Union, the Name dissolving difference
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
गोविंद गोविंद । मना लागलिया छंद ॥1॥
मग गोविंद ते काया । भेद नाहीं देवा तया ॥ध्रु.॥
आनंदलें मन । प्रेमें पाझरती लोचन ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे आळी । जेवी नुरे चि वेगळी॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
When the mind has caught the rhythm of 'Govinda, Govinda,' then the body itself becomes Govinda; there is no difference between God and that person. The mind is enraptured, and tears of love flow from the eyes. Says Tuka, no trace of separation remains, as if it were a meal so satisfying that no hunger lingers.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Govinda, Govinda. My mind has caught the song of it. Then this body itself becomes Govinda. There is no difference between God and that one. The mind is full of joy. Tears of love run from the eyes. Tuka says: no separateness is left, the way hunger is gone after a full meal.
What it means
Tukaram describes what happens when the Name is no longer something the mind merely does but something the mind has become. Say Govinda, Govinda until the mind catches its rhythm, and the body that says it turns into what it names; the line between God and the devotee falls away. The sign of it is in the body itself: joy floods the mind and tears come without being summoned. He ends with a plain image: as a full meal leaves no hunger behind, this union leaves no trace of separation.
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