Counsel, the path of service and the Name
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
गुरुकृपे मज बोलविलें देवें । होईल हें घ्यावें हित कांहीं ॥1॥
सत्य देवें माझा केला अंगीकार । आणीक विचार नाहीं आतां ॥ध्रु.॥
होई बळकट घालूनियां कास । हा चि उपदेश तुज आतां ॥2॥
सडा संमार्जन तुळसीवृंदावन । अतीतपूजन ब्राह्मणाचें॥3॥
वैष्णवांची दासी होई सर्वभावें । मुखीं नाम घ्यावें विठोबाचें ॥4॥
पूर्णबोध स्त्रीभ्रतारसंवाद । धन्य जिहीं वाद आइकिला॥5॥
तुका ह्मणे आहे पांडुरंगकथा । तरेल जो चित्ता धरील कोणी ॥6॥ ॥11॥
खडा रवाळी साकर । जाला नामाचा चि फेर ।
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
By the Guru's grace, God has moved me to speak; may some good come of it for you. God has truly accepted me; there is no further deliberation. Gird yourself with strength; this is my counsel to you now. Sweep and clean the threshold, tend the tulasi garden, and honor the brahmins and guests. Become a servant of the Vaishnavas with all your chitta, and keep Vithoba's name upon your lips. Blessed are those who have heard this dialogue of full awakening between husband and wife. Says Tuka, this is the story of Panduranga; whoever holds it in their chitta will be saved.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
By the Guru's grace, God has set me speaking; let some good of it be taken up. Truly God has accepted me; there is nothing more to weigh now. Be strong; gird up your loins. This alone is my counsel to you. Sweep and clean the threshold, tend the tulasi garden, honor the brahmins and the guests. Become a servant of the Vaishnavas with your whole being, and keep Vithoba's name on your lips. Blessed are those who have heard this dialogue of full awakening between wife and husband. Tuka says: this is the story of Panduranga; whoever holds it in the chitta will be carried across.
What it means
Tukaram gives plain marching orders for a life of devotion, crediting the Guru's grace for both his speech and God's acceptance of him. The counsel is concrete and humble: gird yourself with resolve, sweep the threshold, tend the tulasi, honor brahmins and guests. The heart of it is to serve the Vaishnavas wholly and keep Vithoba's name always on the lips. He frames the whole poem as a dialogue of full awakening between husband and wife, and ends with the promise that whoever holds this story of Panduranga in the chitta will be carried safely across the world's flood.
Autobiography
Tukaram's own account of his life, struggles, awakening, and mission.
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