मराठी मूळ
तुझे पोटीं ठाव । व्हावा ऐसा माझा भाव ॥1॥
करीं वासनेसारिखें । प्राण फुटे येणें दुःखें ॥ध्रु.॥
अहंकार खोटे । वाटे श्वापदांची थाटे ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे आई । हातीं धरूनि संग देई ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
My desire is to find a place within You. Fulfill this longing; my life breaks apart under the weight of this pain. Pride and falsehood seem like a pack of wild beasts. Says Tuka, O Mother, take my hand and walk beside me.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Let me find a place inside You; this is what I long for. Grant me my wish; my breath breaks apart under this pain. Pride and falsehood crowd around me like a pack of wild beasts. Tuka says: O Mother, take me by the hand and walk with me.
What it means
Tukaram begs to be hidden inside God as a frightened child hides in a parent. His longing is not for comfort but for shelter, and the urgency is real: the ache of separation is breaking his very breath. The danger he names is inward, not outward. Pride and falsehood close in on him like wild animals, and he knows he cannot fight them off alone. So he ends by calling God Mother and asking for the simplest help there is, a hand to hold and someone to walk beside him through the danger.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
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