Vow, staking the whole life
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
जीवें व्हावें साटी । पडे संवसारें तुटी ॥1॥
ऐशीं बोलिलों वचनें । सवें घेउनि नारायण ॥ध्रु.॥
नाहीं जन्मा आलों । करील ऐसें नेदीं बोलों ॥2॥
ठाव पुसी सेणें । तुका ह्मणे खुंटी येणें ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
One must stake one's very life; that is what breaks the bond with worldly existence. I have spoken such words and taken Narayana along with me. I did not come into this world to let anyone say otherwise; I will not allow it. Says Tuka, cow dung cleans the ground; by this, the post is firmly planted.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
You must stake your very life; that is what breaks the bond with this world. I have spoken such words, taking Narayana along with me as my witness. I did not come into this world to let anyone say otherwise; I will not allow it. Tuka says: as cow dung cleans and seals the ground, by this the post stands firmly fixed.
What it means
Tukaram is declaring a vow and naming its cost: the bond with worldly existence breaks only when you wager your whole life, nothing less. He says he has spoken these words with Narayana himself standing beside him, so they are not loose talk but a pledge made before God. He refuses to let anyone soften or unsay it. The closing image makes it solid: just as a smear of cow dung sets and seals a floor, this vow has been packed down so the post of his resolve stands fixed and cannot be pulled loose.
Faith and Trust
The boldness of faith, steadfastness, and the security of trusting in God.
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