Krishna lila, the mouth swallows the fire
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
श्रीमुख वोणवा गिळीत चालिलें । भ्यासुर वासिलें वदनांबुज ॥1॥
विक्राळ त्या दाढा भ्यानें पाहावेना । धाउनी रसना ज्वाळ गिळी ॥ध्रु.॥
जिव्हा लांब धांवे गोळा करी ज्वाळ । मोटें मुखकमळ त्यांत घाली ॥ 2॥
तुका ह्मणे अवघा वोणवा गीिळला। आनंद जाहाला गोपाळांसी ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The divine mouth advanced, swallowing the wildfire as it went. Fearsome and gaping was that lotus-face. His terrible jaws were too dreadful to behold. His tongue raced out and gathered the flames in a mass, drawing them into that vast mouth. Says Tuka, He swallowed the entire wildfire, and the cowherds were filled with joy.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The holy mouth moved forward, swallowing the wildfire as it went. That lotus-face gaped, fearsome. The terrible jaws were too dreadful to look at. His tongue raced out and swept the flames into a mass. The great lotus-mouth took them all in. Tuka says: he swallowed the whole wildfire, and the cowherds were filled with joy.
What it means
Here the rescue is carried out in front of them. The vast mouth advances on the fire and the tongue gathers the flames like a heap and draws them in, until nothing of the wildfire is left. The poem keeps the image fearsome on purpose: the same gaping form that frightened them is what saves them. Tuka ends on the swing from dread to joy, the cowherds' relief once the danger is simply gone, swallowed whole.
Krishna Leela
Poems celebrating Krishna's birth, childhood, and divine play.
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