Cosmic infant, the leaf of devotion
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
लीलाविग्रही तो लेववी खाववी । यशोदा बैसवी मांडीवरी ॥1॥
मांडीवरी भार पुष्पाचिये परी । बैसोनियां करी स्तनपान ॥2॥
नभाचा ही साक्षी पाताळापरता । कुर्वािळते माता हातें त्यासि ॥3॥
हातें कुर्वाळुनी मुखीं घाली घांस । पुरे ह्मणे तीस पोट धालें ॥4॥
पोट धालें मग देतसे ढेंकर । भक्तीचें तें फार तुळसीदळ ॥5॥
तुळसीदळ भावें सहित देवापाणी । फार त्याहुनि क्षीरसागरा ॥6॥
क्षीराचा कांटाळा असे एकवेळ । भक्तीचें तें जळ गोड देवा ॥7॥
देवा भक्त जिवाहुनि आवडती । सकळ हि प्रीति त्यांच्याठायीं ॥8॥
त्यांचा हा अंकित सर्व भावें हरि । तुका ह्मणे करी सर्व काज ॥9॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
He who fills the universe with His play, He lets Yashoda seat Him on her lap, feed Him, and dress Him. She sits Him in her lap, light as a flower, and He suckles at her breast. He who is the witness of the sky and reaches beyond the netherworld, that One she pats and caresses with her hands. She feeds Him morsels by hand, and He says, 'Enough, my belly is full,' and gives a little belch. But what fills Him is the tulsi leaf of devotion, offered with faith and water. That is more to Him than the ocean of milk. He may tire of the milk-ocean at times, but the water offered by a devotee is always sweet to God. Devotees are dearer to God than His own life. All His love rests with them. Says Tuka, He is entirely in their service. He does their every task.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
He who holds the whole play in His form, He lets Yashoda dress Him and feed Him and seat Him on her lap. Light as a flower He is on her lap; sitting there He drinks at her breast. He who is the witness of the sky and beyond the netherworld, that one His mother caresses with her hands. With her hand she caresses Him and puts a morsel in His mouth; He says, enough, my belly is full. His belly full, then He gives a little belch; but a leaf of devotion is much more to Him. A tulsi leaf offered with love and water is far more to Him than the ocean of milk. He may grow weary of milk at times, but the water of devotion is sweet to God. Devotees are dearer to God than His own life; all His love rests with them. Hari is wholly bound to them with His whole heart. Tuka says: He does their every task.
What it means
Tukaram sets the infinite and the intimate side by side: the One who witnesses the whole cosmos lets Yashoda dress Him, feed Him by hand, and burp Him like any baby. The turn comes with His full belly: the milk that fills Him matters less than a single tulsi leaf offered with love. He can tire of the ocean of milk, but the plain water of a devotee's faith is always sweet to Him. The point is that God measures an offering by the love in it, not its size or richness. The poem ends in the most personal claim of all: devotees are dearer to Him than His own life, and He binds Himself to them so completely that He does their every task.
Krishna Leela
Poems celebrating Krishna's birth, childhood, and divine play.
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