Prayer, cut my bondage to the inner enemies
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
मरे हिंडतां न पुरे यासि कांहीं । मही ठेंगणी परी तें तृप्त नाहीं ॥1॥
न दिसे शुद्ध पाहातां निजमती । पुढें पडिलों इंिद्रयां थोर घातीं ।
जिवा नास त्या संगती दंड बेडी । हरी शीघ्र या दुष्टसंगासि तोडीं ॥2॥
असीं आणिकें काय सांगों अनंता । मोहो पापिणी दुष्टमायाममता ।
क्रोध काम यातना थोर करी । तुजवांचुनी सोडवी कोण हरी ॥3॥
निज देखतां निज हे दूरि जाये । निद्रा आळस दंभ यी भीत आहे ।
तयां विस्त देहीं नको देउं देवा । तुजवांचुनी आणिक नािस्त हेवा ॥4॥
करीं घात पात शंका लाज थोरी । असे सत्य भाव बहू भक्ति दूरी ।
नको मोकलूं दीनबंधु अनाथा । तुका वीनवी ठेवुनी पायिं माथा ॥5॥
पैल सांवळें तेज पुंजाळ कैसें । सिरीं तुबिनलीं साजिरीं मोरवीसें ।
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The mind runs about and dies in its wandering, yet nothing is ever enough. The whole earth is too small, and yet it finds no satisfaction. Looking closely at my own nature, I find no trace of purity. I have fallen into a great calamity before the senses. Evil company brings ruin, chains, and punishment to the jiva. O Hari, swiftly cut this bond of evil association. What more shall I tell You, O Ananta? Moha, sin, cruel illusion, and possessiveness oppress me. Lust and anger inflict great torment. Who but You, O Hari, can set me free? Looking at my own self, the self flees far away. Sloth, laziness, and hypocrisy stand before me like walls. Do not let them take root in this body, O God. Besides You, I have no other longing. Fear of harm, of falling, doubt, and great shame surround me. True feeling and devotion are still far away. Do not abandon this orphan, O friend of the lowly. Says Tuka, pleading with his head at Your feet.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The mind runs about and dies in its wandering, yet nothing is ever enough; the whole earth is too small, and still it is not satisfied. Looking closely at my own nature, I find no purity. I have fallen before the senses into great ruin. Evil company brings the jiva ruin, chains, and punishment. O Hari, quickly cut this bond of bad company. What more shall I tell you, O Ananta? Delusion, sin, cruel illusion, and possessiveness; anger and lust torment me terribly. Who but you, O Hari, can set me free? When I look for my true self, it flees far away. Sleep, sloth, and hypocrisy stand before me like walls. Do not let them take root in this body, O God; besides you I have no other longing. Fear of harm, of falling, doubt, and great shame surround me; true feeling and devotion are still far off. Do not abandon this orphan, O friend of the lowly. Tuka says: I plead with my head at your feet.
What it means
Tukaram makes an honest inventory of his own inner enemies and asks God to do what he cannot. He sees that the restless mind can never be filled, that the whole earth is too small for it, and that searching himself he finds no purity, only the grip of the senses. He names the foes plainly: delusion, lust, anger, possessiveness, sloth, hypocrisy, doubt, shame. The poem does not pretend to defeat them; it confesses they stand like walls and that even devotion is still far away. So the whole prayer rests on God's mercy, not the seeker's strength, asking the friend of the lowly not to abandon an orphan who has nowhere else to turn.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
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