Devotion, the debt cleared at God's feet
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
कीर्तनाची गोडी । देव निवडी आपण ॥1॥
कोणी व्हा रे अधिकारी । त्यासी हरि देईल ॥ध्रु.॥
वैराग्याचे बळें । साही खळ जिणावे ॥2॥
उरेल ना उरी । तुका करी बोभाट ॥3॥
अवघें आलें आंत पोटा पडिलें थीतें । सारूनि नििंश्चत जालों देवा ॥ध्रु.॥
द्यावयासी आतां नाहीं तोळा मासा । आधील मवेशा तुज ठावी ॥2॥
तुझ्या रिणें गेले बहुत बांधोन । जाले मजहून थोरथोर ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे तुझे खतीं जें गुंतलें । करूनि आपुलें घेई देवा ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The sweetness of kirtan is something God Himself selects. Let someone become worthy, and Hari will give Himself to that one. Through the strength of detachment, conquer the six inner enemies. Says Tuka, I shall make the proclamation. Nothing will remain in this chest. Everything has entered and fallen into the belly, settled there. Having set it all aside, I have become certain, O God. I have nothing left to give now, not a tola or a masa. You know my earlier account. Many greater than I have gone, bound by their debt to You. Says Tuka, whatever is entangled in Your ledger, make it Your own, O God.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The sweetness of kirtan is something God Himself chooses. Let someone become worthy, and Hari will give Himself to that one. By the strength of detachment, conquer the six inner enemies. Tuka says: I will cry it out; nothing will be left in my chest. Everything has gone in and settled in the belly; having set it all aside, I have grown certain, O God. I have nothing left to give now, not a tola, not a masa; You know my old account. Many greater than I have gone, bound by their debt to You. Tuka says: whatever is tangled in Your ledger, make it Your own and take it, O God.
What it means
Tukaram moves from how devotion begins to how he settles his whole account with God. He says the joy of kirtan is God's own gift, given to whoever becomes fit, and that detachment is the weapon for conquering the six inner enemies of lust, anger and the rest. Then he turns to his own state: he has held nothing back, poured everything out, swallowed and absorbed it all, and so he stands certain, with nothing left to offer, not even the smallest weight of merit. He admits the debt openly, noting that even souls far greater have died still bound by what they owed. His final move is total surrender of the books: whatever is entangled in God's ledger, let God simply claim as His own and take.
Devotion to Vitthal
Poems of praise, invocation, and intimate address to Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur.
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