Prayer, only You can carry me across
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
जीवभावना पुरवूं कोण जाणे । तुजवांचुनी होत कां रावराणे ॥1॥
नसे मोक्षदाता तिहींमाजि लोकां । भवतारकु तूजवांचुनि एका ।
मनीं मानसीं चिंतितां रूपनाम । पळे पाप ताप भयें नास काम ॥2॥
हरी नाम हें साच तुझें पुराणीं । हरीहातिचें काळगर्भादियोनी ।
करूं मुखवाणी कैसी देशघडी । तुजवांचुनि वाणितां व्यर्थ गोडी ॥3॥
भवभंजना व्यापक लोक तिन्ही । तुज वाणितां श्रमला शेषफणी ।
असो भावें जीव तुझ्या सर्व पायीं । दुजें मागणें आणीक व्यर्थ काई ॥4॥
दिनानाथ हे साक्ष तूझी जनासी । दिनें तारिलीं पातकी थोर दोषी ।
तुका राहिला पायिं तो राख देव। असें मागतसे तुझी चरणसेवा ॥5॥
उभा भींवरेच्या तिरी राहिलाहे । असे सन्मुख दिक्षणे मूख वाहे ।
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
From whom should I ask, if not from You, O all-pervading Lord of the world? Who but You can fulfill the longings of the jiva? Who else could, even among kings and emperors? There is no giver of liberation in all three worlds save You, the one who carries beings across worldly existence. By contemplating Your name and form in mind and in manas, sin, suffering, and fear are all destroyed, and desire itself perishes. Your name is proclaimed true in all the Puranas. From Your hands come death and the womb-cycle of rebirth. How shall my tongue fashion words worthy enough? Without You, all speech and sweetness are empty. O Destroyer of worldly bonds, Pervader of three worlds, even Shesha with his thousand tongues grew weary praising You. Let this jiva rest wholly at Your feet. Any other prayer is vain. You are the Lord of the lowly; Your own record testifies: You have saved great offenders and the deeply fallen. Says Tuka, I remain at Your feet. Keep me, O God. I ask only for the service of Your feet.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
From whom should I ask, if not from you, O all-pervading Lord of the world? Who but you can fill the longings of the jiva? Who could, even among kings and emperors? In all three worlds there is no giver of liberation but you, the one who carries beings across this existence. When I hold your name and form in the mind, sin, suffering, and fear are destroyed, and desire itself dies. Your name is told true in the Puranas; from your hands come death and the cycle of the womb. How can my tongue make words good enough? Without you all speech and all sweetness are empty. O breaker of worldly bonds, you who fill the three worlds, even Shesha with his thousand tongues grew tired praising you. Let this jiva rest wholly at your feet. Any other asking is in vain. You are the Lord of the lowly; your own record shows it: you have saved great offenders and the deeply fallen. Tuka says: I stay at your feet. Keep me, O God. I ask only for the service of your feet.
What it means
This is a prayer that argues itself into one request. Tukaram asks who else there is to turn to, and answers that no king, no other god, no power in the three worlds can give liberation, only the Lord who carries beings across. He admits his own words are too weak, since even the thousand-tongued serpent Shesha tired of praising, so eloquence is not the offering. What he leans on instead is the Lord's own record of saving great sinners, which makes him a fit candidate rather than a hopeless one. He strips his asking down to a single thing: not gifts or escape, but to rest at the feet and serve there, which he calls the only request that is not vain.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
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