The Name, the burden laid on God's head
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
आतां आह्मां हें चि काम । न विसंभावें तुझें नाम । वाहुनियां टाळी । प्रेमसुखें नाचावें ॥1॥
अवघी जाली आराणूक । मागें पुढें सकिळक । त्रिपुटीचें दुःख । प्रारब्ध सारिलें ॥ध्रु.॥
गोदातटें निर्मळें । देव देवांचीं देवळें । संत महंत मेळें । दिवस जाय सुखाचा ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे पंढरीनाथा । आणिक नाहीं मज चिंता । योगक्षेम माथां । भार तुझ्या घातला ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Now this alone is our work: never to forget Your name. Carrying the cymbal, we shall dance in the joy of love. All hardship has ended, past and future both settled. The suffering of the triputi and the weight of prarabdha have been spent. On the pure banks of the Godavari, amidst temples of gods, in the company of saints and sages, each day passes in joy. Says Tuka, O Lord of Pandhari, I have no other worry. The burden of my welfare and provision I have placed upon Your head.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Now this alone is our work: never to forget your name. Carrying the cymbal, we dance in the joy of love. All hardship is over, past and future both settled. The suffering of the triputi and the weight of prarabdha have been spent. On the clean banks of the Godavari, among the temples of the gods, in the company of saints and sages, each day passes in joy. Tuka says: O Lord of Pandhari, I have no other worry. The burden of my keeping and my provision I have laid upon your head.
What it means
Tukaram reduces his whole task to one thing: never to forget the Name, and to dance to the cymbal in the joy of love. With that, he says, hardship is finished on both sides of time; even the suffering of the triputi, the split of knower, knowing, and known, and the weight of past karma are spent. His days now pass in joy on the clean banks of the Godavari, among temples and in the company of saints. The release comes because he has set down the one burden that breeds worry: his own welfare and livelihood, which he places entirely on God's head.
The Power of the Name
The supremacy of nama-smarana: God's name as the highest practice.
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