Longing, asking to see the form
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
स्वामी तूं ही कैसा न पडसी डोळां । सुंदर सांवळा घवघवीत ॥1॥
चतुर्भुज माळा रुळे एकावळी । कस्तुरी निडळीं रेखिलीसे ॥ध्रु.॥
शंख चक्रा गदा रुळे वैजयंती । कुंडलें तळपती श्रवणीं दोन्ही ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे स्वामी आतां दावीं पाय । पांडुरंग माय कृपावंते ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
O Lord, how is it that You do not appear before my eyes, You who are so beautiful, dark, and radiant? Four-armed, with a garland swinging on a single string, with musk drawn upon Your forehead. Conch, discus, and mace, the Vaijayanti garland swaying, and two earrings gleaming at Your ears. Says Tuka, O Lord, show me Your feet now. O Panduranga, my compassionate Mother.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Lord, how is it that You do not fall before my eyes? You are beautiful, dark, and shining. Four-armed, a single garland swinging on its string, with musk drawn upon Your forehead. The conch, the discus, the mace; the Vaijayanti garland sways; two earrings glitter at Your ears. Tuka says: Lord, show me Your feet now. Panduranga, my mother, full of mercy.
What it means
Tukaram is aching to see Vitthal's form and complains, tenderly, that it will not appear before his eyes. He then describes that form in detail anyway, dark and radiant, four-armed, garlanded, musk on the brow, conch and discus and mace in the hands, earrings flashing, as if longing has already painted what the eyes have not been granted. The vision in the mind only sharpens the hunger for the real darshan. So he closes by asking for the simplest, nearest gift, just the sight of the feet, and calls Panduranga his mother, leaning on God's mercy the way a child leans on a parent.
Longing and Separation
Cries from the dark night of the soul: remonstrances, complaints, and desperate yearning.
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