Krishna's rule, the king who keeps no pride
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
कांहीं चिंता कोणा नाहीं कोणेविशीं । करी द्वारकेसि राज्य देव ॥1॥
द्वारकेसि राज्य करी नारायण । दुष्ट संहारून धर्म पाळी ॥2॥
पाळी वेदआज्ञा ब्राह्मणांचा मान । अतीतपूजन वैष्णवांचें॥3॥
अतीत अलिप्त अवघियां वेगळा । नाहीं हा गोपाळा अभिमान ॥4॥
अभिमान नाहीं तुका ह्मणे त्यासि । नेदी आणिकांसि धरूं देव ॥5॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
No one had any worry about anything. God ruled Dwaraka. Narayana ruled Dwaraka, having destroyed the wicked and upheld dharma. He honored the commands of the Vedas, the dignity of brahmins, and the worship of Vaishnavas and holy guests. He Himself remained detached and apart from all, yet this Cowherd-Boy held no pride. Says Tuka, He has no pride Himself, yet He does not let others cling to it either.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
No one had any worry about anything. God ruled in Dwaraka. Narayana ruled Dwaraka. He destroyed the wicked and kept dharma. He kept the command of the Vedas and the honor of the brahmins, and the worship of holy guests and of the Vaishnavas. Detached and untouched, apart from all of it, this Cowherd holds no pride. Tuka says: he has no pride himself, and he does not let others hold on to theirs either.
What it means
Tukaram ends the Dwaraka sequence with the character of the ruler. Krishna keeps order, upholds dharma, and gives each thing its due, the Vedas, the brahmins, the holy guests, so that no one in the city carries any worry. Yet the king who does all this stands detached and untouched by it, and the Cowherd takes no pride in his own greatness. The final turn is the teaching: he is not only free of pride himself, he does not let pride take root in those around him either. The verse points the listener at the same self-examination, that nearness to God is meant to dissolve the ego, not feed it.
Krishna Leela
Poems celebrating Krishna's birth, childhood, and divine play.
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