Surrender, the child trusts its mother
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
बाळ मातेपाशीं सांगे तानभूक । उपायाचें दुःख काय जाणे ॥1॥
तयापरी करीं पाळण हें माझें । घेउनियां ओझें सकळ भार ॥ध्रु.॥
कासया गुणदोष आणिसील मना । सर्व नारायणा अपराधी ॥2॥
सेवाहीन दीन पातकांची रासी । आतां विचारिसी काय ऐसें ॥3॥
जेणें काळें पायीं अनुसरलें चित्त । निर्धार हें हित जालें ऐसें ॥4॥
तुका ह्मणे तुह्मी तारिलें बहुतां । माझी कांहीं चिंता असों दे वो ॥5॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
A child tells its mother of its hunger and thirst, knowing nothing of the remedy. In the same way, look after me, taking upon Yourself all the weight and burden. Why bring faults and merits to mind, O Narayana? All have erred before You. I am without service, I am lowly, I am a heap of sins. What will You now reckon against me? The moment my chitta turned to Your feet, I knew for certain that my good was assured. Says Tuka, You have saved so many. Let my worry rest with You as well.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
A child tells its mother it is hungry and thirsty. It knows nothing of the remedy. Care for me like that, taking on Yourself all my weight and burden. Why call my faults and merits to mind, O Narayana? Everyone has erred before You. I have no service to show, I am lowly, I am a heap of sins. What is there now for You to weigh against me? The moment my mind turned to Your feet, I knew for certain my good was secured. Tuka says: You have saved so many. Let my worry, too, rest with You.
What it means
Tukaram makes himself as helpless as he can: a baby that can cry its need but cannot lift a finger toward the cure. So he asks God to carry the whole load, the way a mother does for an infant. He waves away any accounting of his record; everyone falls short before God, and he openly calls himself a heap of sins with no service to his name, so what is left to judge? His one ground of confidence is the moment his mind turned to the feet, which he treats as the settled guarantee of his good. He ends by folding even his anxiety into God's keeping, leaning on the long record of others already saved.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
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