Devotion to the saints, carried by their grace
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
संतांचिया पायीं माझा विश्वास । सर्वभावें दास जालों त्यांचा ॥1॥
ते चि माझें हित करिती सकळ । जेणें हा गोपाळ कृपा करी ॥ध्रु.॥
भागलिया मज वाहतील कडे । यांचियातें जोडे सर्व सुख ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे शेष घेईन आवडी । वचन न मोडीं बोलिलों तें ॥3॥ ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
My faith rests at the feet of the saints; I have become their servant with my whole being. They alone do everything for my welfare, by which Gopala bestows His grace. When I am exhausted, they carry me on their shoulders; through their company, all happiness is won. Says Tuka, I shall gladly accept their leftovers. I will not break the word I have spoken.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
My faith rests at the feet of the saints. With my whole being I have become their servant. They are the ones who do all my good, the good through which Gopala shows his grace. When I am worn out, they carry me on their shoulders. In their company every happiness is won. Tuka says: I will gladly take their leftovers. I will not break the word I have spoken.
What it means
Tukaram places his whole trust in the saints and makes himself their servant. He sees them as the channel of God's grace: it is through them that Gopala's mercy reaches him. The image of being carried on their shoulders when exhausted shows how much he depends on them, not on his own strength. Accepting their leftovers is an act of glad humility, taking even the lowest place near them, and his closing vow not to break his word seals the surrender. The saints, for him, are the road to God, not a detour from it.
The Saints
The character and service of true saints: softer than butter, harder than diamond.
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