Eating God: A Book of Bhakti Poetry

by Arundhathi Subramaniam (Editor)

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Featuring classic translations by A.K. Ramanujan and Dilip Chitre, among others, as well as new and unpublished ones by acclaimed poets, Eating God is a fabulous treat for seekers and poetry lovers alike.

Genres: Poetry, Spirituality, Hinduism

287 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Ananya Ghosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Call me a dimwit, but never in my life I could understand or relate to poetry (except Plath's works), until this year when Bhakti poems engulfed me. And it all began with reading 'Eating God', a collection of poems by mystic poets of India. Bhakti is a 'strange disease' and as Kabir wrote, "Only someone struck by it, knows the pain." As I read, I cried in pain and joy, could relate to the anger, got bewildered, laughed out loud (mostly at Tukaram's poems, "Look! I am a grocer by profession. You can't cheat me at a bargain."), and marvelled at the art that questioned social injustice ranging from caste discrimination (Narasinh Mehta) to untouchability during menstruation (Soyarabai). What is this Bhakti really? In her delightful introductory essay, Arundhati Subramaniam writes, "Everyone has known it. Many choose to forget, defer, deny or dilute it." How to find it? By looking within and opening up the box of treasure. Sometimes, it needs poetry. In short, 'Eating God' is absolutely delicious.

[Yoana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bhakti is one of the best things created in the history of humankind. It speaks to a panhuman experience of the divine, a hard to verbalise one, and it does it boldly, creatively, and effectively. The sheer wealth of approaches to something seemingly so unapproachable with regular human means, something transcendental, completely outside the realm of the empirical, is astounding. A symphony of voices, male and female, high-born and low-class, mystical and metaphorical, lyrical and sardonic, narrative and riddle-like. Bhakti poetry deserves to be as well-known as Shakespeare and Dante.

[tanvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

read this over the span of ten days or more and these poems were so enjoyable. relatable at times and shockingly beautiful and crazy too. a great read for those interested in the bhakti movement, spirituality or indian poetry in general.

[Dipta Mahanta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book on bhakti poetry and it compelled me more to read on bhakti poems.
The Introduction I loved very much, beautifully written. The bhaktas are passionate, fierce, enthusiastic, romantic, fearless, blissful, adorable, gentle and much more....I came to know by the poems. The poems are vividly imaginative and diverse. All the sentiments human has towards God is shown in the poems. The translation is good, but the original will be much richer I hope.

[Shikha Malviya · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a fluid book that takes many forms and reaches beyond the subtleties and limitations of words. Some of the poems are still a riddle to me even though I can probably relate to them at sentimental level. The initial chapter of Arundhathi's musings on bhakti was absolutely delicious

[LR 135 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an anthology and anthologies are always hard to review. This was mostly a sort of glance through to understand the anthologies various facets better. However, I will be using this book as a reference for my understanding of various abhinaya pieces in Bharatanatyam. This was my prime focus when I was reading the book yet I still did feel the poetry was powerful. I just believe I need more time with this anthology to make my opinion about it.

[Pallavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection Poetry which is so divine and at the same time talks not only about spiritual union but also physical union with God . This genre of poetry by poets belonging to different strata of society , different genders and different religions and at different periods of time , all emphasising their love for god in different ways . In one verse the poet says he was doing his work and so he ignored the arrival of the lord as he considered his work more spiritual than the worship of the Lord and in another how he went searching for the lord outside not realizing god existed within and so on .
A treasure trove of poetry which can be sensual , devotional and immersive. A book which can be reread multiple times . Kudos to Arundhati Subramanian for compiling together such a vibrant collection of Bharthi poetry and organizing it in such a systematic manner.

[Saumya Kulshreshtha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm speechless as I close the book, mulling over all that I read, all that assaulted my senses and my heart, based on how passionately devotion can be spoken about. This book is miraculous. It gathers voices of India's mystic poets across centuries - Kabir, Andal, Mira, Akka Mahadevi, Lal Dev, Abhirami Bhattar, Narsinh Mehta, to name a few - and neatly catalogues their devotional chants into accessible categories.

These poems, translated into English, sing of the soul’s hunger for the divine, the ecstasy and agony of love, and the blurring of lines between the human and the sacred - into a thread so intimate that it seems fierce and sensual, while remaining spiritual.