5 Marathi Songs You Absolutely Need to Hear
5 Marathi Songs You Absolutely Need to Hear
Every note in Marathi music carries centuries of devotion, poetry, and cultural memory. Whether one has grown up singing or has just discovered these songs, these five tracks represent the heart and soul of Maharashtra’s musical tradition. Each one reflects a story that is greater than words and connects listeners to something beyond words.
Artist: Lata Mangeshkar
Music: Pt. Hridaynath Mangeshkar
Lyricist: Sant Dnyaneshwar
Imagine a honeybee humming from flower to flower, drawn by irresistible fragrance. That is the metaphor Sant Dnyaneshwar applies here in the case of spiritual longing. The repetitive “runujhunu” is like the sound of tinkling bells or buzzing that creates this almost hypnotic quality that draws you in.
This devotional number gets a soft and meditative touch in Lata Mangeshkar’s voice. Not loud, not dramatic, but an invite to shed your cares and float for some time around in the divine presence. What if, instead, devotion was as instinctive as a bee seeking nectar? Or what if returning home to divinity were that easy?
This is cornerstone Marathi bhakti music-the kind to which kirtans have been sung for generations on pilgrimages, in temples, and in front yards where families gather for evening prayers.
Artists: Pt. Bhimsen Joshi and Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande
Lyricist: Jagdish Khebudkar
Raag: Yaman
Here’s where things get interesting. “Taal Bole Chipalila” literally means “the rhythm speaks to the sparrow”-imagine nature itself joining in devotional celebration. This abhang celebrates music and dance as paths to the divine, but with a radical message: everyone’s equal when they’re singing God’s praises. Rich, poor, educated, uneducated-none of that matters.
The lyrics preach something so beautiful: let go of your material attachments, serve humanity, and express your devotion through all of your being — singing, dancing, being fully present. The mridanga, a classical drum, really moves the rhythm along with infectious energy.
With stalwarts like Bhimsen Joshi and Vasantrao Deshpande rendering it, one can be assured of something special. Their voices bring in both technical brilliance and genuine devotional fervor.
Lyricist: Sant Eknath Maharaj
Singers: Pt. Bhimsen Joshi and Kishori Amonkar
Raag: Bhup, Nat
“Maher” means your mother’s ancestral home-that place you go back to for comfort and a sense of belonging. Sant Eknath describes the sacred city of Pandharpur, the residence of Lord Vitthal, as precisely that-the soul’s true home.
This 16th-century composition still resonates powerfully today. Every year, millions of pilgrims walk hundreds of kilometers during the Wari, or pilgrimage season, to reach Pandharpur, and many sing this very song along the way. It invokes the Bhima River, Pundlik, or Vitthal’s devoted follower, and the sacred geography of Maharashtra-grounding spiritual yearning in real physical places.
The longing in this song is palpable. It’s not abstract theological concepts; it’s homesickness for the divine. That’s what makes it so universally moving, even if you’ve never been to Pandharpur.
Traditional Folk Composition
Performers : Vishnubuwa Vavanjekar and others
Sometimes the most powerful prayers are the simplest ones. “Toha Vitthal Barva, Toha Madhav Barva” — You are Vitthal, You are Madhav. That, in essence, is the entire song, to be repeated with devotional intensity.
Simplicity does not necessarily mean a lack of depth. This abhang proclaims the unity of God amidst names and forms that may vary. It is an appeal to godhead person to person, without metaphorical phrases. Just pure surrender and recognition.
This is the kind of song that catches fire in group kirtans. Hundreds of voices join together in this simple affirmation, and something shifts in the room. Participatory spirituality doesn’t get much better than this: no musical training or theological knowledge required, just sincerity.
Composer: Govindarao Tembe
Lyricist: Krishnaji Prabhakar Khadikar
Singer: Pt. Anand Bhate
From: Sangeet Manapman (1911)
Now we’re switching gears completely. This is natyasangeet — classical Marathi musical theater — and it shows an entirely different side of Marathi musical tradition. Composed for the 1911 musical drama “Sangeet Manapman,” this song explores romantic love and martial valor rather than devotion.
“Zhale Yuvatimana Darun Ran Ruchir Premshe”-the heart of the young maiden becomes passionate through the beauty of love and warfare. It is like classically Indian rasa theory, aesthetic emotion, meets Marathi storytelling. The composition is sophisticated, restrained, emotionally nuanced, everything you would have expected from a golden age of Marathi musical theatre.
The rendition by Pt. Anand Bhate is masterful, showcasing how traditional Marathi composers integrated classical frameworks with vernacular language and local sensibilities. This is art music-better appreciated for the technical brilliance and emotional subtlety with which it is rendered.
Why These Songs Matter Today
These five songs are not relics; they are living traditions that continue to move people, for they tap into something universal. The devotional pieces speak to anyone who’s ever felt that longing for something beyond themselves — whether you call it God, truth, home, or simply meaning. And “Zhale Yuvati Mana” sends us a reminder that Marathi music isn’t all about temples and pilgrimages. It’s also about artistic excellence, classical aesthetics, and the full range of human emotion.
From Sant Dnyaneshwar’s folk-devotional metaphors to the classical sophistication of early 20th-century theater, these songs showcase the incredible breadth of Marathi musical heritage. Each one offers something different: meditation, celebration, longing, surrender, and artistry.
So listen to them. Allow the melodies to work on you. You might not understand every word if you don’t speak Marathi, but the emotions transcend language. And who knows? You might find yourself humming “Runujhunu Re” weeks later, still thinking about that honeybee searching for divine nectar.
.png)