Mythic tale, God comes running
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
एक प्रेमगुज ऐकें जगजेठी । आठवली गोष्टी सांगतसें ॥1॥
एक मृग दोन्ही पाडसांसहित । आनंदें चरत होती वनी ॥ध्रु.॥
अवचिता तेथें पारधी पावला । घेऊनियां आला श्वानें दोन्ही ॥2॥
एकीकडे त्याणें चिरिल्या वाघुरा । ठेविलें श्वानपुत्रा एकीकडे ॥3॥
एकीकडे तेणें वोणवा लाविला । आपण राहिला एकीकडे ॥4॥
चहूंकडोनियां मृगें वेढियेलीं । स्मरों तें लागलीं नाम तुझें ॥5॥
रामा कृष्णा हरी गोविंदा केशवा । देवाचिया देवा पावें आतां ॥6॥
कोण रक्षी आतां ऐसिये संकटीं । बापा जगजेठी तुजविण ॥7॥
आइकोनि तुह्मी तयांचीं वचनें । कृपाअंतःकरणें कळविळलां ॥8॥
आज्ञा तये काळीं केली पर्जन्यासी । वेगीं पावकासी विझवावें ॥9॥
ससें एक तेथें उठवुनी पळविलें । तया पाठीं गेली श्वानें दोन्ही ॥10॥
मृगें चमकोनी सत्वर चाललीं । गोविंदें रिक्षलीं ह्मणोनियां ॥11॥
ऐसा तूं कृपाळु दयाळु आहेसी । आपुल्या भक्तांसी जीवलग ॥12॥
ऐसी तुझी कीर्ती जीवीं आवडती । रखुमाईच्या पती तुका ह्मणे ॥13॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Listen, O Lord of the World, to this tale of love; a story has come to mind. A deer with its two fawns was grazing happily in the forest. Suddenly a hunter arrived, bringing two hunting dogs. On one side he spread his nets, on another he placed his hounds, on a third side he lit a wildfire, and on the fourth he stationed himself. Surrounded on all sides, the deer began to remember Your Name. "Rama, Krishna, Hari, Govinda, Keshava, O God of gods, come to us now. Who will protect us in this dire peril, O Father, Lord of the World, if not You?" Hearing their plea, Your heart was moved with tender compassion. You commanded the rain to fall swiftly and extinguish the fire. Then a hare was startled and set running, and both dogs chased after it. The deer, alert and quick, fled to safety. Govinda saved them. Such is Your compassion, Your love, and Your tenderness toward Your devotees. Says Tuka, O Lord of Rakhumai, such is Your fame, dear to my heart.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Listen, Lord of the World, to a tale of love; a story has come to mind. A deer with its two fawns was grazing happily in the forest. Suddenly a hunter came, bringing two dogs. On one side he spread his nets. On another he set his hounds. On a third he lit a wildfire. On the fourth he stood himself. Surrounded on all sides, the deer began to remember Your Name. "Rama, Krishna, Hari, Govinda, Keshava, God of gods, come to us now. Who will protect us in this peril, Father, Lord of the World, if not You?" Hearing their words, Your heart was moved with tender pity. At that moment You ordered the rain to fall and put out the fire fast. A hare there was startled and ran, and both dogs chased after it. The deer, alert and quick, fled to safety. Govinda saved them. Such is Your pity, Your love, Your tenderness toward Your devotees. Tuka says: such is Your fame, dear to my heart, O Lord of Rakhumai.
What it means
Tukaram tells a parable to show what the Name does in an hour of total helplessness. The deer and its fawns are boxed in on all four sides, nets, hounds, fire, and the hunter himself, with no opening left by any natural means. Their only act is to cry the Name and ask, who will save us if not You. The poem shows God moved by that cry and answering not with one rescue but with a chain of them: rain to kill the fire, a startled hare to pull the dogs away, an opening through which the deer escape. The lesson Tukaram draws is the character of God revealed in the act: tender toward the devotee, swift when called, glad to be famous for exactly this kind of saving.
Sacred Stories
Abhangas drawing on mythological narratives to illuminate spiritual truths.
More in this theme →