The Name, liberation in hand
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
मुखीं नाम हातीं मोक्ष । ऐसी साक्ष बहुतांसी ॥1॥
वैष्णवांचा माल खरा । तुरतुरा वस्तूसी ॥ध्रु.॥
भस्म दंड न लगे काठी । तीर्थां आटी भ्रमण ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे आडकाठी । नाहीं भेटी देवाचे ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
With the Name on the lips, liberation is in hand; many bear witness to this. The merchandise of the Vaishnavas is genuine; it holds its value against all goods. No need for ash, staff, or walking stick; no need for the toil of pilgrimage to sacred places. Says Tuka, there is no obstacle in the way of meeting God through the Name.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The Name on the lips, liberation in the hand. Many bear witness to this. The Vaishnavas' goods are genuine; they hold their value against everything. No need for ash, no need for staff or stick. No need for the toil of wandering to sacred places. Tuka says: there is no obstacle to meeting God by the Name.
What it means
Tukaram makes the bhakti claim in its sharpest form: speak God's Name and liberation is already in your grasp, and he says many devotees can testify to it. He treats the Name like genuine merchandise that keeps its worth no matter what it is weighed against, unlike the counterfeit value of religious display. Then he strikes out the props of conventional holiness one by one: the ascetic's smeared ash, the staff, the long pilgrimages to holy waters. None of these is required, and none stands between you and God. The whole point is that the way to God is unobstructed and available to anyone who will simply take the Name.
The Power of the Name
The supremacy of nama-smarana: God's name as the highest practice.
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