Tukaram Gatha Abhang 75 - Gauliyachee taakapire, kon pore changalee

 गौळियाचीं ताकपिरें । कोण पोरें चांगलीं ।।१।।

येवढा त्यांचा छंद देवा । काय सेवा भक्ति ते ।।२।।

काय उपास पडिले होते । कण्याभोंवते विदुराच्या ।।३।।

तुका म्हणे कुब्जा दासी । रूपरासी हीनकळा ।।४।।

 English Script

1. Gauliyachee taakapire, kon pore changalee

2. Yevadha tyaancha chhand deva, kay sevaa bhakti te

3. Kay upaas padile hote, kanyabhovate vidurachyaa

4. Tuka mhane kubja dasee, ruparasee heenkala.

 Translation

Bhakti (devotion) is the key to reach God. If you have devotion, then God will come to you and befriend you. This is the message Saint Tukaram is giving in this abhanga.

 1. The children of cowherds of Gokul (place where Krishna grew up in the company of Gopals, meaning the keepers of the cows) were very ordinary children. They were so poor that they had to drink buttermilk (instead of milk, meaning they had a humble standard of living). What was there in them that made Lord Krishna love them as His friends?

2. But the God had fallen in love with them, because their devotion and service was of a very high quality.

3. Lord Krishna ate plain ordinary rice at Vidur's house. Was it because He was starving for food? (Pl see the note below).

4. Tuka says, Kubja (the maid servant of king Kansa), was a model of ugliness, bent at several places. Still God saw her as a beautiful soul and blessed her with His friendship, because she was very pure at heart and was a great devotee.

Vidur: He was a son of King Dhritarashtra, begotten from a maid servant. So he was looked down upon and was not considered as a heir to the crown. Still, Krishna loved him and was very fond of him; because he was an ardent devotee of Krishna. Although Krishna used to avoid eating the lavish food in Duryodhana's palace, he was very happy to eat a very humble lunch of plain rice, that too in a meager quantity, in Vidur's house. In fact he relished that taste and enjoyed that food so much that this event is always cited to give an example of God's love for his genuine devotees.

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