Clinging to the feet, the Lord loses nothing
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
तुझें प्रेम माझ्या हृदयीं आवडी । चरण न सोडीं पांडुरंगा ॥1॥
कासया सिनासि थोरिवां कारणें । काय तुझें उणें होइल देवा ॥ध्रु.॥
चातकाची चिंता हरली जळधरें । काय त्याचें सरे थोरपण ॥2॥
चंद्र चकोरांचा पुरवी सोहळा । काय त्याची कळा न्यून होय ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे मज अनाथा सांभाळीं । हृदयकमळीं िस्थर राहें ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Your love is the delight of my heart; I will not release Your feet, O Panduranga. Why do You hesitate for the sake of Your dignity? What will it cost You, O Lord? The rain cloud quenches the chataka bird's longing; does its greatness diminish by that? The moon fulfills the chakor bird's delight; does its splendor decrease thereby? Says Tuka, protect me, this helpless one. Remain steady in the lotus of my heart.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Your love is the delight of my heart. I will not let go of Your feet, Panduranga. Why do You hold back for the sake of Your dignity? What would it cost You, Lord? The rain cloud ends the chataka bird's thirst; does its greatness shrink because of that? The moon fills the chakora bird with delight; does its splendor grow less? Tuka says: protect me, this helpless one. Stay steady in the lotus of my heart.
What it means
Tukaram holds onto Vitthal's feet and refuses to let go, then argues with the Lord's hesitation. He hears God hanging back as if grace would somehow lower his standing, and he answers that giving costs the giver nothing. The rain cloud quenches the thirsty bird without losing its grandeur; the moon delights the chakora without dimming its light. So God can stoop to one helpless devotee and lose nothing of his greatness. The closing plea names the only request: come and stay fixed in the heart.
Devotion to Vitthal
Poems of praise, invocation, and intimate address to Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur.
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