Krishna lila, is your soft mouth burned
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
बा रे कृष्णा तुझें मुख कीं कोमळ । कैसे येवढे ज्वाळ ग्रासियेले ॥1॥
बा रे कृष्णा तुझी जिव्हा कीं कोवळी । होईल पोिळली नारायणा ॥ध्रु.॥
बैसें कृष्णा तुझें पाहूं मुखकमळ । असेल पोळलें कोणे ठायीं ॥2॥
घोंगडिया घालीं घालूनियां तळीं। वरी वनमाळी बैसविती ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे भावें आकिळला देव । कृपासिंधुराव त्रैलोक्याचा ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Dear Krishna, Your mouth is so soft. How did You swallow such mighty flames? Dear Krishna, Your tongue is so tender; surely it must be burned, O Narayana. Sit down, Krishna; let us look at Your face. Is it scorched anywhere? They spread a blanket on the ground and seat Vanamali upon it. Says Tuka, their devotion overwhelmed God, that ocean of mercy, Lord of the three worlds.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Dear Krishna, your mouth is so soft. How did you swallow such mighty flames? Dear Krishna, your tongue is so tender; surely it has been burned, O Narayana. Sit down, Krishna; let us look at your lotus-face. Has it been scorched anywhere? They spread a blanket on the ground and seat Vanamali on it. Tuka says: their devotion overcame God, that ocean of mercy, Lord of the three worlds.
What it means
The cowherds' awe turns into tenderness for his body. They worry that the soft mouth and tender tongue that swallowed the fire must have been burned, and they sit him down to check his face for scorch marks. They treat the Lord of the three worlds as a child they must care for. The poem shows love reaching up and pulling God down into being looked after. Tuka says this devotion overcame him: the ocean of mercy lets himself be held and fussed over by those who love him.
Krishna Leela
Poems celebrating Krishna's birth, childhood, and divine play.
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