Surrender after pride, You alone are strong
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
सांडवले सकळांचे अभिमान । आणिले शरण लोटांगणीं॥1॥
लोटांगणीं आले होऊनियां दीन । मग नारायण ह्मणे भलें ॥2॥
भला आजि तुह्मी केला साच पण । गिरि गोवर्धन उचलिला ॥3॥
लागती चरणा सकळ ते काळीं । आह्मांमध्यें बळी तूं चि एक ॥4॥
एका तुजविण न यों आह्मी कामा । कळों कृष्णा रामा आलें आजी ॥5॥
आजिवरि आह्मां होता अभिमान । नेणतां चरणमहिमा तुझा ॥6॥
तुझा पार आह्मी नेणों नारायणा । नखीं गोवद्धनना राखियेलें ॥7॥
राखियेलें गोकुळ आह्मां सकळांसि । दगडाच्या राशी वरुषतां ॥8॥
वर्णावें तें काय तुझें महिमान । धरिती चरण सकिळक ॥9॥
सकळ ही तान विसरलीं भूक । सकळ ही सुख दिलें त्यांसि ॥10॥
त्यासि कळों आला वैकुंठनायका। तुका ह्मणे लोक निर्भर ते ॥11॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The pride of all was dissolved, and they fell prostrate in surrender. They came as humble supplicants, and Narayana said, 'Well done.' 'Today you have truly kept your pledge. You have lifted the Govardhan mountain.' They all fell at His feet. 'Among us, You alone are the strong One.' 'Without You, we are of no use. Today we have understood, O Krishna, O Rama.' 'Until now we were full of pride, not knowing the greatness of Your feet.' 'We do not know Your depths, O Narayana. You held Govardhan upon Your fingertip.' 'You saved Gokul and all of us when boulders rained from the sky.' 'How can we describe Your greatness?' Everyone held His feet. They all forgot hunger and thirst. They were given complete happiness. Says Tuka, they recognized the Lord of Vaikuntha, and the people were filled with perfect peace.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The pride of all of them was broken, and they were brought low in surrender. They came and fell flat on the ground as humble ones, and then Narayana said, well done. You have truly kept your word today; you have lifted up Govardhan. They all fell at his feet then. Among us, you alone are the strong one. Without you we are good for nothing. Today we have understood, O Krishna, O Rama. Until today we carried our pride, not knowing the greatness of your feet. We do not know your limits, O Narayana; on your nail you held up Govardhan. You saved Gokul and all of us when heaps of stones rained down. How can we put your greatness into words? Every one of them held his feet. They all forgot their thirst and hunger; he gave them every joy. They came to know the Lord of Vaikuntha. Tuka says: the people were filled to the brim.
What it means
This poem is the answer to the cowherds' boasting: now that the trick is exposed, their pride collapses into worship. They fall flat, confess that they alone are nothing, and that he alone is the strong one who held the hill on a fingernail. Tukaram catches the exact moment of waking. Up to today we carried our pride, not knowing the greatness of your feet. The recognition is not grim; it overflows into joy, hunger and thirst forgotten, the whole crowd filled to the brim once they truly know who has been with them.
Krishna Leela
Poems celebrating Krishna's birth, childhood, and divine play.
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