Worldly life, service and the inner dive
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
भोग भोगावरी द्यावा । संचिताचा करुनी ठेवा ॥1॥
शांती धरणें जिवासाटीं । दशा उत्तम गोमटी ॥ध्रु.॥
देह लेखावें असार । सत्य परउपकार ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे हे मिरासी । बुडी द्यावी ब्रह्मरसी ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Let one experience follow another, spending the store of past actions. Hold patience for the sake of the jiva; that is the highest and noblest condition. Regard the body as perishable, and hold service to others as the only truth. Says Tuka, this is the true inheritance: to dive deep into the nectar of Brahman.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Let one experience follow another; spend down the store of past deeds. Hold peace for the soul's sake; that is the best and finest state. Count the body as worthless; hold service to others as the only truth. Tuka says: this is the true inheritance, to dive deep into the nectar of Brahman.
What it means
Tukaram is laying out how to live through a life that is already shaped by past karma. Let the experiences come and go, he says, and let them burn off the store of old deeds rather than fighting them. The finest condition is to keep inner peace for the soul's sake. He sets the body at near zero worth and puts service to others as the one real truth to hold to. Then he names what is truly yours to inherit: not property or status, but the plunge into the nectar of Brahman, the union beneath all the passing experiences.
Worldly Life
The perplexities of action, karma, and navigating life in the world.
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