Crossing accomplished, the raft of the Name
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
उलंघिली लाज । तेणें साधियेलें काज ॥1॥
सुखें नाचे पैलतीरीं । गेलों भवाचे सागरीं ॥ध्रु.॥
नामाची सांगडी । सुखें बांधली आवडी ॥2॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
By casting off shame, the real purpose was accomplished. Now I dance happily on the far shore, having crossed the ocean of existence. The raft of the name was bound together with joyful love.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
By throwing off shame, the real work got done. Now I dance happily on the far shore. I have crossed the ocean of this existence. The raft of the Name I bound together with joyful love.
What it means
Tukaram names what carried him across the ocean of worldly existence: the Name of God, lashed into a raft and held together by nothing but loving delight. The first step was casting off shame, the worry about how he looked to others, because that fear is what keeps a person on the near shore. Having let it go, he says the true purpose of a life is finished, and he dances freely on the far bank. The image is plain: love is the only binding, and the Name is the only vessel.
Ecstasy and Joy
Triumphant happiness: poems written from the far side of the struggle.
More in this theme →