Adoration, the Primal Shakti at Pandhari
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
विशाळ व्यंकट नेत्र । वैजयंती तळपे कंठीं वो । कास पीतांबराची । चंदन सुगंध साजे उटी वो ॥१॥
अतिबरवंटा बाळा । आली सुलक्षणीं गोंधळा वो । राजस तेजोराशी । मिरवी शिरोमणी वेल्हाळा वो ।
कोटि रविशशिप्रभा । लोपल्या सकळा वो । न कळे ब्रम्हादिकां । अनुपम्य इची लीळा वो ॥ध्रु.॥
सावळी सकुमार । गोरी भुजा शोभती चारी वो । सखोल वक्षस्थळ । सुढाळ पदक झळके वरी वो ।
कटीं क्षुद्र घंटिका । शब्द करिताती माधुरी वो । गर्जत चरणीं वाकी । अभिनव संगीत नृत्य करी वो ॥२॥
अष्टांगें मंडित काय । वर्णावी रूपठेवणी वो । शोधिव सुंदर रसाची ओतिली । सुगंध लावण्यखाणी वो ।
सर्वकळासंपन्न । मंजुळ बोले हास्यवदनीं वो । बहु रूपें नटली । आदिशक्ति नारायणी वो ॥३॥
घटस्थापना केली । पंढरपुरमहानगरीं वो । अस्मानी मंडप दिला । तिन्ही ताळांवरी वो ।
आरंभिला गोंधळ इनें । चंद्रभागेतिरीं वो । आली भक्तिकाजा । कृष्णाबाई योगेश्वरी वो ॥४॥
तेहतिस कोटि देव । चौंडा अष्ट कोटि भैरव वो । आरत्या कुरवंड्या । करिती पुष्पांचा वरुषाव वो ।
नारद तुंबर गायन । ब्रम्हानंद करिती गंधर्व वो। वंदी चरणरज तेथें । तुकयाचा बंधव वो ॥५॥
शंख करिशी ज्याच्या नांवें । त्याचें तुज नाहीं ठावें ।
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Wide and beautiful are her Venkata-eyes, and the Vaijayanti garland gleams at her throat. She wears a sash of yellow silk, and the sandal-paste fragrance adorns her body. The beauteous child has come to the sacred ceremony, a treasure of radiance, a crown-jewel among the graceful. Her splendor eclipses ten million suns and moons. Even Brahma and the other gods cannot fathom her incomparable play. She is dusky-hued and tender, fair; her four arms are resplendent. Her broad chest shines, and a fine pendant glistens above it. Small bells tinkle at her waist in sweet tones, and anklets ring at her feet as she performs an exquisite dance. Her entire form is adorned with the eight ornaments; she is a perfumed mine of beauty, gracious and sweet-spoken. In countless forms she appears, the primal Shakti, Narayani herself. The sacred pot is installed in the great city of Pandharpur; a canopy stretches over the three realms. The ceremony begins on the bank of the Chandrabhaga. She has come for the sake of devotion: Krishnabai, the supreme yogini. Thirty-three crore gods and countless Bhairavas attend, performing worship and showering flowers. Narada and Tumbara sing, and the Gandharvas make music of divine bliss. Says Tuka's brother, I bow to the dust of those feet.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Wide and lovely are her eyes; the Vaijayanti garland gleams at her throat. She wears a sash of yellow silk, and fragrant sandal-paste adorns her. The beautiful child has come to the sacred ceremony, a heap of radiance, a crown-jewel among the graceful; her splendor swallows ten million suns and moons, and even Brahma and the gods cannot grasp her matchless play. Dusky and tender, fair, her four arms shine; her broad chest gleams, and a fine pendant glistens upon it. Small bells ring sweetly at her waist, anklets sound at her feet, and she dances a wondrous dance. Her whole form is adorned with the eight ornaments; she is a perfumed mine of beauty, gracious and sweet of speech. In countless forms she appears, the primal Shakti, Narayani herself. The sacred pot is set up in the great city of Pandharpur; a canopy spreads over the three realms. The ceremony begins on the bank of the Chandrabhaga. She has come for the sake of devotion: Krishnabai, the supreme yogini. Thirty-three crore gods and countless Bhairavas attend, performing worship and showering flowers. Narada and Tumbara sing, and the Gandharvas make music of bliss. Tuka's brother says: I bow to the dust of those feet.
What it means
This is a long hymn of praise to God at Pandharpur worshipped as the Goddess, the primal Shakti who is also Narayani. Tukaram piles up the lovely particulars, the wide eyes, the Vaijayanti garland, the four shining arms, the ringing anklets and the wondrous dance, yet keeps insisting she is beyond reckoning: her light eclipses ten million suns and moons, and Brahma and the gods cannot follow her play. He frames the whole vision as a great ceremony at Pandharpur, the sacred pot installed, a canopy over the three worlds, the rite begun on the Chandrabhaga's bank. All the heavens attend, gods and Bhairavas and the singing Gandharvas, and at the end the poet bows simply to the dust of her feet.
Devotion to Vitthal
Poems of praise, invocation, and intimate address to Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur.
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