Exhortation, mount Krishna or be ruined
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
नहिं एकदो सकल संसार । जो बुझे सो आगला स्वार ॥1॥
उपर श्वार बैठे कृष्णांपीठ । नहिं बाचे कोइ जावे लूठ ॥2॥
देख हि डर फेर बैठा तुका । जोवत मारग राम हि एका ॥3॥
भले रे भाई जिन्हें किया चीज । आछा नहिं मिलत बीज ॥ध्रु.॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
It is not one or two; the whole world is in the same boat. Whoever truly understands is the foremost rider. The one who has mounted Krishna as their carrier is safe. All others go to ruin. Says Tuka, seeing this danger, I have sat down in one place, watching the road, waiting for Rama alone. Blessed, O brothers, are those who made something of their lives. Otherwise, a worthy seed is not easily come by.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
It is not one or two; the whole world is in the same boat. Whoever truly understands is the foremost rider. The one who has climbed onto Krishna as his mount is safe. All the rest go to ruin. Tuka says: seeing this danger, I have sat down in one place, watching the road, waiting for Rama alone. Blessed, O brothers, are those who made something of their lives. A worthy seed is not easily found again.
What it means
Tukaram says the danger of being lost is universal; the whole world rides toward it together, not just a few. The one who understands this becomes the foremost, and his safety is in having mounted Krishna himself as his carrier, while everyone who has not is heading for ruin. Seeing the peril clearly, Tukaram has stopped running about and instead sits still, watching the road for Rama alone. He blesses those who used this life well and warns that a human birth, the worthy seed, is not easily come by again. The call is to climb onto God now, because the chance does not return readily.
Appeals and Exhortations
Direct calls to action: wake up, seek God, do not waste this human birth.
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