Worldly life, God in all enjoyment
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
नको सांडूं अन्न नको सेवूं वन । चिंतीं नारायण सर्व भोगीं ॥1॥
मातेचिये खांदीं बाळ नेणे सीण । भावना त्या भिन्न मुंडाविया ॥ध्रु.॥
नको गुंपों भोगीं नको पडों त्यागीं । लावुनि सरें अंगीं देवाचिया ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे नको पुसों वेळोवेळां । उपदेश वेगळा उरला नाहीं ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Do not abandon food, and do not retire to the forest. Contemplate Narayana through all your daily enjoyments. A child on its mother's shoulder knows no weariness. Do not get entangled in pleasures, and do not fall into austere renunciation. Simply lean upon God's support. Says Tuka, do not keep asking again and again. There is no instruction left beyond this.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Do not give up your food. Do not run off to the forest. Think of Narayana in all your enjoyments. A child on its mother's shoulder knows no weariness. Do not get tangled in pleasures, and do not fall into harsh renunciation. Just lean your whole body on God's support. Tuka says: do not keep asking again and again. There is no instruction left beyond this.
What it means
Tukaram cuts away the false choice between indulgence and flight. You need not starve yourself or escape to the forest; remember Narayana right inside your ordinary meals and pleasures. He gives the image of a child carried on its mother's shoulder, feeling no tiredness because it is wholly held. So lean your full weight on God and avoid both traps, being snared by pleasure and being proud of austerity. The closing line is firm. Stop asking for more techniques; this surrender is the whole of the teaching, and nothing else remains to be told.
Worldly Life
The perplexities of action, karma, and navigating life in the world.
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