One Hundred Poems of Tukaram is a 2015 book consisting of selected poems of Sant Tukaram, a prominent Varkari Sant and spiritual poet of the Bhakti, translated into English by Chandrakant Kaluram Mhatre. The book also consists of an introduction by the translator, which explores aspects like relevance of Tukaram's poetry in twenty-first century, Tukaram's life and times, Varkari movement of which Tukaram was a part and the form of Tukaram's poems amongst other things. It aims at historicising Tukaram's poetry while upholding its timeless appeal.
The book covers a wide range of poems depicting the spiritual as well as worldly journey of the saint-poet who is widely hailed as one of the greatest poets from India by critics like Ramchandra Ranade and Dr. Sadanand More. Selection of poems is such that the book gives a comprehensive picture of the various phases of Sant Tukaram's life which can be generally divided into that of a family man, a recluse and the man of the masses. So far this is only the second book-length translation of Tukaram's poems in English, the other being Dilip Chitre's Says Tuka (1991).
Contents
Poems
One Hundred Poems of Tukaram is a first book-length attempt at reproducing the original form of Tukaram's poems viz. abhang into English. As a poetic form, abhang has been explored by all Varkari saints for their poetic expressions. An abhang can be of two types: four-lined stanzaic and two-lined stanzaic.
Tukaram has exploited both these forms of abhang extensively in his poems as is illustrated by a few poems given below, extracted from One Hundred Poems of Tukaram:
1.
Words are the jewels
That our homes are filled with
The tools that we strive with
Are but of words
Words are the source
That sustains our life
Wealth of words we give
To one and all
Tuka says behold
Word is the Lord
Let us praise Him
Worship with words
2.
The destitute and the downtrodden
Who considers as his own
He alone is to be recognised as Saint
God is to be experienced only therewith
Tender through and through is butter
So is the heart of the good
Those who are forsaken
He takes them in loving embrace
Mercy meant for own son
He shows to servants and maids too
Tuka says can't praise him enough
He is the Lord incarnate
Quotes from the book
"Trees, creepers are our | Kindred, also wild beasts
And birds singing | Melodiously"
"Compassion be called | Protecting beings
Along with eradicating | Evildoers"
"The meaning of Vedas | We alone comprehend
Others only carry | Burdens on head"
"Flame of a firefly | Tuka says can't light a lamp"
"Tuka says faith | Makes the Lord incarnate"