Longing, the one fixed aim
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
कासया या लोभें केलें आर्तभूत । सांगा माझें चित्त नारायणा ॥1॥
चातकाचे परी एक चि निर्धार । लक्षभेदीतीर फिरों नेणे ॥ध्रु.॥
सांवळें रूपडें चतुर्भुज मूतिन । कृष्णनाम चित्तीं संकल्प हा ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे करीं आवडीसी ठाव । नको माझा भाव भंगों देऊं ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Why has this longing made my chitta so restless, O Narayana? Like the chataka bird, I have fixed my aim on one thing alone; like an arrow aimed at its mark, it does not know how to turn aside. That dark-hued form, that four-armed figure, the name of Krishna in my heart, this is my only resolve. Says Tuka, make room for my devotion; do not let my faith be shattered.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Why has this longing made my heart so wretched and restless? Tell me, Narayana. Like the chataka bird I have one resolve only; like an arrow loosed at its mark, it does not know how to turn aside. The dark-hued form, the four-armed image, the name of Krishna in my heart, this is my whole intent. Tuka says: make a place for my love; do not let my faith be broken.
What it means
Tukaram asks God why this longing has left his heart so distressed, and in asking he reveals how single his desire has become. He compares himself to the chataka bird that drinks only from the rain, and to an arrow that, once released, cannot swerve from its target. His whole intent has narrowed to one thing: the dark four-armed form and the name of Krishna held in the heart, with no room for any rival aim. The closing prayer is the vulnerable part: give my love a place to rest, and do not let this single-pointed faith be shattered. He knows that a heart fixed this completely on one object has everything to lose if that hope fails.
Longing and Separation
Cries from the dark night of the soul: remonstrances, complaints, and desperate yearning.
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