everything with Krishna, giving him their food and eating what he hands back, in a fellowship that asks for nothing in return. The poem says he keeps no account of favors because the only thing he hungers for is love, and that mutual love is the one settled resolve between them. Their devotion shows in plain, unpolished words, pressing him to eat every bite. Tukaram closes by turning homeward to thank the generous Lord for saving them, fixing the whole episode as gratitude offered back to the God who wanted nothing but their hearts.
Krishna Leela
Poems celebrating Krishna's birth, childhood, and divine play.
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