Penitence, fear of grieving God
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
कापो कोणी माझी मान सुखें पीडोत दुर्जन । तुज होय सीण तें मी न करीं सर्वथा ॥1॥
चुकी जाली एकवेळा मज पासूनि चांडाळा । उभें करोनियां जळा माजी वहएा राखिल्या॥ध्रु.॥
नाहीं केला हा विचार माझा कोण अधिकार । समर्थासी भार न कळे कैसा घालावा ॥2॥
गेलें होऊनियां मागें नये बोलों तें वाउगें । पुढिलिया प्रसंगें तुका ह्मणे जाणावें ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Let anyone cut my throat; let the wicked torment me freely. But I will never do what causes You pain, not under any circumstance. This mistake happened once at my pitiable hands. You made me stand in the water and kept the notebooks safe. I did not consider whose authority I was overriding or how to place this burden on the Capable One. What is done is done; it is useless to speak of it now. Says Tuka, let the future be guided by this lesson.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Let anyone cut my throat. Let the wicked torment me as they please. I will never do the thing that gives You pain. Not ever. This mistake came once from me, a wretch. You stood me in the water and kept the notebooks safe. I never thought whose right I was overriding. I never thought how I should lay such a burden on the Capable One. What is gone is gone; it is useless to speak of it now. Tuka says: let what comes next be guided by this lesson.
What it means
Tukaram measures his own offense against everything else he might suffer. He says he would rather have his throat cut than do one thing that pains his Lord, and that ranks God's pain far above his own. He confesses a single fault that he did not weigh in advance: he acted without asking by what authority, and he loaded his trouble onto God, who then saved both him and the books in the water. The lesson he draws is not endless guilt but watchfulness: the past cannot be undone, so let it teach what to do the next time.
Autobiography
Tukaram's own account of his life, struggles, awakening, and mission.
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