Contemplation, the King of Pandharpur
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
आणूनियां मना । आवघ्या धांडोिळल्या खुणा । देखिला तो राणा । पंढरपूरनिवासी ॥1॥
यासी अनुसरल्या काय । घडे ऐसें वांयां जाय । देखिले ते पाय । सम जीवीं राहाती ॥ध्रु.॥
तो देखावा हा विध । चिंतनें तें कार्य सिद्ध । आणिकां संबंध । नाहीं पर्वकाळासी ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे खळ । हो क्षणें चि निर्मळ । जाऊनियां मळ । वाळवंटीं नाचती ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Gathering the mind inward, I searched all signs and directions and beheld the King, the one who dwells in Pandharpur. For those who follow Him, nothing goes in vain. The sight of those feet abides steadfast in the jiva. The method of seeing Him is this: through contemplation, the purpose is fulfilled. No other observance or auspicious season is needed. Says Tuka, even the wicked are purified in an instant, their impurities washed away, and they dance in the open sands of Pandhari.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
I drew my mind inward, searched through every sign and direction, and saw the King, the one who lives in Pandharpur. For those who give themselves to Him, nothing is wasted. The sight of those feet stays steady in the heart. This is the way to see Him: through contemplation the work is done. No other rite, no special holy day, is needed. Tuka says: even the wicked become spotless in a moment, their filth washed off, and they dance on the open sands of Pandhari.
What it means
Tukaram reports the fruit of turning the mind inward: searching through all outer signs, he finds the King of Pandharpur within. He insists that self-surrender to this Lord is never wasted and that the vision of His feet, once seen, holds firm in the heart. Then he names the method plainly and strips away the alternatives: contemplation alone accomplishes the goal, and no special ritual or auspicious calendar day is required. He closes with the radical reach of this path; even the worst person is purified in an instant and ends up dancing in joy on the riverbank sands of Pandhari.
Devotion to Vitthal
Poems of praise, invocation, and intimate address to Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur.
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