Ecstasy, the saints' shared feast
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
आजी दिवस जाला । धन्य सोनियाचा भला ॥१॥
जालें संताचे पंगती । बरवें भोजन निगुती ॥ध्रु.॥
रामकृष्णनामें । बरवीं मोहियेलीं प्रेमें ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे आला । चवी रसाळ हा काला ॥३॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Today has been a blessed day, a golden, splendid day. The saints have gathered in the communal dining row, and the meal has been prepared with care. The names of Rama and Krishna are the finest dishes, seasoned with love. Says Tuka, this delicacy has arrived with the most exquisite flavor.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Today has been a day, a blessed, golden, good day. There was a row of saints sitting to eat, and the meal was set out with care. The names of Rama and Krishna were stirred sweetly into it with love. Tuka says: it has come, this savory, juicy mixture.
What it means
Tukaram is celebrating the joy of singing God's name in the company of the saints, and he frames it as a shared meal. The day is golden because the devotees have gathered in a dining row and a feast has been laid out with care. The real food is the names of Rama and Krishna, seasoned with love, so the eating is the chanting itself. The kala, the mixed offering of curds and rice, becomes his image for that sweet, communal taste of the Name. The point is that fellowship in devotion is itself nourishment, a flavor more delicious than any literal meal.
Ecstasy and Joy
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