Surrender, hold up Your own name
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
तुझा दास ऐसा ह्मणती लोकपाळ । ह्मणऊनि सांभाळ करीं माझा ॥1॥
अनाथाचा नाथ पतितपावन । हें आतां जतन करीं नाम ॥ध्रु.॥
माझें गुण दोष पाहातां न लगे अंत । ऐसें माझें चित्त मज ग्वाही ॥2॥
नेणें तुझी कैसी करावी हे सेवा । जाणसी तूं देवा अंतरींचें ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे तूं या कृपेचा सिंधु । तोडीं भवबंधु माझा देवा ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The guardians of the world call me Your servant. Therefore watch over me, O Lord. You are called the Lord of the helpless, the Purifier of the fallen. Uphold this name of Yours. If You examine my virtues and faults, there would be no end to them. My own chitta bears witness to this. I do not know how to serve You. But You, O God, know what lies within. Says Tuka, You are the ocean of mercy. Sever my bonds of worldly existence, O God.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The guardians of the world call me Your servant. So watch over me, O Lord. You are called the Lord of the helpless, the one who lifts the fallen. Keep that name of Yours now. If You count my virtues and my faults, there is no end to them. My own heart tells me so. I do not know how to serve You. But You, O God, know what is inside me. Tuka says: You are the ocean of mercy. Cut my bonds to this world, O God.
What it means
Tukaram makes God's reputation the basis of his plea: You are called Lord of the helpless and lifter of the fallen, so live up to Your own name by saving me. He admits he cannot pass an honest audit; his faults are endless and he says so himself. He also admits he does not even know how to serve, but leans on the fact that God already sees everything within him. The argument is that mercy, not merit, is the door. He asks for the one thing he cannot do himself: the cutting of his bondage to worldly existence.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
More in this theme →