Thumak Chalat Ramchandra

M1121: Thumak Chalat Ramchandra

☆☆☆ Bhajan, for Rama

[[Title_alias]]

Thumak Chalat Ramchandra, Thumaka Chalata Ramachandra

[[Keywords]]

Thumak, Thumaka, Chalat, Chalata, Ramchandra, Ramachandra, Rama, Tulsidas, Kirtan, Bhajan

[[Mantra_iast]]

• Ṭhumaka Calata Rāmacandra

[ Refrain ]
ṭhumaka calata rāmacandra, bājata paījaniyā ||0||

[ Verse 1 ]
kilaki-kilaki uṭhata dhāya, girata bhūmi laṭapaṭāya |
dhāya māta goda leta, daśaratha kī rāniyā ||1||

[ Verse 2 ]
añcala raja aṅga jhāri, vividha bhāti so dulāri |
tana mana dhana vāri-vāri, kahata mṛdu bacaniyā ||2||

[ Verse 3 ]
vidruma se aruṇa adhara,bolata mukha madhura madhura |
subhaga nāsikā me cāru, laṭakata laṭakaniyā ||3||

[ Verse 4 ]
tulasīdāsa ati ānanda, dekha ke mukhāravinda |
raghuvara chabi ke samāna, raghuvara chabi baniyā ||4||

[[Meaning_en]]

• Thumak Chalat Ramchandra

Little Ramachandra toddles around endearingly,
his anklets jingling with every step. (0)

Giggling and laughing with great delight he tries to run,
then stumbles and falls down.
His father’s queens rush to the little one, pick him up,
and cradle him lovingly in their laps. (1)

They dust him off with the end of their sarees.
With all their hearts and minds, with their entire beings,
they shower him with affection.
Whispering tender words, they hug and caress
their darling child. (2)

His lips are red as coral; his speech is filled with sweetness.
On his delicate nose, a small ring dangles charmingly. (3)

The queens feel inexpressible bliss in beholding the face
of the child Rama, as exquisite as a lotus.
Tulsidas says: The beauty of the Lord’s countenance
is beyond compare. Lord Rama can only be compared with
Lord Rama himself. (4)

[[Meaning_cn]]

（小月亮王可爱地蹒跚学步，
他的脚镯每走一步都叮当作响。）

他高兴地咯咯笑着想跑，
突然绊倒并跌倒。
他父亲的后妃们冲到他身边，把小家伙抱起来，
并亲切地将他抱在怀里。

她们用纱丽给他掸去灰尘。
全部身心，全心全意，她们向他倾泻爱意。
用轻柔温暖的话语，她们拥抱和爱抚
她们亲爱的孩子。

小家伙的嘴唇红得像珊瑚；
他的言语充满甜蜜。
在他精致的鼻子上，
一个小戒指迷人地垂着。

看到这张脸，她们感到难以言喻的喜悦。
小家伙罗摩，精致如莲花。
诗人图尔西达斯说：主的容颜之美
是无与伦比的。我主罗摩之美
只有主自己能够媲美！

[[Glossary]]

* Rāmacandra/Ramchandra = Lord Rama.

* Ṭhumaka/Thumak —（摇摇晃晃的）步态；舞步；
* Calata/Chalat — going, moving.

[[Comment_en]]

• Introduction by David Katz

“Thumak Chalat Ramchandra” is an exquisite bhajan by the 16th-century poet-saint Tulsidas. In this bhajan, Tulsidas, an ardent devotee of Lord Rama, beautifully and tenderly describes Lord Rama as a young child. Siddha Yoga musician Viju Kulkarni sings this bhajan in the gara raga, a melodic pattern that evokes love, devotion, and sweetness; it is delightful, entrancing, charming - much like the child Rama himself. The melody is a traditional one, variations of which have been sung by many musicians in India.

As you listen to and reflect on the words of this bhajan by Tulsidas, I'd like to bring your attention to the last sentence in particular. Here the poet-saint says: “The beauty of the Lord's countenance is beyond compare. Lord Rama can only be compared with Lord Rama himself.”

Isn't this understanding that Tulsidas has so eloquently put into words just remarkable? Think about it - what can you really compare the Lord with?

You may say the Lord is like the sun, the Lord is like the pristine blue sky or the convergence of color in a rainbow. You may say that the Lord has the purity and sweetness of an innocent young child. Yet will you be satisfied with any of these descriptions? No matter what alankara - what adornment or embellishment of speech - you use, no matter what simile or metaphor, you will always think, “There is more to it than that.”

Reading the bhajan, you might believe that this was Tulsidas' quandary as well. He was in a conundrum. His heart was overcome with devotion, and he wanted to glorify the image of the Lord. He wanted to express in words his experience of darshan (显现).

So he looked to nature and tried to compare the Lord to the beauty that he found there. Yet as evocative and beautiful as the images he gives are, none quite suffices. By the end of the bhajan, Tulsidas can only say: “The Lord is the Lord.” The poet-saint sings:“The beauty of the Lord's countenance is beyond compare. Lord Rama can only be compared with Lord Rama himself.”

By focusing on this line in the bhajan, which is such a great teaching, we can learn how to receive darshan fully, how to recognize when we encounter God, and how to perceive the fullness of God's divinity and resplendence.

This line from the bhajan brings to mind one of Gurumayi's teachings. Gurumayi says: “The uniqueness contained in each individuality is part and parcel of the very energy of God.”

[[Comment_cn]]

《Thumak Chalat Ramchandra》是印度 16世纪的诗圣 “Tulsidas” 的作品，他是罗摩 (Load Rama) 的忠实信徒，写过很多赞美罗摩的诗歌，并广泛流传和传唱，其中就包括前面介绍过的著名诗篇《Hanuman Chalisa》。

这是一首优美的赞美诗，描写的是幼年“罗摩”蹒跚学步时的一个平常的生活场景。就是在这么平常的一个场景中，作者以他的虔诚之心，见证了 “主的无以伦比之美” (The Beauty of the Load Rama)。作者最后感叹道：“主之美，没有什么事物可以比拟。只有主自己才能与自己媲美。”（ “The beauty of the Lord's countenance is beyond compare. Lord Rama can only be compared with Lord Rama himself.”）

[[Related_songs]]

1)《Thumak Chalat Ramchandra》
——Sadhana Sargam / “Golden Bhajans”

2)《Thumak Chalat Ramchandra》(纯音)
——Ronu Majumdar & Sai Madhukar / “Divine Flute - A Soulful Interpretation (2015)”

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