Krishna lila, the Lord names what he is
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
गोपाळांचें कैसें केलें समाधान । देउनि आलिंगन निवविले ॥1॥
ज्वाळाबरोबरि तुह्मां कां ग्रासीन । अवतार घेणें तुह्मांसाटीं ॥ध्रु.॥
निर्गुण निर्भय मी सर्वांनिराळा । प्रकृतिवेगळा गुणातीत ॥2॥
चिन्मय चिद्रूप अवघें चिदाकार । तुका ह्मणे पार नेणे ब्रह्मा ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
How He consoled the cowherds, giving them His embrace and comforting them. Why would I swallow you along with the flames? It is for your sake alone that I took birth. I am without qualities, without fear, separate from all, beyond nature, beyond the three gunas. I am pure consciousness, pure awareness, all of the form of consciousness. Says Tuka, even Brahma cannot fathom My depths.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
See how he comforted the cowherds, giving them his embrace and quieting them. Why would I swallow you along with the flames? I took birth for your sake alone. I am without qualities, without fear, apart from everything, beyond nature, beyond the three gunas. I am all consciousness, all awareness, everything in the form of awareness. Tuka says: even Brahma does not know my limit.
What it means
Krishna answers their fear with an embrace and then with the truth about himself. To the boys he speaks of love: I would never harm you; I came into this body only for your sake. Then the poem lifts into plain Vedanta from Krishna's own mouth: he is beyond qualities, beyond fear, beyond nature and the three gunas, pure consciousness taking every form. The two halves belong together, the tender protector and the formless absolute are one. Tuka seals it by saying even Brahma cannot measure that depth.
Krishna Leela
Poems celebrating Krishna's birth, childhood, and divine play.
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