Eating God: A Book of Bhakti Poetry

The seeker's impassioned yearning for the Divine, unmediated here and now is the essence of bhakti. As old as time, its spirit suffused the outpourings of mystic poets across India from the eighth century onward. Their compositions passionate, sensuous, intimate, often articulated in regional languages and dialects spoke to cobbler and priest alike and have embedded themselves in our collective unconscious. The two-hundred-odd poems in this volume remind us of this rich palette of human longing from the trenchant irony of Kabir and audacious sensuality of Annamayya and Chandidas to the earthy mysticism of Tukaram and fierce lyricism of Mira and Akka Mahadevi. We travel the emotional arc of bhakti, from wild longing to liberation, through these utterances and many more. Featuring classic translations by A.K. Ramanujan and Dilip Chitre, among others, as well as new and unpublished ones by acclaimed poets, Eating God is a fabulous treat for seekers and poetry lovers alike.