The mother wards off the eye, God becomes small
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
संयोग सकळां असे सर्वकाळ । दुिश्चत्त गोपाळ आला दिसे ॥1॥
गोपाळ गुणाचा ह्मणे गुणमय । निंबलोण माये उतरिलें ॥2॥
उतरूनि हातें धरि हनूवठी । ओवाळूनि दिठी सांडियेली॥3॥
दिठी घाली माता विश्वाच्या जनका । भक्तिचिया सुखा गोडावला ॥4॥
लहान हा थोर जीवजंत भूतें । आपण दैवतें जाला देवी ॥5॥
देवी ह्मैसासुर मुंजिया खेचर । लहान हि थोर देव हरि ॥6॥
हरि तुका ह्मणे अवघा एकला । परि या धाकुला भक्तासाटीं ॥7॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Union is with them at all times. The cowherd came home looking worried. His mother, seeing the precious cowherd-boy, performed a ritual warding off the evil eye and cast it away. She waved the charm and then held his chin. She cast the glance of protection and threw it aside. The mother cast her eyes upon the Father of the universe. Relishing the sweetness of devotion, He who is greater than the greatest became small. Among all the small and great living things, He became the child of His own divine power. The goddess slew the buffalo-demon and other celestial beings. Both small and great are all God, all Hari. Says Tuka, Hari is all in all, but for the sake of His devotees, He becomes small.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Union with them is always there, yet the cowherd came home looking troubled. His mother, calling the dear boy full of virtue, waved the salt and mustard about him to ward off the evil eye and threw it away. She lifted her hand, held his chin, waved the charm before his eyes and cast it off. The mother casts the glance of protection on the Father of the universe. He has grown sweet on the joy of his devotee. Among all things, small and great, the living and the dead, he himself became the deities, the goddess. The goddess who slew the buffalo-demon, the spirits, the sky-rangers, the small and the great, all are God, all are Hari. Tuka says: Hari is all of it, alone, yet for the sake of his devotees he becomes small.
What it means
Tukaram lingers on a tender household scene: a worried boy comes home and his mother performs the common rite to ward off the evil eye, waving salt and mustard, holding his chin. The wonder he points to is who is letting her do it, for this is the Father of the universe submitting to a mother's care because he has grown sweet on her love. Tukaram then widens the frame: the same Hari is everything, the goddess who slew the buffalo-demon, every spirit and being, small and great alike. The last line lands the paradox: the one who is all things, and is alone, willingly shrinks himself into a child for the sake of those who love him. The teaching is that God's greatness and his smallness are one act of love toward the devotee.
Krishna Leela
Poems celebrating Krishna's birth, childhood, and divine play.
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