Two homes, parents drowned in Him
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
नेणतियांसाटीं नेणता लाहान । थिंकोनि भोजन मागे माये ॥1॥
माया दोनी यास बाप नारायणा । सारखी भावना तयांवरी ॥2॥
तयांवरी त्याचा समचित्त भाव । देवकीवसुदेव नंद दोघे ॥3॥
घेउनियां एके ठायीं अवतार । एकीं केला थोर वाढवूनि॥4॥
उणा पुरा यासी नाहीं कोणी ठाव । सारिखा चि देव अवघियांसी॥5॥
यासी दोनी ठाव सारिखे अनंता । आधील मागुता वाढला तो ॥6॥
वाढला तो सेवाभक्तिचिया गुणें । उपचारमिष्टान्नें करूनियां ॥7॥
करोनियां सायास मेळविलें धन । तें ही कृष्णार्पण केलें तीहीं ॥8॥
कृष्णासी सकळ गाई घोडे ह्मैसी । समपिनल्या दासी जीवें भाव॥9॥
जीवें भावें त्याची करितील सेवा । न विसंबती नांवा क्षणभरी॥10॥
क्षणभरी होतां वेगळा तयांस । होती कासावीस प्राण त्यांचे ॥11॥
त्यांचे ध्यानीं मनीं सर्वभावें हरि । देह काम करी चित्त त्यापें ॥12॥
त्याचें चि चिंतन कृष्ण कोठें गेला । कृष्ण हा जेविला नाहीं कृष्ण॥13॥
कृष्ण आला घरा कृष्ण गेला दारा । कृष्ण हा सोयरा भेटों कृष्णा ॥14॥
कृष्ण गातां ओंव्या दळणीं कांडणीं । कृष्ण हा भोजनीं पाचारिती ॥15॥
कृष्ण तयां ध्यानीं आसनीं शयनीं । कृष्ण देखे स्वपनीं कृष्णरूप ॥16॥
कृष्ण त्यांस दिसे आभास दुिश्चतां । धन्य मातापिता तुका ह्मणे ॥17॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
For the sake of the innocent, He became small and innocent, crying and begging His mother for food. He had two sets of parents, Narayana's love equal for both. His regard was balanced and impartial: Devaki and Vasudeva on one side, Nanda and Yashoda on the other. He was born in one place, raised to greatness in another. He shows neither more nor less to anyone; God is the same to all. Both homes were equal to Him. What grew from before continued growing. He grew through the nourishment of devoted service, through lovingly prepared offerings. Through their efforts and earnings, they offered their wealth, and all of it was surrendered to Krishna. They gave Krishna everything: cows, horses, buffaloes, servants, their very lives. They served Him with all their being and did not leave His Name for even a moment. Even a moment apart from Him made their jivas frantic and distressed. Their thoughts, meditations, and entire being were devoted to Hari. The body went through its work, but the chitta was with Him. Their constant thought was: 'Where has Krishna gone? Has Krishna eaten? Has Krishna not?' 'Krishna has come home, Krishna has gone out. Krishna is our kinsman. Let us meet Krishna.' Singing ovis of Krishna while grinding and pounding, calling Krishna at mealtimes. Krishna in their waking, in their sitting, in their sleeping. Krishna in their dreams, Krishna's form everywhere. Krishna appeared to them even in passing shadows and fleeting worries. Says Tuka, blessed are the mother and father of such a child.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
For the simple ones He became small and simple; crying, He begs His mother for food. He has two mothers and Narayana for father; His feeling is the same toward them. Toward them His heart is even and equal: Devaki and Vasudeva, and Nanda, the two pairs. He took birth in one place; in the other He was raised to greatness. He has no place for more or less; God is the same to all. Both homes are equal to the Infinite One; He grew where He was raised, the latter home. He grew through the strength of their loving service, through their care and the sweet food they made. With great effort they gathered wealth, and all of it they offered to Krishna. To Krishna they gave their cows, horses, buffaloes; the servant-women gave their very lives in love. With heart and soul they serve Him; they cannot bear to be apart from His Name for a moment. To be parted from Him even a moment makes their breath gasp in distress. In their meditation and mind, with their whole being, is Hari; the body does its work, the heart is with Him. Their one thought: where has Krishna gone? Has Krishna eaten or not? Krishna has come home, Krishna has gone out; Krishna is our kinsman, let us meet Krishna. Singing songs of Krishna while grinding and pounding, they call on Krishna at their meals. Krishna in their meditation, their sitting, their lying down; Krishna they see in dreams, the form of Krishna. Krishna they see even in a passing shadow when distracted. Tuka says: blessed are that mother and father.
What it means
The verse holds two truths together: God is impartial, and God lets Himself be utterly possessed by love. He gives equal regard to both his birth parents and his foster parents, showing no more or less to anyone; yet He grows up in Gokul fed by service and love, accepting all they own and even their lives. Tukaram then paints constant remembrance as the form their love takes: the hands grind and pound while the heart is wholly on Krishna, His name spoken at meals, His form seen in sleep and even in a passing shadow. This is the picture of a mind so saturated with God that nothing else fully registers. The benediction at the end blesses Nanda and Yashoda, holding up such absorbed, all-day remembrance as the life worth envying.
Krishna Leela
Poems celebrating Krishna's birth, childhood, and divine play.
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